Born in Ireland, Laura Jane O’Gorman Schwartz grew up in Japan, Singapore and New Jersey before attending Bard College in upper New York. While majoring in Japanese Studies, she gulped down as many literature and creative writing classes as possible. She’s a member of the 2024-25 Fiction cohort at the Writers’ Institute at CUNY.

Since May 2013, her articles on travel, Asian culture and a myriad of other topics have been featured almost every month in the Singapore American Newspaper (now the Living in Singapore magazine). Laura was also a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal: Expat for two years.

Her short fiction has been published in FIVE:2:ONE, Thoughtful Dog, The Shanghai Literary Review, Wraparound South, Ruminate Magazine, Ohio State University’s The Journal, The Birmingham Arts Journal and Whisk(e)y Tit. Her story “Sentimental Cartography” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

In addition to writing the Lifestyles chapter (renamed to Life as an Adult) for the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and upcoming 17th editions of the Living in Singapore reference guide, she also acted as Editor-in-Chief for the 15th and 16th editions, providing extra copy along with final revisions.

She currently lives in Singapore with her nonbinary spouse and their boyfriend, as well as two cats and too many cactuses. Her obsessions include: teashops, pole dancing, postcards, mornings, Nihonga, mountain hikes, bookstores, cocktail bars, BTS, the moon and words, words, words.

Check out what I’m currently reading at: