Young and Bright: Queerness in Adolescent Fiction

Awi Chin is an Indonesian writer and translator, and the Founder of the independent library Taksu Pustaka and the independent bookstore and sustainable café Taksu Book Café in South Jakarta. He was an emerging writer at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in 2022 and a recipient of a residency from AIR Literature Västra Götaland through Gothenburg City of Literature, Sweden, in 2022. He is also a Chevening Scholar from the University of Edinburgh, where he earned an MSc in Creative Writing.

Awi Chin adalah penulis dan penerjemah asal Indonesia, serta pendiri perpustakaan independen Taksu Pustaka dan toko buku independen sekaligus kafe berkelanjutan Taksu Book Café di Jakarta Selatan. Pada 2022, ia terpilih sebagai penulis emerging di Ubud Writers & Readers Festival dan menerima residensi dari AIR Literature Västra Götaland melalui Gothenburg City of Literature, Swedia. Ia juga merupakan penerima Beasiswa Chevening di University of Edinburgh, tempat ia meraih gelar MSc di bidang Creative Writing.

Malcom Seah is a Singaporean writer and the author of Swimming Lessons, his debut novel published by Penguin Random House SEA. Longlisted for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize in 2023, he has since toured Singapore, Malaysia, and India to promote his work. His writing—intimate, non-linear, and haunting—explores grief, identity, and queerness in Southeast Asia. His work has been featured in The Straits Times, Elle India, Grazia, Prestige, and Harper’s Bazaar. He is currently studying economics at Singapore Management University.

Malcom Seah adalah penulis asal Singapura sekaligus pengarang Swimming Lessons, novel debut yang diterbitkan oleh Penguin Random House SEA. Karyanya masuk daftar panjang Epigram Books Fiction Prize pada 2023, dan sejak itu ia melakukan tur ke Singapura, Malaysia, dan India untuk mempromosikan bukunya. Tulisan Seah yang intim, non-linear, dan penuh bayang-bayang menyelami tema duka, identitas, serta queer di Asia Tenggara. Karyanya telah dimuat di The Straits Times, Elle India, Grazia, Prestige, dan Harper’s Bazaar. Saat ini ia tengah menempuh studi ekonomi di Singapore Management University. 

Saraid de Silva is a New Zealand writer and arts worker hailing from New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa, the Māori name for the country. Her debut novel, Amma, published in 2024 by Moa Press in Australia and New Zealand and by Weatherglass Books in the United Kingdom, was longlisted for both the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction in the New Zealand Book Awards and the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2025. Saraid has worked across radio, theatre, and television in Aotearoa and is currently working on her second novel.

Saraid de Silva adalah penulis dan pekerja seni asal Selandia Baru, yang juga dikenal sebagai Aotearoa, nama negara tersebut dalam bahasa Māori. Novel perdananya, Amma, diterbitkan pada 2024 oleh Moa Press di Australia dan Selandia Baru, serta oleh Weatherglass Books di Inggris. Buku ini masuk dalam daftar panjang Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction di New Zealand Book Awards, serta Women’s Prize for Fiction 2025. Saraid pernah bekerja di dunia radio, teater, dan televisi di Aotearoa, dan saat ini tengah mengerjakan novel keduanya.