Emirates Airline Festival of Literature runs from March 5-7

Dubai: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which runs from March 5 to March 7, will host an array of internationally recognised authors from around the world.

The seventh edition of the festival will bring over 120 of the world’s top authors to celebrate all things literary. The festival, taking place in InterContinental Dubai Festival City, will kick start on March 3 with an opening night held at the Cultural and Scientific Association located in Al Mamzar.

The opening segment of the night will introduce the festival’s overall theme which has been given the title ‘Wonderland’. The opening night will celebrate the world of literature with international guests and authors such as Naif Al Mutawa, Jason Kouchak and James Mayhew. The first-ever appearance of the War Horse puppets will entertain the crowds.

The festival will comprise a combination of lectures and workshops for participants to explore the literary world with the help of renowned authors. Workshops such as getting your story to print, building worlds in sci-fi and writing your first crime novel will allow participants to enhance their literary skills.

Tom Callaghan, a local author, was in fact a participant in last year’s festival and was inspired to write his very own crime novel after attending last year’s workshop on how to write your first crime novel given by crime writer Mark Billingham. This year, Tom Callaghan will be giving the crime writing workshop to help others discover their potential.

Women’s participation in the festival will be especially evident in sessions held on Thursday which will have a female focus. The festival will demonstrate the growing involvement of women in the literary sphere who continue to overcome barriers and excel in the field.

Among the many authors attending this year’s literature festival are Scottish crime writer Alexander McCall Smith, children’s author and winner of the National Book Awards’ Children’s book of the Year David Williams and winner of last year’s Montegrappa First Fiction Prize, Lucinda Martin.

Maria Botros is a trainee at Gulf News