Wena poon

Wena Poon (born 1974) is a Singapore-born author living in Austin, Texas. Her work reflects both her Singapore identity and her American life.

"Lions In Winter"

Her most recent short-story collection, [http://lionsinwinterbook.blogspot.com "Lions In Winter" (2007)] represented Malaysian publishing powerhouse [http://www.mphonline.com MPH's] first foray into literary-fiction publication. It features 11 short stories about Singaporeans living in the West and is an extended rumination on the unique, multi-lingual, post-colonial identity of her country.

Within two months of its launch, "Lions In Winter" climbed to Singapore's Straits Times Bestseller List for fiction (February 3, 2008), and in 2008, the book was longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. It was also selected, alongside works by Jhumpa Lahiri and Anita Desai, for wide dissemination in nation-wide book clubs, schools, community centers, and even on flights, by the National Library Board of Singapore as part of the annual [http://www.lib.gov.sg/Corporate.portal;jsessionid=T6pxLZmhdl2yphC07y7hfJ2BDnRCvTJ89sQL1ktrQ1bPMpd5dzHQ!43614350?_nfpb=true&_windowLabel=PRHandler_1&PRHandler_1_actionOverride=%2FIBMS%2FcorpHomePR%2FcorpPRHandler%2Fdetail&PRHandler_1detailId=429&_pageLabel=Corporate_page_ne_pressreleases Read! Singapore] campaign. Singapore drama group Glowers staged a play based on the titular short story, and the NLB produced and distributed an audio-CD of the story read by veteran Mediacorp radio personality Rose Tan.

Poon was interviewed on radio and television about its success, and will be performing her work at the annual [http://www.munsterlit.ie/ Frank O'Connor literary festival] in Cork, Ireland, as a guest of the festival.

Other Writings

A lover of movies, Poon has also written two novels, [http://www.amazon.com/Biophilia-Wena-Poon/dp/1419619845/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218940169&sr=8-2 "Biophilia"] and [http://www.amazon.com/Cryptic-Tonic-Wena-Poon/dp/1419686828/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218940169&sr=8-1 "Cryptic Tonic"] , which are part of a sci-fi action-adventure trilogy she has produced for American publication and distribution. Described by readers as "an absorbing video game with a love story embedded in it," [http://planetnagy.blogspot.com the "Biophilia" series] represents a departure from the male-dominated graphic-novel/science-fiction genre, featuring a young heroine who does most of the fighting while her male counterpart designs the latest space gear. The series, which has been exhibited at the [http://www.comic-con.org/ape/ Alternative Press Expo] in San Francisco, is marketed as "Guaranteed To Be Better Than Your Inflight Movie", and is Poon's attempt to address her disappointment as a lover of Hollywood summer blockbusters.

Education

Poon graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 1995, with a degree in English Literature. She received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1998 and is a practising member of the New York and California State Bars. She is an alumna of Raffles Girls' Primary, Raffles Girls' School, and Raffles Junior College in Singapore. She is a recipient of the John Harvard Scholarship, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Award and the Humanities Scholarship.