Every culture carries its share of spirits. The gods who answer prayers, the serpents who swallow moons, the superstitions whispered by grandmothers that no one dares to ignore. They are living architectures of meaning, and for writers across Southeast Asia, they are irresistible materials.

In this panel, three writers from across the region reflect on the craft and conscience of drawing on faith, folklore and folk belief in fiction. They discuss how superstition functions differently from mythology – more intimate, more domestic, more stubbornly alive in the present. What does it mean to bring these beliefs into narratives for contemporary readers, young and old?