AWA Magazine

This issue’s theme, “Singapore: Foundations and Firsts,” fittingly fuses with the energy that this Year of the Horse symbolically invites - movement, independence, and quiet determination - a fitting lens for families and readers navigating cultural crossings and new beginnings.

 

In time for the Lunar New Year, writer Joy Lang curates a selection of Chinese picture books for families to offer meaningful introductions to the season for children, grounding celebration in curiosity.

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Next, this issue’s AWA Book Review examines a novel by one of Singapore’s established and most translated Chinese-language writers. Reviewed by Mandakini Arora, The Colour of Twilight (2025) by late Sinophile author Yeng Pway Ngon reflects on the importance of Chinese-language-literature to belonging, culture and legacy in a globalised Singapore. 

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This theme of change and belonging continues in poetry, where the transition to a new year may feel quieter and more internal. In “January 1, Somewhere Other Than Home,” Ana Chatterjee captures the dislocation of welcoming a new year away from home and gently dismantles the mythology of resolutions to remind us that real change doesn’t wait for midnight.

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Themes of identity and belonging today are not new, and in fact echo the journeys of some of the earliest pioneers of Singapore. Lena Sharp and Suellen Lee turn to the story of Georgette Chen, a pioneer of Singapore’s early art scene, whose cosmopolitan upbringing shaped her artistic legacy. Her life anticipated the nation’s global identity long before it was fully named—an embodiment of a willingness to chart unfamiliar paths.

 

Our Member Spotlight continues this exploration of “firsts” through personal reinvention. In conversation with Devika Misra, ADHD coach Cynthia Muthyala shares about starting her business in Singapore and her passion for helping women challenge the stigma surrounding ADHD—guiding them from shame and self-doubt toward clarity, trust, and confidence. Her story reflects one of the Horse’s defining traits: courage to move forward without waiting for perfect conditions.

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From personal journeys, we widen the lens to collective “firsts.” As AWA mental health advocate Andrea McKenna Brankin writes, Singapore’s approach to mental health is evolving and steadily reflects a growing willingness to confront stigma at a societal level beginning with the decriminalisation of suicide in 2020, a pivotal shift in how vulnerability, care, and accountability are understood. 

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As we step into the year ahead, the Year of the Horse asks us to consider what does independence look like, what changes or choices are we willing to make and commit to, especially during times of uncertainty and transition. This issue invites you to sit with questions of belonging, identity and wellbeing: what anchors us, what or who inspires us and supports our growth? We hope these pages offer space for reflection and a gentle, or powerful, sense of purpose as the year unfolds.

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Warmly,
Cynthia Muthyala and Suellen Lee (Editors)