Born to a Sikh father and a Jewish-Scottish mother in Singapore in 1949, Kirpal Singh has established his reputation as an outspoken and respected poet, cultural critic, academic, and—more recently—creativity guru. With three books of poetry, multiple editing stints for prestigious journals, and international recognition for his creative output, Singh is a distinct voice in the literary landscape of Singapore. Beginning with his first volume Singapore Pot-pourri (1970), collated during his A-level student years, to his acclaimed anthology Catwalking and the Games We Play (1998), Singh’s legacy goes beyond published poetry to his standing as a creative influencer in Singapore.

Born in Singapore in 1949, but uprooted to Malaysia shortly after his birth, Kirpal Singh is best known to many for his pared down, honest voice in his volumes of poetry. Singh’s first foray into poetry was when he penned a tribute piece about his primary school teacher when he was a mere nine year old. That first attempt would ink the beginnings of his path and passion in the written word.

Through his school days at Raffles Institution in the 1960s, Singh was a budding editor, collating the works of Singapore writers and publishing Singapore Pot-pourri (1970). As an undergraduate, Singh continued to push the Singapore writing agenda, publishing Articulations, an anthology of seven rising poets in 1972.

It was also during this time at the National University of Singapore that Singh met and was taught by other Singapore literary icons Lee Tzu Pheng and Edwin Thumboo. Their works and worldview would later be influencing factors in Singh’s own poetic language. Singh’s poetry would come to be known for its uncomplicated but nevertheless evocative and provocative themes, often expressed in a forthright, and sometimes irreverent, tone.

A proponent of creative thinking, Singh then went on to pursue a dual path of academic and mentor, and literary practitioner. As a lecturer and researcher, Singh’s works have been disseminated at plenary sessions across top universities including Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge, and has reaped provocative and controversial response in his steady challenge of current, socio-creative thoughts.

A literary and cultural critic with a particular research interest in post-colonial literature, Singapore and Southeast Asian literature, technology, and creativity thinking, Singh is a frequent grant recipient and guest contributor to academic journals. His poetry has also won wide recognition, and he is a frequent speaker at international writers’ festivals in Adelaide, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Toronto and Kent.

Singh recently retired as an associate professor leading creative thinking at the Singapore Management University, and continues to be a respected literary and creative figure in Singapore.