Rebel Rites - Help me launch it!
S$6,350
of $4,350 targetyrs ago
Successful on 1st Dec 2015 at 11:34PM.
When I was 19 years old, I was imprisoned without trial by the Singapore Prison System for a year. It was for the consumption of ganja and MDMA under the Drug Rehabilitation Sentence, which employs direct incarceration since it is a non-criminal sentence. It is meant to be a rehabilitative sentence. I did not possess any substances and was not high at the time my arrest. During the year of my imprisonment, I learnt about freedom and the Singaporean underclass. It has taken more than 7 years for me to know how to tell this story. In that time I have been learning, creating and performing.
Clockwise from left to right: In the Straits Times for my work with the team organising Lit Up Indie Arts Festival, Performing poetry in Australia, Performing poems to a crowded Artistry during the launch of my first collection- When I Giggle In My Sleep in the Loudmouth series, Performing poetry at SPEAK. a monthly poetry gig a few of us organise at Canvas creative space.
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
A lot of my work has been self-centred and confessional. Recently it has been to encourage change. This book began as a factual account because I wanted to write a poem about my imprisonment and didn't know where to start. The factual account had more depth and detail than a poem contained, so a longer medium seemed more suitable. As I continued to write, a number of ethical issues with the system of imprisonment became clear and I knew the story needed to be shared. This book has become a way for me to tell society what imprisonment in Singapore can be like and to encourage awareness and discussion. I do not believe that right and wrong can be so easily distinguished when considering all the factors which make an offender. People need to start thinking about the societal factors around lawbreaking, especially in Singapore where we too often see in black and white; where we too often do as we are told because of the fear of punishment instilled since childhood.
I don't want to be some kind of success story. I get portrayed that way pretty often. I am not here because I "overcame the odds". It's because I had a good education, parents who told me that I could and lots of people who care for my well being. I speak English well and present differently from most Singaporeans. It is easy for me to be given a chance to prove my usefulness, but what about all the other people who have been processed by the judiciary system? Many of them have grown up in gang culture, trying to escape their homes and be happy but learning to prove their usefulness in hurtful ways. Many of them were born into lives they have never been able to hide from. I do not want to provide ground for comparison. I have been privileged.
My main questions are: Does society make prisoners or does a prisoner make themselves? How much does free will have weight when the environment that seeds the will is that of an underclass and it's symptoms?
Clockwise from left to right: Performing poems at TEDx Singapore in 2013, Running a primary school poetry workshop this year as part of Words Go Round- Singapore Writers Festival school tour, Talking to employees at Procter & Gamble concerning my ideas about capitalism, the beauty ideal, environmental degradation and privilege, Giving a talk about Empathy at Creative Mornings Singapore.
WHAT IS IN THE BOOK?
Rebel Rites is the account of my first 6 months in Changi Women's prison and next 6 months in The Turning Point, a Christian Halfway House. It is the reality of my imprisonment, completely true except for the changed names of people whose identities I want to protect. The storytelling is reflective and descriptive, with a bit of attitude.
EXCERPTS
"Two other young women were in the van. One of them had a large, badly rendered Garfield inked on her bicep and the other was slim and shrunken like a voodoo doll. They must have been something like twenty-seven years old, but already jaded and crusty. They leaned against the windows of the van in slack-limbed defeat until we arrived at the prison gates. The first sighting of the complex filled me with awe. I think it was when I still had respect for police authority. I have a real issue with authority these days; when security personnel at airports stop me to check if i’m dangerous, my features instinctively arrange themselves into bitch face. Yes, I am aware that it probably doesn't help the situation."
"Dealing with bureaucracy while emotionally unstable is like punching yourself in the face."
"It was strange to me that the Hindu and Buddhist women in the house were obliged to participate in the Christian activities under the guise of rehabilitation. Perhaps we saw it as a sacrifice to make for more freedom than in the prison complex, but I struggled to compromise my belief system. It has always felt like lying. My ideas about having respect for other people’s beliefs and personal practices were definitely at odds with the ideas of most religious people I met at The Turning Point. I suppose it isn’t surprising. Religious fundamentalists tend to think that anyone outside the group should be converted or saved from their current ignorance and inferiority. It took me a lot of getting used to- being spoken to like I had no idea how the world worked...but my lips stayed hermetically sealed even when quivering in irritation. I thought keeping peace was more important than being honest. It also made me feel superior that I didn’t feel the need to convince other people that my perspective was obviously right."
Clockwise from left to right: In the Straits Times for my work with the team organising Lit Up Indie Arts Festival, Performing poetry in Australia, Performing poems to a crowded Artistry during the launch of my first collection- When I Giggle In My Sleep in the Loudmouth series, Performing poetry at SPEAK. a monthly poetry gig a few of us organise at Canvas creative space.
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
A lot of my work has been self-centred and confessional. Recently it has been to encourage change. This book began as a factual account because I wanted to write a poem about my imprisonment and didn't know where to start. The factual account had more depth and detail than a poem contained, so a longer medium seemed more suitable. As I continued to write, a number of ethical issues with the system of imprisonment became clear and I knew the story needed to be shared. This book has become a way for me to tell society what imprisonment in Singapore can be like and to encourage awareness and discussion. I do not believe that right and wrong can be so easily distinguished when considering all the factors which make an offender. People need to start thinking about the societal factors around lawbreaking, especially in Singapore where we too often see in black and white; where we too often do as we are told because of the fear of punishment instilled since childhood.
I don't want to be some kind of success story. I get portrayed that way pretty often. I am not here because I "overcame the odds". It's because I had a good education, parents who told me that I could and lots of people who care for my well being. I speak English well and present differently from most Singaporeans. It is easy for me to be given a chance to prove my usefulness, but what about all the other people who have been processed by the judiciary system? Many of them have grown up in gang culture, trying to escape their homes and be happy but learning to prove their usefulness in hurtful ways. Many of them were born into lives they have never been able to hide from. I do not want to provide ground for comparison. I have been privileged.
My main questions are: Does society make prisoners or does a prisoner make themselves? How much does free will have weight when the environment that seeds the will is that of an underclass and it's symptoms?
Clockwise from left to right: Performing poems at TEDx Singapore in 2013, Running a primary school poetry workshop this year as part of Words Go Round- Singapore Writers Festival school tour, Talking to employees at Procter & Gamble concerning my ideas about capitalism, the beauty ideal, environmental degradation and privilege, Giving a talk about Empathy at Creative Mornings Singapore.
WHAT IS IN THE BOOK?
Rebel Rites is the account of my first 6 months in Changi Women's prison and next 6 months in The Turning Point, a Christian Halfway House. It is the reality of my imprisonment, completely true except for the changed names of people whose identities I want to protect. The storytelling is reflective and descriptive, with a bit of attitude.
EXCERPTS
"Two other young women were in the van. One of them had a large, badly rendered Garfield inked on her bicep and the other was slim and shrunken like a voodoo doll. They must have been something like twenty-seven years old, but already jaded and crusty. They leaned against the windows of the van in slack-limbed defeat until we arrived at the prison gates. The first sighting of the complex filled me with awe. I think it was when I still had respect for police authority. I have a real issue with authority these days; when security personnel at airports stop me to check if i’m dangerous, my features instinctively arrange themselves into bitch face. Yes, I am aware that it probably doesn't help the situation."
"Dealing with bureaucracy while emotionally unstable is like punching yourself in the face."
"It was strange to me that the Hindu and Buddhist women in the house were obliged to participate in the Christian activities under the guise of rehabilitation. Perhaps we saw it as a sacrifice to make for more freedom than in the prison complex, but I struggled to compromise my belief system. It has always felt like lying. My ideas about having respect for other people’s beliefs and personal practices were definitely at odds with the ideas of most religious people I met at The Turning Point. I suppose it isn’t surprising. Religious fundamentalists tend to think that anyone outside the group should be converted or saved from their current ignorance and inferiority. It took me a lot of getting used to- being spoken to like I had no idea how the world worked...but my lips stayed hermetically sealed even when quivering in irritation. I thought keeping peace was more important than being honest. It also made me feel superior that I didn’t feel the need to convince other people that my perspective was obviously right."
How The Funds Will Be Used
I need $2200 for printing 1000 books, $900 for cover, illustration and inside design by my friend Vikas from Studio VBK, and $1000 for editing at $100/hr. On top of that, I need the 5% Pozible platform fee which is $205 out of the total listed amount.
This means ($2200 + $900 + $1000 = $4100) + (5% X $4100 = $250) = $4350
This means ($2200 + $900 + $1000 = $4100) + (5% X $4100 = $250) = $4350
The Challenges
I worry about being sued for defamation, but I do not say anything unwarranted or unreasonably provocative. If I get sued it will be sinister. As much as I am against self-censorship or censorship at all, sometimes the best way to be an instigator is not with force but with gentleness. The book is not a way for me to emasculate the judicial system or government with quantified data. I am not a scholar. I just have a true story.
Another concern is not meeting my funding goal, which is why the budget is quite conservative. If I don't meet the goal with Pozible i'll have to add funds I don't have to meet the goal and get the donations. I'm really hoping this doesn't happen. In the event that I am given more money than i ask for, I will spend it on making the book better with a more colourful design, on a more enjoyable launch party or on printing more copies.
Finally, I question the response to the book. I don't know how many people see the law as truth. I don't know how many people think that ex-offenders are scum. I don't know how many people think some things are better left unsaid. I sometimes think that with Singapore, it is best to prepare myself for disappointment. I still try though, because I have hope. It just hurts less when expectations are low, and my aim is to deal with any criticism positively.
Most of these challenges are manageable. Secure funds to print the book, deal with criticism and get the book out there. Nobody can stop the book until it is printed, so the funds will still go to use. Also, as long as I have a community (which I think I do) I have less fear in the consequences. None of this is coming from a malevolent place.
Some <3
I'll send you some love during a metta meditation and list you on my FB page (unless you want to remain anonymous).
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Book with <3 (Singapore)
A signed copy of Rebel Rites, delivered to the address of your choice in Singapore.
50 chosen
Est. delivery is Jan 16
Book with <3 (Overseas)
A signed copy of Rebel Rites, delivered to the address of your choice worldwide.
15 chosen
Est. delivery is Jan 16
Books with <3 (Singapore)
Signed copies of Rebel Rites and my first poetry collection, When I Giggle In My Sleep, mailed to wherever you want in Singapore.
24 chosen
Est. delivery is Jan 16
Books with <3 (Overseas)
Signed copies of Rebel Rites and my first poetry collection, When I Giggle In My Sleep, mailed to wherever you want worldwide.
11 chosen
Est. delivery is Jan 16
Books + Poem (Singapore)
Signed copies of Rebel Rites and my first poetry collection, When I Giggle In My Sleep, as well as a handwritten, decorated and signed poem of your choice.
2 chosen
Est. delivery is Jan 16
Books + Poem (Overseas)
Signed copies of Rebel Rites and my first poetry collection, When I Giggle In My Sleep, as well as a handwritten, decorated and signed poem of your choice.
8 chosen
Est. delivery is Jan 16
Skype + Books + Party!
Half hour Skype conversation about you and your life so that I can create a poem about it, write it in the back of one of the books (I will send 2) and mail it to you wherever you are. Plus an invite to the launch party in Singapore with <3
4 chosen
Est. delivery is Mar 16
Workshop + Books + Party!
We can either write a poem together, or I can guide you through writing a poem over 3 hours (in Singapore). I'll also mail you two signed copies of Rebel Rites, and an invite to the launch party in Singapore with <3
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Mar 16