Emirates Airline Festival Of Literature

Saturday at the Emirates Litfest was a riot of big names and exciting sessions, with everything from literary fiction to practical management lessons, and from the entertaining to the inspirational.

Highlights included:

• The launch of new book Young Voices of Arabia, the compiled stories by the winners of the Voices of Future Generations, the unique initiative that asks children to engage with sustainability through writing adventure stories that include themes of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• A spellbinding session with Elif Shafak talking about her latest books and the role of literature.
• A thrilling panel session with Oyinkan Braithwaite and Jessica Jarlvi, talking about the crimes that originate in our own homes, the value of a Creative Writing degree and the best advice they ever received.
• LitFest favourite Julia Johnson will be sharing the story of The Pearl Diver’s Son, a beautiful tale with an engrossing mystery set in the time of pearl diving. This session is recommended for children age 9+.
• The always inspiring, youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala. 
• Egyptian novelist Nasser Iraq exploring the nature of historical fiction.
• Immanuel Kim appeared virtually to shed some light on the first ever state sanctioned novel from North Korea translated into English.
• Walaa Kamal talked about the time he spent on the road with the Egyptian band to write the book My Days with Cairokee.

The Festival is back for its final weekend at Alserkal Avenue, 12-13 February, with literary sessions from around the world, workshops, sessions, poetry and community events. Highlights include Lemn Sissay, author and diplomat Omar Saif Ghobash, the Fashion, Football & Feminism session featuring Hafsa Lodi and FIFA coach Houriya Altaheri, and a beautiful Festival finale.