Think Global, Act Local, Be Vocal

 Weekly column written for the Singapore Unbound newsletter. Sign up here.

Thanks to you, last summer we raised USD500 from the sale of Gaudy Boy books for the Black Lives Matter movement and donated it to VOCAL-NY, a statewide grassroots membership organization that builds power among low-income people directly impacted by HIV/AIDS, the drug war, mass incarceration, and homelessness. VOCAL-NY Action Fund has just announced the first round of its 2021 NYC Council endorsements. If you live in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, check out these progressive candidates: Lincoln Restler (District 33), Sandy Nurse (District 37), and Tiffany Cabán (District 22).

The Singapore government has again made itself a laughing stock around the world for charging labor and democracy activist Jolovan Wham for illegal assembly. What danger did Wham pose to public order? Why, your Honor, he held up a picture of a smiley face. To show solidarity with Wham, online citizens are posting photographs of themselves with Smiley. You can do so too, with the #SmileinSolidarity.

We're thankful to the writers and artists who graced our events and contributed poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, and interviews to SP Blog and our press Gaudy Boy this year. They all have expanded our minds and challenged our hearts with their words and works. Heartfelt gratitude to our donors and backers without whom none of this goodness could have happened. And a special personal note of thanks to the fantastic team behind Singapore Unbound and Gaudy Boy, all of whom volunteer their time, thought, and talent to the cause of fine literature and equal rights, while holding down full-time jobs or keeping up with full-time studies.

Please read our EOY Appeal - Support Writers to find out how you can support us by buying a book, attending an event, or making a donation. Just in: Lawrence Lacambra Ypil will sign your bookplate too if you purchase his Lambda finalist The Experiment of the Tropics. Thank you for reading and following this newsletter.

Jee Leong Koh
November 26, 2020

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