Program

Celebrated writer Pico Iyer's latest book, The Half Known Life, is a tribute to the insatiable human longing for Paradise. Traveling across Iran to North Korea, from the Dalai Lama's Himalayas to the ghostly temples of Japan, Iyer brings forth a caravan of explorations to upend our idea of utopia and explores the process of finding peace in the midst of chaos. In conversation with writer and academic Andrew Schelling.

This session will explain how story arcs can be used for visual storytelling. Participants will do drawing activities relating to layouts and get some tips on how to "show not tell" a story in comics and graphic novels. Continues through next session

Bioarchaeologist and academic Cat Jarman's recent book, The Bone Chests, takes a deep dive into ancient relics and burial sites, unveiling  stories of early medieval England. Jarman's research illuminates the lives, deaths, and cultural practices of the Anglo-Saxons, challenging long-held perceptions and offering fresh insights. In conversation with academic and writer Brian A Catlos, Jarman discusses the scientific techniques used, and the historical significance of her discoveries, bringing the past vividly to life.

Renowned writer and Festival Director Namita Gokhale is the author of more than twenty-three books. Her debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, first published in 1984, has been issued as a Modern Classic by Penguin India. The trajectory of her work touches an astonishing range. Her innovative ideas seeded the Jaipur Literature Festival and many other forums that center staged books and translations as a cultural priority . Where does Gokhale’s energy and vision come from? In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, she discusses her narratives and a life in books.

Celebrated academic, writer and presenter Reza Aslan's recent book, A Kids Book About Israel and Palestine, lays out context to the conflict while examining the possibilities of an open conversation for a shared peaceful future in our world. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Aslan attempts to equip parents and educators with the tools to address this complex topic with clarity and sensitivity.

Literary pursuits increasingly span different forms of narrative possibility, and genres merge and intersect, writers whose work converges - visual, textual, plastic and performance - speak of their creative practice.

JRR Tolkien once said, “I wisely started with a map, and made the story fit." In this session, we will use mapmaking as a tool in Worldbuilding for Fantasy and Sci-fi. Participants will be led through a collaborative brainstorming process to create a city rich with culture before they become cartographers who will be making their own fantasy world maps to take home.

Chigozie Obioma's new novel, The Road to the Country, is a story of a young man seeking redemption in a nation on fire. It follows his journey from Nigeria to the United States highlighting the challenges and triumphs of his search for a better life. Obioma's two previous novels were both finalists for the Booker Prize. In conversation with award-winning author and festival co-director Namita Gokhale, Obioma discusses his creative process and the different worlds he traverses.

A deep dive into the crossroads of crime where seasoned writers of noir fiction explore the darker facets of human nature. What makes crime fiction so compelling? The genre provides a cross-section perspective on the frailties of society while exploring the tensions and moral ambiguities of human motivation.

Crisis fatigue is growing as extreme temperatures, rising seas, and disasters signal a planet in peril. Author and journalist Jeff Goodell’s latest book, The Heat Will Kill You, is a powerful wake up call to the earthlings. Environmental philosopher Jeanine M. Canty’s teaching intersects issues of social and ecological justice, ecopsychology, and the process of worldview expansion and change. Together they address the impending environmental catastrophe.

Ruby Lal's recent work, Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan, is the first ever biography of Princess Gulbadan, sole female historian and the daughter of Babur, the founder of  the Mughal Empire. An intimate exploration of gender, power and loyalty, Lal's biography takes us through the life of a charismatic adventurer and the multicultural society she lived in. In conversation with celebrated writer and television host, Reza Aslan.

2024 marked the biggest year yet for Pop Culture Classroom's Excellence in Graphic Literature (EGL) Awards. In their 7th annual program, they received 256 graphic novels for consideration from 92 publishing imprints. A panel of 22 jurors from across the country—comprising teachers, librarians, academics, and graphic literature professionals—carefully reviewed each submission. Join Pop Culture Classroom's Director of Education and EGL Awards Manager, Matt Slayter, as he discusses the awards, winning titles, publishing trends, and more alongside representatives from the jury.

Electoral polarization around the world reverberates with an atmosphere of violence and the sound of gunshots. 2024 has witnessed elections around the world, with India having concluded its general election in June, and the American presidential election just around the corner. An eminent panel reflects on elections in major countries, geopolitical trends, and last-minute swings and surprises.

The stories we hear, tell, and retell about ourselves come together into the self-narrative we recognize as our identities. Shastri Akella’s descriptive debut novel Sea Elephants follows an adolescent Shagun’s coming-of-age tussle between his queer desires and the unwelcoming social context of 90s India, a narrative the author acknowledges is rooted in personal stories. Pardis Mahdavi’s committed work to studying and bridging inequality across social structures, with a particular focus on the Middle-East, borrows from her experiences of her many identities. Parul Kumar also returns to her homeland in her emotional debut Inside the Mirror, the story of twin sisters who struggle to build new versions of themselves in the wake of the split identity of a postcolonial, post-Partition India.  A session in which three writers discuss their take on converging and conflicting identities, the residual linkages to the lands they left and how they narrate themselves.

Wash something old anew in this youth-focused workshop where lines are borrowed to develop a cento. A fun, permissible form of poetry, it allows a budding writer to practice following their gut all while giving credit and thanks to the poetic master who came before. Ages: 8-14. Participants must be able to read or have someone to assist in reading. Conducted by Poet Laureate Ahja Fox.

Soc-Eco is an investigative and generative writing workshop. It sets out to examine the delicate balance between Social and Environmental justice by using poetry as a tool to further braid the deep connection between the two—from rivers to bloodlines, from brutality to the biosphere. Join the exploration between harm and humanity.

Award-winning poet and activist Anne Waldman’s work intertwines poetry and activism intimately. With over 60 works, Waldman’s fierce championing of the “outriders” experimental poetry community has inspired her collection Outrider, a title that traces this tradition, and a documentary of the same name around her contributions in to the community. In this session, Waldman, the “poet revolutionary, poet revelationary, poet evolutionary,” speaks of her avant-garde positions and poems with academic artist and poet Valerie Hsiung and poet and academic Jeffrey Pethybridge.

Nancy Silberkleit, co-CEO of Archie Comics, explores how characters like Archie and his gang have captured the imaginations of generations. Ruchira Gupta’s groundbreaking novel I Kick and I Fly brings a profound narrative to life through vivid illustrations. In conversation with writer and podcaster R. Alan Brooks, they discuss how publishers and authors are innovating with context, references, and illustration to engage today's tech-savvy generation.

Author and academic Douglas Penick's recent work, The Oceans of Cruelty: Twenty-Five Tales of a Corpse-Spirit,  wades daringly into some of the oldest stories of the Indian subcontinent. Drawn by ancient Asian traditions, myth, and spiritual stories, Penick has birthed some unusual operas like Ashoka’s Dream and novels derived from his expansive familiarity with the tales and histories of India. From the land of kings and bloodthirsty demons and talking spirits was born the lore of Vikram and Vetal. The narrative frame of his recent work matches that of Scheherazade in One Thousand and One Nights, with the incubus Vetal’s tricky stories taking on new life through Penick’s careful crafting. A session on myth and storytelling, the power of retelling, and their crucial place in the fabric of our lives today.  In conversation with author and Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale, whose work shares Penick’s investment in the rich mythological stories of India.

Evaluating the Mediterranean world and observing the role played by the populations of Africa, Asia, and Europe in an age when Christians, Muslims, and Jews engaged with each other in both conflict and collaboration, Brian A. Catlos observes the development of modernity and discusses the multilayered links spanning across geography, faith, and socioeconomic constructs that made our world the way it is today. In conversation with entrepreneur and investor Mohit Satyanand.

Three writers who have tried to retrieve the legacy of the past for contemporary readers through translating and transcreating across texts and memories speak about their commitment to the legacy of words and the transmission of narratives across cultures.

Black & Brown is the poetic brain trust of the dynamic duo of Jovan Mays and Jozer Guerrero. Originating over ten years ago while competing on the National Poetry Slam final stage for Denver's own SlamNUBA, the work of these two poets marches the gateway between the LatinX and African American communities. Tyson Bennett of Von Disco will musically enhance Mays' and Gurrereos' work.

Consecutive one-hour workshops to give peacemakers some basic tools for deep and meaningful communication and a way to connect with others based on the work of Charles Duhigg, Yanna Krupnikov, Peter Coleman and others. 

A multivocal poetry reading where different rhythms and styles converge in a joyous celebration of imaginative possibility by addressing the world as it stands today.

Despite the push for women's inclusion and empowerment in various spaces, many women's rights remain invisible even within feminism. This session aims to bring to focus one such epicenter of women’s autonomy that is often sidelined: sexual rights. Renowned journalist, activist, and award-winning documentarian Ruchira Gupta is the founder of Apne Aap Women Worldwide, an anti-sex trafficking organization that is only one of her multi-pronged responses to human trafficking. Pardis Mahdavi’s recent book, Book of Queens, draws threads from past to present, starting with Mahdavi’s fearless Iranian grandmother who guided domestic violence survivors to independent mountain colonies in Afghanistan. Foundational in their work on the sexual rights of marginalized women, they will excavate together the stories of these women often forgotten by the world in conversation with podcaster and radio producer Maeve Conran.

A unique spin of The Human Library Organization found in Denmark, this program will expose you to a wonderful community resource. With a thorough introduction, sample reading from alumni, and an optional, interactive ´check out a poet´ rotation of poets and their proofs, you will learn what Community Literature Initiative is and how it helps writers to write and publish books with intention. Ahja Fox, Cecily Stone, Jessica Gnoza, Marie Timbreza, Peg Codding, Allison Jasinski, Robbie Robinson, Tae Mack, Ralonda Simmons, Zelina Gaytan (Maria Toloche)

Consecutive one-hour workshops to give peacemakers some basic tools for deep and meaningful communication and a way to connect with others based on the work of Charles Duhigg, Yanna Krupnikov, Peter Coleman and others. 

An intense session that examines the tragic consequences of a world at war with itself, and the antidotes to destructive hatred through love, peace and harmony. Izzeldin Abuelaish is author of the powerful and devastating memoir, I Shall Not Hate, which stands witness to his personal tragedies. A Palestinian-Canadian physician and an internationally recognised humanitarian, and  peace activist, he has dedicated his life to using health as a vehicle for peace aided by a great determination of spirit, strong faith, and a stalwart belief in hope and family. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy