AWA Magazine
Celebrate stories. Create community.
November - December 2024 issue
Editor's Note
For many, these last months of the year evokes both excitement and/or reflection. End-of-year festivities such as Diwali, Thanksgiving and Christmas bring family and friends together, often over mouth-watering feasts, reminding us to be grateful for our blessings.
It can be a time to slow down and remember to savor. Andrea Lee, one of our newest writers to the magazine team, introduces us to the experience of awe and wonder by inviting us to journey with her young children who love foraging for mushrooms, and how instructive such simplicity can have in our demanding, complex lives. Indeed, the reality of being the mother of a toddler often takes us out of our comfort zones, as Anna Liang writes for our Writers’ Block column, in her essay titled Battle Hymn of a Cub Mom!
This time of year can also feel hard, whether that is due to circumstances or our moods, and when that happens we need to be realistic and yet not despair. Andrea McKenna Brankin candidly shares some wisdom about how she copes with such times.
This can be a time to also be curious! Lena Sharp digs into the illuminating history of Christmas lights and how the tradition of lighting up our shopping streets, from Singapore to London, came about. Curious about how to fill your calendars this November and December? Check out Stephanie Kolentsis’ curated list of film and art festivals!
Speaking of history, Mandakini Arora introduces us to Elaine Chiew’s novel, The Light Between Us, a work of historical fiction and time travel set in contemporary Singapore and Singapore in the 1920s.
Lastly, with this issue we celebrate two AWA groups and their accomplishments this year - the AWA bridge club, who participated in inter-club tournaments, and the AWA runners, many of whom ran races around the world this year! As a magazine team we also celebrate a new member who has graced two articles in this issue with her evocative photography, including our cover image - welcome Jessica Kudlacek!
May your connections and celebrations this season be meaningful.
Warmly,
Suellen Lee, Editor-in-Chief
Meet Our Team
The AWA Magazine is composed of a group of volunteer women who love to share stories, adventures and all things related to living in Singapore and Southeast Asia, while having fun along the way.
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Click on the pictures to learn a bit more about us!
“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.”
Jimmy Neil Smith
International Storytelling Center
Calling Storytellers!
The AWA Magazine Team is a Special Interest group that strives to be a creative platform for AWA members to nurture and express their craft as storytellers, empower them to share their authentic voices as women who happen to live (or have lived) in Singapore, and forge meaningful connections along the way.
If this sounds a little or a lot like you, we invite you to get in touch with us at editor@awasingapore.org. We'd love to meet up over a cup of coffee (or a Zoom call) and discuss your interest in being part of the magazine team!
