Koh Buck Song
Koh, Buck Song is a writer, editor and consultant in branding, communications strategy and corporate social responsibility in Singapore.
Selected Published Works
Koh, Buck Song is the author and editor of 20 books. His non-fiction books include:
- Brand Singapore: How Nation Branding Built Asia's Leading Global City (2011)[1]
- Brighter: Electricity In Singapore: From Beginning To Beyond (with Lee Geok Boi 2011)
- Heart Work 2: EDB And Partners: New Frontiers For The Singapore Economy (2011)
- Creating A Difference: 10 Years Of Fighting White-Collar Crime (2009)
- How Not To Make Money: Inside Stories From Singapore's Commercial Affairs Department (2005)[2][3]
- Heart Work: Stories Of How The Economic Development Board Steered The Singapore Economy From 1961 Into The 21st Century (2002)
- Toa Payoh: Our Kind Of Neighbourhood (2000)
- Southeast Asian Art: A New Spirit (1997).
His four books of poetry are:
- A Brief History Of Toa Payoh And Other Poems (1992)[4] [5] [6] [7] [8].
- The Worth Of Wonder (2001)[9]
- The Ocean Of Ambition (2003)[10]
- Heartlands: Home And Nation In The Art Of Ong Kim Seng (2008)[11] [12].
The anthologies he has edited include:
- From Boys To Men: A Literary Anthology Of National Service In Singapore ( with Umej Bhatia 2002)[13]
[14]
- Singapore: Places, Poems, Paintings (1993)[15]
- Words For The 25th (1990).
His works have been included in anthologies such as the following:
- Writing Singapore: An Historical Anthology Of Singapore Literature (2009)
- Reflecting On The Merlion: An Anthology Of Poems (2009)
- Rhythms: A Singaporean Millennial Anthology Of Poetry (2000)
- New Voices In Southeast Asia, Solidarity, Manila, Philippines (1991)
Koh is also the principal analyst and author of:
- Living With The End In Mind (2011), a study of the end-of-life care environment in Singapore, for the Lien Foundation[16] [17].
Career
Born in Singapore in 1963, Koh is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge and the University of London in the United Kingdom, and of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in the USA, where he was a Mason Fellow and earned a master's degree in public administration. He studied leadership at the Kennedy School under Ronald Heifetz[18] and also at Harvard Business School under Warren Bennis[19].
He was with The Straits Times from 1988 to 1999, where he was literary editor, political supervisor and chief Parliament commentator, arts and features supervisor, and Assistant Editor of a weekly world affairs section. His regular opinion column, Monday With Koh Buck Song, ran for over 10 years. He also launched and anchored the column This Week In Politics. From 2003 to 2004, he was a contributing columnist based in the USA for the Singapore newspaper Today, on current affairs relating to the USA and Singapore. From 2004 to 2005, he was a regular columnist on the theory and practice of leadership for The Straits Times. He worked for the Singapore Economic Development Board from 1999-2003 and 2004-05 in strategic planning and marketing & corporate communications. While there, he led a team to devise the "global entrepolis" concept to position Singapore internationally[20]. Since then, he has worked as a consultant in branding, communications strategy and corporate social responsibility.
He has taught a Master in Public Management course in leadership to senior public servants including vice-mayors and judges from 10 countries in Asia, as Adjunct Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore[21], and media studies as Adjunct Faculty member at the Singapore Management University, School of Social Sciences. He was Deputy Chairman of the Censorship Review Committee 2009-10[22], and was also a member of the Censorship Review Committees of 1991-92 and 2002-03, the only person to have served on all three panels[23]. He has also served on numerous other citizen committees, including as a Board member of the Media Development Authority and National Arts Council and as Chairman of the NAC's Drama Review Committee[24] and the Publications Advisory Panel's sub-committee on newspapers under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. He was General Editor of the multilingual literary and arts journal Singa.
In 1992, he was poet-in-residence at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh under the Singapore-Scotland Cultural Exchange programme[25]. He has also represented Singapore at literary conferences at Cambridge (UK) and Manila, in poetry readings at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA. He has also spoken on Singapore's global reputation at international conferences including the 10th Harvard International Development Conference at the Kennedy School, Harvard, in 2004, and at MIT and the University of Chicago in the USA.
References
- ^ Book review by Chan, Rachel. University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School website, USA(2011).
- ^ How Not To Make Money was a bestseller in 2005. Feature by Nadarajan, Ben, "White-collar crime - lessons from the past", The Straits Times 24 November 2005.
- ^ See also feature by Au Yong, Jeremy, "Face-to-face with notorious criminals" 27 November 2005.
- ^ Feature by Chua, Chong Jin, "Not to be missed", and book review "Excavator of poetic gems", The Straits Times 25 July 1992.
- ^ See also book review by Phan, Ming Yen, Arts On Campus, National University of Singapore, vol. 2 issue 1, Sep/Oct 1992
- ^ Koh's title poem from this volume, "A Brief History Of Toa Payoh", has had an impact on community engagement and heritage preservation. See, for example, the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council website: http://www.btptc.org.sg/About%20Us/Poem.html
- ^ "A Brief History Of Toa Payoh" was featured in the National Library Board's poetry walking tour for the Singapore Writers Festival 2009, report by Yap, Stephanie, "A walk through Singapore poetry", The Straits Times 5 June 2009.
- ^ This poem and the poem "High Rise" were featured in a National Day exhibition at The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, August 2010.
- ^ Book review by Tan, Paul, "Gems from a Wonder-ful place", The Straits Times 10 March 2001.
- ^ Feature by Leong, Sandra, "Poetic justice", The Straits Times 3 January 2004.
- ^ Feature by Tan, Clarissa, "The changing face of home", The Business Times 17 October 2008.
- ^ See also feature by Chia, Adeline, "Art of the heartland", The Straits Times 18 October 2008.
- ^ Feature by Chow, Clara, "NSmen book in", The Straits Times 31 December 2002.
- ^ Book review by Ho, Karl, "March down memory lane", The Straits Times 31 December 2002.
- ^ Book review by Chua, Mui Hoong. "Singapore in poetry, prose and art", The Straits Times 24 July 1993.
- ^ Lien Foundation website: http://www.lienfoundation.org/pdf/publications/living_with_the_end_in_mind.pdf
- ^ For media coverage of this study, see, for example, Tan, Judith. "Taking the taboo out of dying". The Straits Times 3 June 2011.
- ^ Koh has written extensively on the theories of Heifetz. See, for example, "The nanny must keep retreating" by Koh Buck Song, TODAY, Singapore 19 January 2004.
- ^ For Koh's writing on Bennis, see, for example, "Getting S'poreans to step out of the safest queue" by Koh Buck Song, The Straits Times, 1 September 2004.
- ^ Singapore Investment News article, EDB April 2003: http://mms.elibraryhub.com/SHC/Govt/2009-09/EDB/Singapore%20Investment%20News/2003/SINews%20(English)%20Apr%2003.pdf
- ^ For his writing on leadership, see, for example, "Anyone can be a leader, not just the man at the top", The Straits Times 5 May 2006.
- ^ Media Development Authority website: http://www.mda.gov.sg/Public/Consultation/Pages/CRC.aspx
- ^ For Koh's published views on censorship, see, for example, Long, Susan. "When liberal desires meet conservative fears". The Straits Times 25 September 1999.
- ^ Drawing on this experience, Koh has written widely on the subject. See, for example, "Liberalising the arts takes time", The Straits Times" 8 February 1994.
- ^ "Eastern promise is sheer poetry". The Herald, Scotland. 8 Oct 1992.
Reviews, Interviews, Citations
- Bell, Daniel A. & De-Shalit, Avner (2011). "The Spirit of Cities: Why the Identity of a City Matters in a Global Age". Princeton University Press, USA.
- Chan, Rachel (2011). Review of Brand Singapore. University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School website, USA.
- Stevens, Andrew (2011). "The Singapore Brand offers a Thoroughly Modern City". City Mayors Foundation website, UK.
- Hong, Xinyi (2011). "Branding Singapore Softly, Quietly". Public Service Division, Singapore. Challenge magazine July-Aug 2011.
- Institute of Policy Studies article June 2011: http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips/docs/enewsletter/jun2011/CKS_RT_Brand%20Singapore_110511.pdf
- Singapore Management University Knowledge@SMU article: "Singapore’s brand “keloid”: Going beyond canes and chewing gums". 5 July 2011.
- Lui, Tuck Yew, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (2011), "Commemorating Our Past, Celebrating Our Present and Charting Our Future", speech at the Committee of Supply debate, Singapore Parliament.
- Mah, Bow Tan, Minister for National Development (2008), speech at the launch of "Heartlands", Singapore Art Museum.
- Koh, Tai Ann (editor, 2008). Singapore Literature in English: An Annotated Bibliography. National Library Board Singapore and Centre for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University. ISBN 978-981-07-0060-7.
- Mohammad A. Quayum (2007). Peninsular Muse: Interviews with modern Malaysian and Singaporean poets, novelists and dramatists, Peter Lang, USA.
- Thumboo, Edwin & Sayson, Rex Ian (2007). Writing Asia: From the Inside, Asia-Pacific Literatures in English. Ethos Books, Singapore.
- Tan, Samantha & Brown, Juanita (2005). "The World Café in Singapore: Creating a Learning Culture Through Dialogue". Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, USA. March 2005 vol. 41 no. 1.
- Schwerin, David A. (2005). Conscious Globalism: What's Wrong with the World and How to Fix It. Digital Junction Press.
- Bishop, Ryan; Phillips, John & Yeo, Wei-Wei (2004). Beyond Description: Singapore Space Historicity. Routledge, UK.
- Toh, Hsien Min (2003). "Wilfred Owen meets Hokkien peng", interview with Koh Buck Song. Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Vol. 2, No. 2 January 2003.
- Zhang, Ruihe (2003). "Gritted Teeth and Stoic Strength", review of From Boys To Men. Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Vol. 2, No. 3 April 2003.
- Bishop, Ryan; Phillips, John & Yeo, Wei-Wei (2003). Postcolonial Urbanism: Southeast Asian Cities and Global Processes, Routledge, UK.
- Hoon, Chng Huang (2003). "'You see me no up': Is Singlish a Problem?". Language Problems & Language Planning, vol. 27, no. 1.
- Klein, Ronald D. (2001). Interview in Interlogue: Studies in Singapore Literature Volume 4: Interviews. Ethos Books, Singapore. ISBN 981-04-3706-4.
- Waller, Edmund (2001). Landscape Planning in Singapore. National University of Singapore Press, Singapore.
- ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (2000). Modern Literature of ASEAN.
- Singh, Kirpal (editor, et al 2000). Rhythms: A Singaporean Millennial Anthology Of Poetry. National Arts Council, Singapore. ISBN 9971-88-763-0.
- Singapore Heritage Society (1999). Our Place in Time: Exploring Heritage and Memory in Singapore.
- Khoo, S E. (1998). "A Singaporean Sense of Place: Urban Transformation and Post-colonial Ambivalence in Koh Buck Song’s Bugis Street". In Singh, K. Interlogue: Studies in Singapore Literature Vol. 1: Fiction (pp. 93-104). Singapore: Ethos Books.
- Toh, Mun Heng & Tan, Kong Yam (1998). Competitiveness of the Singapore Economy: A Strategic Perspective. World Scientific, Singapore.
- Westerly Vol. 43 (1998). University of Western Australia Press.
- Kain, Geoffrey (1997). Ideas of Home: Literature of Asian Migration. Michigan State University Press.
- Chua, Beng Huat (1997). Political Legitimacy and Housing: Stakeholding in Singapore. Routledge, UK.
- Moran, Albert (1996). Film policy: international, national, and regional perspectives. Routledge, UK.
- Zach, Wolfgang & Goodwin, K. L. (1996). Nationalism vs. Internationalism: (Inter)national Dimensions of Literatures in English. Stauffenburg.
- Means, Laurel (1994). "The Role of the Writer in Today's Singapore: Voice of the Nation?". Asian Survey, University of California Press, USA. Vol. 34 No. 11.
- Sharrad, Paul (1993). "World Literature in Review: Singapore". World Literature Today, Spring 1993, Vol. 67, Issue 2.
Bibliography
Selected Works of Koh Buck Song in Anthologies & Other Books:
- Thumboo, Edwin (editor, et al 2010). & Words: Poems Singapore And Beyond. Ethos Books, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-08-6321-0.
- Poon, Angelia; Holden, Philip & Lim, Shirley Geok-lin (editors, 2009). Writing Singapore: An Historical Anthology Of Singapore Literature. National University of Singapore Press, Singapore. ISBN 978-9971-69-486-9. ISBN 978-9971-69-458-6.
- Thumboo, Edwin & Yeow, Kai Chai (editors, 2009). Reflecting On The Merlion: An Anthology Of Poems. National Arts Council, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-08-4300-7.
- Pang, Alvin and Lee, Aaron (editors, 2000). No Other City: The Ethos Anthology Of Urban Poetry. Ethos Books. ISBN 981-04-2276-8.
- Yeoh, Brenda S. A. and Kong, Lily (1995). Portraits Of Places: History, Community And Identity In Singapore. Times Editions, Singapore. ISBN 981-204-604-6.
- Thumboo, Edwin (editor, et al 1995). Journeys: Words, Home And Nation Anthology Of Singapore Poetry (1984-1995). National University of Singapore. ISBN 981-00-6910-3.
- Sionil Jose, Francisco (1991). New Voices In Southeast Asia. Solidarity, Manila, Philippines.
- Thumboo, Edwin et al (1990). Words For The 25th. Unipress, Singapore. ISBN 9971-62-259-9.
Works by Koh Buck Song:
- Koh, Buck Song (2011). Brand Singapore: How Nation Branding Built Asia's Leading Global City. Marshall Cavendish, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-4328-15-9.
- Koh, Buck Song & Lee, Geok Boi (2011). Brighter: Electricity In Singapore: From Beginning To Beyond. Energy Market Authority, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-08-9532-7.
- Koh, Buck Song (2011). Living With The End In Mind: A Study Of How To Increase The Quality Of Death In Singapore - Perspectives Of 30 Leaders, Lien Foundation.
- Editor of EDB (2011). Heart Work 2: EDB And Partners: New Frontiers For The Singapore Economy. Straits Times Press, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-4342-01.
- Editor of Shu, Joycelyn (2011). Nostalgia Is The Most Powerful Seasoning. Ate Media, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-08-8152-8.
- Koh, Buck Song (2009). Creating A Difference: 10 Years Of Fighting White-collar Crime. ISBN 978-981-08-4939-9.
- Koh, Buck Song (2008). Heartlands: Home And Nation In The Art Of Ong Kim Seng. Singapore ISBN 978-981-08-1618-6.
- Koh, Buck Song (2007). Home At Mount Pleasant: The Senior Police Officers' Mess Of The Singapore Police Force. Singapore Police Force. ISBN 978-981-05-8764-2.
- Koh, Buck Song (2005). How Not To Make Money: Inside Stories From Singapore's Commercial Affairs Department. Commercial Affairs Department, Singapore. ISBN 981-05-4384-0.
- Koh, Buck Song (2003). The Ocean Of Ambition. SNP International, Singapore. ISBN 981-248-020 X.
- Koh, Buck Song and Bhatia, Umej (editors, 2002). From Boys To Men: A Literary Anthology Of National Service In Singapore. Landmark Books, Singapore. ISBN 981-3065-67-2.
- Koh, Buck Song (editor, 2002). Heart Work: Stories Of How EDB Steered The Singapore Economy From 1961 Into The 21st Century. Economic Development Board, Singapore. ISBN 981-04-6906-3.
- Koh, Buck Song (2001). The Worth Of Wonder. Times Books International, Singapore. ISBN 981-232-180-2.
- Koh, Buck Song (2000). Toa Payoh: Our Kind Of Neighbourhood. Housing and Development Board, Singapore & Times Media. ISBN 981-232-124-1.
- Koh, Buck Song (editor, 1997). Southeast Asian Art: A New Spirit. Art & Artist Speak, Singapore. ISBN 981-00-9699-2.
- Koh, Buck Song (1996). Commentary on Domestic Politics, Singapore: The Year In Review 1996, Institute of Policy Studies, Times Academic Press, Singapore. ISBN 981-210-110-1.
- Koh, Buck Song (1996). Interview with Professor Tommy Koh in The Arts in Singapore, 1996. National Arts Council and Accent Communications, Singapore.
- Koh, Buck Song (poems, 1994). Twenty-five Years Of Watercolour Painting In Singapore. Singapore Watercolour Society. ISBN 981-00-5641-9.
- Koh, Buck Song (with Tan, Hwee Hua 1994). Bugis Street: The Novel. Pacific Theatricals, Singapore. ISBN 981-00-5203-0.
- Koh, Buck Song (1994), "Thumboo, Edwin Nadason (1933– )", in Hamilton, Ian, ed., "The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English", Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-866147-4 .
- Koh, Buck Song (1993), "Edwin Thumboo", in Nelson, Emmanuel S[ampath], ed., "Writers of the Indian Diaspora: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook", Westport, Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313279-04-1.
- Koh, Buck Song (editor, 1993). Singapore: Places, Poems, Paintings. Art & Artist Speak, Singapore. ISBN 981-00-4559-X.
- Poems in Moving Colours 1988-1992 - Thomas Yeo art catalogue. Art & Artist Speak. ISBN 981-00-3884-4.
- Koh, Buck Song (1992). A Brief History Of Toa Payoh And Other Poems. Imperial Publishing House, Singapore. ISBN 981-00-3426-1.
External Links
http://www.nac.gov.sg/static/doc/sta/FINAL_Lit%20in%20SG%20publication_Preview%20Only.pdf
| Persondata |
| Name |
Koh, Buck Song |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Singaporean writer, journalist, educator, consultant in branding, communications and corporate social responsibility |
| Date of birth |
1963 |
| Place of birth |
Singapore |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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