
Muhammad Dahlan Abdul Baing, whose pseudonym was Arena Wati, was a Malaysian writer. He was declared as the Malaysian National Laureate in 1988. His writings were in the Malay language. He also known as Duta Muda dan Patria.

Wan Osman Wan Awang, also known by his pen name Usman Awang was a Malaysian poet, playwright, novelist and Malaysian National Laureate (1983).

Chart Korbjitti is a Thai writer.

Sapardi Djoko Damono was an Indonesian poet known for lyrical poems, and who was widely regarded as the pioneer of lyrical poetry in Indonesia. He died in South Tangerang, Banten on 19 July 2020 after a long illness.
Datuk Abdullah Hussain was a Malaysian novelist and writer. He received the Malaysian National Laureate in 1996 which makes him the 8th recipient of the award.

Professor Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail is an award-winning Malaysian novelist, short story writer, poet, and academic. She is best known for her multi-genre novel, Pulau Renik Ungu.

Philip Antony Jeyaretnam is the Singapore chief executive officer and global vice-chair at Dentons. He is a Senior Counsel and a former President of the Law Society of Singapore. He is also a Singaporean lawyer and novelist. He is the son of Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, who was a prominent opposition politician in Singapore. His brother, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, is the secretary-general of the opposition Reform Party.

Abdul Samad bin Mohamed Said is a Malaysian novelist and poet. In May 1976, he was named by Malaysia literature communities and many of the country's linguists as the Pejuang Sastera [Literary Exponent] receiving, within the following decade, the 1979 Southeast Asia Write Award and, in 1986, in appreciation of his continuous writings and contributions to the nation's literary heritage, or Kesusasteraan Melayu, the title Sasterawan Negara or National Leaurate. In 2015, he joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Semar Gugat is a stage play written by Nano Riantiarno for his troupe Teater Koma. It follows the traditional wayang character Semar as he attempts— and fails— to take revenge against Arjuna and Srikandi for humiliating him by cutting off a lock of his hair while they are under the influence of the demon queen Durga. Completed in mid-1995, the play consists of 559 lines of dialogue spread through 30 scenes. Semar Gugat has been read as a critique of the New Order government under president Suharto. It was first performed on 25 November 1995 after the government withheld permission for several months. After Teater Koma gave an initial two-week run, it was adapted by various amateur groups. In 1998 Riantiarno won a S.E.A. Write Award for the work.

Rex Anthony Shelley was a Singaporean author. A graduate of the University of Malaya in Malaysia and Cambridge trained in engineering and economics, Shelley managed his own business and also worked as member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) for over 30 years. For his service, he was conferred the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat by the Government of Singapore in 1978, and an additional Bar the next year.

José María Canlás Sison, also known by his nickname Joma, is a Filipino writer and activist who founded the Communist Party of the Philippines and added elements of Maoism to its philosophy. He applied the theory of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism on Philippine history and current circumstances.

Tố Hữu was a Vietnamese revolutionary poet and politician. He published seven collections of poems, the first of which was the 1946 collection entitled Từ ấy (Thenceforth), which included many of his most popular and influential works that were written between 1937 and 1946. Following the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, he became a prominent figure in the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam.

Ngarmpun Vejjajiva is a Thai novelist and translator. She was the recipient of the S.E.A. Write Award for Thailand in 2006 for her first novel, The Happiness of Kati. A wheelchair user, she has had cerebral palsy since birth and finds comfort in immersing herself in the imaginary world of reading and writing. As is customary for Thais, she has a short nickname, thus many people know her as "Jane". Ngarmpun is the sister of Thailand's former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Arthur Yap Chioh Hiong was a Singaporean poet, writer and painter.

Robert Yeo is a Singaporean poet, playwright and novelist.

Prabda Yoon is a Thai writer, novelist, filmmaker, artist, graphic designer, magazine editor, screenwriter, translator and media personality. His literary debut, Muang Moom Shak, a collection of five related stories about New York City, and the follow-up story collection, Kwam Na Ja Pen (Probability), both published in 2000, immediately turned him into "...the talk of the town..." In 2002, Kwam Na Ja Pen won the S.E.A. Write Award, an award presented to accomplished Southeast Asian writers and poets.

Syed Mohd Zakir Bin Syed, is a Malaysian writer of prose, poetry, and theatrical texts.