Daren Shiau

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Daren Shiau (born June 1971) is a Singaporean writer, conservationist, and lawyer who has written five books. He studied law at the National University of Singapore, was a Fulbright Scholar, and served as a Visiting Writer at UC Berkeley. His notable works include Heartland, Peninsular: Archipelagos and Other Islands, and Velouria, and he co-edited the Coast anthology. Critics and readers recognize him as a leading voice in Singaporean literature after 1965. Heartland won a 1998 Singapore Literature Prize commendation and was named one of the year’s top books; Velouria won The Straits Times’ microfiction prize in 2007.

Shiau is also a committed environmentalist. He co-founded Students Against Violation of the Earth at NUS and led the Youth Environmental Network of Singapore. He has served on the Singapore Environment Council and the National Parks Board, and is recognized as an international environmental-law expert by the IUCN. He has received several public service and civic awards, including the Public Service Medal (2016) and Public Service Star (2022). He remains a private-practice lawyer in Singapore, qualified in Singapore, England and Wales, and continues to write and mentor others. His website is darenshiau.com.