Flipping the script: Migrant Writers of Singapore

“When we say domestic workers, we’re only, you know, cleaning houses and doing housework. We have potential to be a leader. We have potential to be authors if we wanted to one day, so it’s (about) developing our talents.”

This was a quote from Ellen Lavilla, whom I interviewed for the story I wrote, Flipping The Script: Migrant Writers of Singapore. The title is a play on words, as Ellen had written the script for "The Homecoming", a play that displayed how complex community building can be for transient migrant workers pulled by the longing--and responsibility--to return home. Ellen is a writer and is herself a core member of the group. She has worked in Singapore for over two decades.

I was first drawn to MWS because I was keen to explore how a group of migrant workers who spent their day off in writing workshops was building a unique kind of community. In a Substack post I wrote a year ago, I was curious about how migrant worker communities are typically covered in the media and how some have turned to art to express and represent themselves authentically. What followed was a months-long process of scheduling, conducting, and transcribing interviews with key members of the group, as well as recording conversations and downloading chat threads with other individual supporters of MWS’ work (a big shout-out to Sing Lit Station) to better understand this niche community of artists.

It was an immense privilege to have had the wonderful team at Jom guide me through the process of research, editing, and the final draft of the story. Their discerning eye for finding the right editorial angle for the story was instrumental in bringing down the piece to its eventual length and scope—which was still 4,000 words! For the full version of the story, please consider subscribing! You can also read some ‘postscript’ thoughts I had about the story getting published here.