Laura Peh (b. 1993) is a novelist and founder of Cinnamon Art Publishing - an independent publishing house, roving bookshop, distributor and literary agency specialising in children's picture books, with B2B retail in Asia, Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Under the pen name "Laura Rose Ivy", Laura's debut novel To Capri, with love will be published in 2025.
As a young female independent publisher, Laura has been invited as a panel speaker and led workshops at the Bologna Children's Book Fair (Italy), Cairo International Book Fair (Egypt), National University of Singapore, Metropolitan Museum of Manila (Philippines), Courtauld Institute of Art (London), Sotheby's Institute of Art (London), The Esplanade, UNIQLO Singapore, Singapore Children's Book Festival and Inspiring Girls' Singapore. She has also been invited to the Professionals Program of the Sharjah Booksellers Conference (2024, 2025), Sharjah Publishers Conference (2024), Cairo Calling Fellowship 8.0 of the Cairo International Book Fair (2025), Hosted Publishers Invitation Programme of the Bologna Children's Book Fair (2025), 2nd Zagreb Publishing Fellowship in Croatia (2025) and Rights Ambassador for the Asian Rights Fair in Kuala Lumpur (2025).
With a keen interest in contemporary art, Laura collects socially-engaged practices from artists of Southeast Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern heritage. She has spoken on specialist art panels with AWITA, Art&Summit (Singapore) and The Art Business podcast; her collection has been feature on Collecteurs Magazine and Cohart Selects. Since 2024, she has been a member of the advisory board and committee for the SWAB Contemporary Art Fair in Barcelona.
Laura is also an accomplished concert harpist - having performed as a soloist and chamber musician at prominent venues across Asia and Europe including Buckingham Palace, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Jean-Jacques Henner National Museum, Wotton House, Foundling Museum and Victoria Concert Hall.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Singapore, Laura moved to Paris at the age of 15 to study music professionally at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the Royal College of Music in London. After shifting her focus to art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art and obtaining a Masters in Art Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art, London, Laura spent two years working in the art industry in Hong Kong before moving back to Singapore in April 2020 to realise her passion project, Cinnamon Art Publishing.
Laura is a laureate of Prestige Singapore's 40 Under 40 2023, and has been featured in a variety of media articles including Channel News Asia, The Straits Times, Singapore Global Network, Lianhe Zaobao, Prestige Singapore and Tatler Asia.
PRESS & EVENTS
Laura has been featured in a variety of media articles as a professional musician and publisher, including Channel News Asia, The Straits Times, Singapore Global Network, Lianhe Zaobao, Prestige Singapore and Tatler Asia. As a publisher, Laura has been invited as a guest speaker at the Bologna Children's Book Fair (Italy), Cairo International Book Fair (Egypt), Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (Malaysia), Singapore Children's Book Festival, Metropolitan Museum of Manila (Philippines), National University of Singapore and Sotheby's Institute of Art (London). As an art collector, she has spoken on specialist art panels for AWITA, Art&Summit (Singapore) and The Art Business podcast; and featured in Collecteurs Magazine and Cohart Selects.
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TALKS & MEDIA
22 Jun 2025 • Panelist, Singapore Children's Book Festival
25 May 2025 • Panelist, Asian Rights Fair (KL International Book Fair), Kuala Lumpur
2 Apr 2025 • Panelist, Japan Foundation at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Italy
8 Mar 2025 • Panelist, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines
26 Jan 2025 • Panelist, Cairo International Book Fair, Egypt
Aug 2024 • Art Collection Tour, Cohart Selects [YouTube, Cohart]
17 Aug 2024 • Speaker, MGS Alumnae Day, Singapore
22 Jun 2024 • Panelist, Singapore Children's Book Festival
16 May 2024 • Speaker, CHIJ St Joseph's Convent, Inspiring Girls' Singapore
25 Jan 2024 • Speaker, The Art Business podcast [YouTube, Apple, Spotify]
17 Jan 2024 • Panelist, Art&Summit, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
9 Jan 2024 • Speaker, AWITA Singapore Forecast (Online)
13 Sep 2022 • Guest Lecturer, MA Arts & Cultural Entrepreneurship, National University of Singapore
3 Jun 2022 • Speaker, Nanyang Girls' High School, Inspiring Girls' Singapore
8 Nov 2021 • Speaker, Business of Art Society, Courtauld Institute of Art, London
29 Oct 2021 • Guest Lecturer, MA Art Business, Sotheby's Institute of Art, London
ARTICLES
May 2025 • Collecteurs
Aug 2024 • Cohart Selects
Apr 2024 • SWAB Barcelona
Oct 2023 • Prestige Singapore
Oct 2023 • Sotheby's Institute of Art
Sep 2023 • Prestige Singapore 40 Under 40
Mar 2023 • Singapore Tatler
Spring 2022 • Royal College of Music
Aug 2021 • Sector SG
Jul 2021 • Singapore Global Network
May 2021 • Lianhe Zaobao (EN)
May 2021 • 联合早报
Jan 2021 • Channel NewsAsia
Cinnamon Art Publishing is an independent publisher of children's picture books, specialising in arts, culture and social issues. Through unique content, excellent design and engaging pictures, our books kindle a child’s imagination, sparks their curiosity and encourages them to see the world in a different light. Operating as a roving bookshop, distribution service and literary agency, we curate a selection of the best children's literature from the Arab world in English and Arabic. A selection of Cinnamon Art Publishing's original titles have been translated by foreign publishers into Arabic, Greek, Urdu and Bahasa Indonesia.
Our Mission
• To foster a love for reading and writing
• To encourage imagination, creativity and critical thinking
• To introduce arts, culture and global issues at an early age
Our books are as timeless as art and design objects — not just for their physical form but for the happy memories that they evoke. Each collection is thoughtfully curated, responsibly sourced and printed locally in small batches.
With a cinnamon plant as our brand symbol, its leaf buds and blooming flowers represent children at different stages of childhood. The bright colours and merry smile reflect the hope we have for our little ones.
Pacita Abad: The Woman Who Painted The World was selected for the BRAW Amazing Bookshelf special exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2025. In addition to the winners and mentions of the BolognaRagazzi Awards, 105 outstanding picture books were selected for out of 3,858 titles submitted by publishers from 68 countries.
NOVELS
Laura writes under the pen name "Laura Rose Ivy".
2025 : To Capri, with love
Sacred Heart, College for Ladies in Ascot, Berkshire, is a prestigious Roman Catholic boarding school for girls set for a transformative year under its new principal, Fiona. In her mid thirties and of Indonesian and Scottish descent, Fiona brings a fresh and progressive image to the school. The novel follows two 14-year-olds who begin their year as new students at Sacred Heart - Capri from Charleston, South Carolina, and Amelia, a member of the British aristocracy. A romantic dreamer, Capri's relationship with her parents is complex. Her mother, Gloria, was born into upper-crust New York, and her father, Beau, descends from a storied Southern family. Her roommate Amelia, a passionate sustainability advocate, shares a special bond with her elder brother Alex, whose wild and liberal lifestyle challenges their conservative upbringing. Both girls come from affluent families, setting the stage for a clash between tradition and modernity, personal identity, and societal expectations.
As the school year begins, Capri and Amelia develop a close friendship with Ava, the head girl and their mentor. During a half-term break in Florence, their friendship deepens into an intimate relationship, leading to their ostracization when gossip spreads through the school. Ava, despite her own struggles with identity and feelings of attraction towards girls, reports their behaviour, resulting in a school-wide scandal. Winter brings additional challenges: Amelia's family, concerned about their reputation, seeks professional help for her, while Capri supports her emotionally distressed mother in Aspen. Beau grapples with his own conflicts, torn between his business ventures and responsibilities as a father. The spring break heightens tensions as both families are asked to withdraw their daughters from school.
The novel's major conflicts reach a resolution as the school year ends. Capri and Amelia, excluded from the annual yearbook photoshoot, share a bittersweet farewell and make plans to meet again in the future. Fiona and Ava reflect on their decisions, with Fiona realizing the impact of her choices on her career as well as the girls' lives. Capri encourages her mother's newfound independence, while Amelia decides to stand by her estranged brother Alex. In Italy, Capri reflects on the tumultuous events of the past year, writing heartfelt letters to herself, Amelia and Ava. Beau, in Cannes, sends Capri a message, signaling his desire to reconnect as she embarks on a gap year. The story concludes with Capri and Amelia looking forward to new adventures and possibilities, having grown from their experiences and ready to face the future.
ART COLLECTION
Laura has been collecting contemporary art since 2019. Her collection primarily comprises artists of her generation, of Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American heritage, with a focus on socially-engaged artistic practices. As an art collector, Laura has been invited to speak on specialist art panels with AWITA, Art&Summit (Singapore) and The Art Business podcast; and has been featured in Collecteurs Magazine and Cohart Selects virtual art collection tours.
Selected Artists in the Collection:
Ting-Jung Chen (Taiwan) - Sarah Choo Jing (Singapore) - Aileen Gavonel (Peru)
Hong Hao (China) - Ran Huang (China) - Marcos Kueh (Malaysia) - Jane Lee (Singapore)
Oscar Muñoz (Colombia) - Chalisée Naamani (France / Iran) - Citra Sasmita (Indonesia)
Guo-Liang Tan (Singapore) - Houda Terjuman (Switzerland / Syria)
Gabriella Torres-Ferrer (Puerto Rico) - Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (Myanmar)
GET IN TOUCH
For all inquiries, please send a message through the form below.
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