Contributors

Our contributors bring their special something to Mackerel readers, adding to the breadth of our stories. 

We work with talented individuals who are specialists in their fields and who share our passion for life, respect for authenticity and humility before Nature. 

Our book reviewers over at Mack Books, marshalled by Mack Books co-editor Melissa De Silva, also do a sterling job in bringing to light past and present literary offerings from Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Melizarani T.Selva is a Malaysian writer, spoken word poet and author of the poetry collection ‘Taboo’. Presently, she co-edits SingPoWriMo.com while eating away her homesickness at Shunfu Market. Find her at melizarani.com

Shivram Gopinath is a writer and spoken word performer. His work has been heard at the Singapore Writers Festival, Singapore Heritage Fest, Spore Art Salon, Lit Up Festival and numerous dingy bars. A proud member of the PAP (Party Action People), a rolling poetry troupe, he is also the 2014 and 2015 Singapore National Poetry Slam Champion.

Vikas Kailankaje is the principal designer of Studio VBK and a lecturer in Design Communication at LASALLE College of the Arts. He also leads walks around Singapore's inner city, his most recent being a series of three walks designed for the National Library Board and focused on urban graphics.

Chin Hui Wen is a freelance food writer and content strategist, currently running small batch cereal business, Eastern Granola. Widely travelled, she has a deep interest in culture and cuisine, and holds a MA in Food Studies from New York University. In her spare time, she can be found organising events from flea markets to speed dating sessions.

Rupak George is a music composer who plays in four bands, covering folk, world, dub and latin music. He has performed for Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, played in festivals like Music Matters, Baybeats, Night Festival, Lit Up and has toured India, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Check out some of his music here. 

Agnes Chew  is a writer, traveller, and change-maker at heart. She has performed and showcased her work at the Singapore Writers Festival, National Library Board’s PressPlay Festival, and 3rd anniversary event of The Writers Club. Her writing has appeared in publications and anthologies across the US, UK, and Singapore.  https://loveundwanderlust.wordpress.com

S. Mickey Lin is a former Annenberg Fellow and graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His writings have been published in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the US. For additional information, please check out www.mickeylin.com or follow him at @mickeylin

Samuel Caleb Wee thinks very hard about made up stuff and sometimes gets paid for using big words. Said big words have appeared in publications such as Poskod, Ceriph, Kitaab, and Esquire. He founded the satirical platform Cats of Singapore, and is also the co-editor of "this is how you walk on the moon", an anthology of experimental anti-realist fiction to be published by Ethos Books in late 2016. He is afraid of Americans.

Noor Iskandar is an award winning, multi-disciplinary artist based in Singapore. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Arts (Research) at Nanyang Technological University School of Art, Design and Media. His works have been exhibited both in Singapore as well as the international arena including London, Valencia, Pingyao, Belfast and Bandung.

Sabriena Loh was trained in theatre directing and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. She thinks she might become an editor someday. For now, she's busy completing her publishing internship at Epigram Books.

Olivia Kwok is a photographer of the arts, architecture, film and stage. When not behind the camera, she spends time on music and in the wilderness. www.oliviakwok.com

Deborah Emmanuel is a writer, performer and four-time TEDx speaker. She has published two books, "When I Giggle In My Sleep" and "Rebel Rites". She also makes music with Wobology and The Ditha Project, and creates theatre. http://deborahemmanuel.com/

Brian Lam lives in a French intentional community in Canada. He learned Latin in high school and studied classics at university. He now sings in Gregorian choirs. He is an emerging writer, editor and translator. He teaches Taoist tai chi.  

Shivaji Das  has been published in magazines such as TIME, Asian Geographic, Venture Mag, etc. and he has featured on BBC, CNBC and Channel News Asia and elsewhere. His photographs, in collaboration with his wife, Yolanda Yu,  have been exhibited internationally. His other books include ‘Journeys with the caterpillar: Travelling through the islands of Flores and Sumba, Indonesia’ and ‘Sacred Love: Erotic art in the temples of Nepal’. 
www.shivajidas.com | T: @ShivajiAuthor   | YT: http://goo.gl/uoMvUm
 

Jee Leong Koh is the author of Steep Tea (Carcanet), named a Best Book of the Year by UK’s Financial Times, and a Finalist by Lambda Literary. He is the author of three other books of poems and a book of zuihitsu. Born and raised in Singapore, he lives in New York City, where he heads the literary non-profit Singapore Unbound, dedicated to the struggle for freedom of expression and equal rights for all.
 

Daniel Tan is a budding street photographer interested in creating compelling snapshots of life; candid, unscripted, relatable. Instagram: @shredcow
 

Shihui feels most excited and alive at the confluence of the arts, community engagement and innovation of public service delivery. She is fortunate to have facilitated conversations around the topics of faith, urban poverty, living and dying well, and the contestation of public spaces. She is currently exploring the role of play and experimenting with creating games to build environmental consciousness and momentum for collective action. Instagram: @tabaogirl

Shawn Seah has written two history books on his family, Seah Eu Chin: His Life and Times and Leader and Legislator – Seah Liang Seah. The books have been featured on radio, print, and social media.  https://seaheuchin.com/

Zedeck Siew is based in Port Dickson, Malaysia -- a seaside town of abandoned condominium towers and petroleum refineries. He has been a journalist, fiction writer, translator, and game designer. His first book, in collaboration with artist Sharon Chin, is Creatures of Near Kingdoms, a catalogue of 75 imaginary Southeast Asian animals and plants.
zedecksiew.tumblr.com