Dubai (WAM)
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature – the largest celebration of stories and creativity in the region – will host, in its sixteenth session, between January 31 and February 6 next, a distinguished group of writers and thinkers. The next session promises a distinguished interactive program that brings together the greatest writers, creators and thinkers from around the world in a group of new events, such as “After Day at Night,” “Forum of Ideas,” “Festival Family,” and the “Youth Day” program.
Today, the festival announced the first group of guests participating in the 2024 session. The group includes prominent names such as the American poet and editor Claudia Rankine, who won the 2015 Forward Prize and the PEN Open Book Award, among other awards, and the writer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Fadel, author of the book “Building a Guide.” Unconventional to make things worth making.” The inventor of the iPod and founder of Nest, in addition to two of the most famous writers on the TikTok platform, Curtis Sittenfeld, author of “Romantic Comedy,” and Rebecca Yaros, author of “The Fourth Wing,” each of whom is offering sessions for the first time in the region. .
Also joining the list of speakers is the writer Anton Herr, the translator of the books “I Went to See My Father” and “Cursed Rabbit,” who is currently working on the heterosexual biography of the most famous Korean pop group “BTS,” and university doctor Francesca Cartier-Brickell, who descends from the “Cartier” dynasty, who specializes in jewelry and is the author of the book “Cartier, the untold story of the family and the jewelry empire,” and the writer Miral Al-Tahawy, whose novel “Days of Sunshine” was shortlisted for the 2023 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, and the award-winning poet Ahmed Bakhit, who was nominated for the “Prince of Poets” program, in addition to the figure skater. The internationally famous Emirati Zahra Lari will publish her book “Not Yet: The Story of a Skater whose Ambition Knows No Limits” during the festival.
The writer and behavioral expert Thomas Erikson, author of the book “Surrounded by Idiots,” and the journalist and novelist Lucy Hawking, daughter of the writer Stephen Hawking, will return, who will talk about her new series for children, “Princess Olivia Angates,” centered around the climate change crisis.
The most famous Japanese literary giant, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, author of the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series, and writer Saud Al-Sanousi, winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2013 for his novel “Bamboo Stalk” and finalist for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2017 for his novel “Pigeon of the House,” will also return to the festival stage. In addition to the poet Ali Abu Al-Rish, whose novel “Confession” is considered one of the hundred most important Arab novels of the current era. Award-winning Palestinian writer and artist Dana Dajani also returns.
The Emirates Literature Festival revealed the organization of four new experiences suitable for all ages and interests, including the “After Day at Night” program, as the festival hosts a series of events, performances, games, food and shopping experiences during the night from Thursday until Sunday. And the “Forum of Ideas” program, which includes a series of distinguished dialogues and discussions between writers on various topics, from the world of spiders and Chinese mythology, to the aesthetics of the Arabic language and the future of artificial intelligence. The festival also brought together some of the best storytellers and illustrators from across the UAE and the world for an action-packed weekend. From dragons and superheroes to poetry and performance, the festival provides an opportunity for all young readers. The festival also invites high school and university students to join a group of inspiring sessions within the “Youth Day” program that will satisfy their curiosity and ignite the spark of passion in them, as the sessions discuss important topics, such as artificial intelligence, literature, business management, and sustainability, with a focus on Arab culture.
Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation, Administrative Director of ELF Publishing, and Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said that the essence of the festival revolves around celebrating human connections through telling the stories involved in the various scenes of creativity, and we are all excited to welcome writers, creators, artists, and leaders of thought and change. People from around the world are at the festival again to offer a rich array of activities.
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