Programming for RICE Media's first Dialogue: Unpacking Grief

[SOLD OUT EVENT]

Dear readers,

A few months back, when I first toyed with the idea of running an event at 27 Ann Siang, it felt natural to tap into the perspectives of people I trust in Singapore’s social service sector. With World Mental Health Day approaching on October 10th, the easy choice would’ve been to go broad—discuss mental health in sweeping terms, the way people often do.

But that felt empty. Instead, I wanted to drill down into something that cuts deep. And that’s when grief came to the fore—a subject so raw and universal that it felt almost inescapable. It’s an emotion that lingers in the spaces between relationships, waiting to be felt by anyone who’s dared to love.

Then, almost on cue, grief came crashing into my own life.

Last month, I lost an ex-colleague who was only 39 when he passed. Not long after, a beloved figure who raised me—my aunt, the woman I addressed as ’mother’—succumbed to pneumonia.

Grief doesn’t ask permission; it barges in, rearranging everything in its path. In both instances, I found myself struggling to locate closure, feeling the edges of that aching fatigue creep into my days and settle into my nights.

But this dialogue isn’t about me. It’s about us—everyone who’s faced loss in its myriad forms. Grief, though heavy, doesn’t have to hollow us out. It can guide us toward emotional clarity and a deeper understanding of ourselves. If we let it, grief can carve new spaces for growth, helping us build resilience in life’s inevitable fractures.

That’s why I’ve gathered these panelists to confront grief head-on, offering real tools to navigate its grip. I hope their insights give you something to hold on to. In a city where we’ve learned to bottle things up, it’s time to talk about what truly matters.

Let this dialogue be a beginning—a chance to sit with grief, face it together, and move toward something deeper, more whole.

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