About JLF Houston
The 15th edition of the iconic annual Jaipur Literature Festival was held at the Pink City of Jaipur, Rajasthan in March 2022. A splendid success, it was celebrated for the first time both online and offline, with an impressive line-up of speakers, and the inspiring aura of the Festival reached our listeners, present both digitally and on-ground.
The exhilarating energy of the Jaipur Festival will be returning to Houston this year as JLF Houston will be celebrated in a perfect blend of the physical & the virtual.
In the years 2020 and 2021, Teamwork Arts, the producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival, harnessed the power of the digital space and organized international editions of JLF online.These international editions fused the multilingual literary heritage of South Asia with the distinct flavor of the host regions. With the aim of celebrating dialogue and the free flow of ideas, the virtual avatar of JLF kept the creative spirit of conversations alive with a set of writers, thinkers, poets, artists, and filmmakers engaged in gripping discussions.
We saw that throughout the last two years, what remained vital were books, ideas, and discourse. In 2022, as we emerge stronger, ready to embrace change and get back to the powerful energy of being together physically while coming together virtually whenever we need to, we look towards our forthcoming hybrid edition of JLF Houston after the last two successful virtual editions held in association with the Consulate General of India, Houston, Asia Society Texas Center, and Inprint.
This year, we will celebrate the unique culture, diversity, and energy of the Bayou City -on-ground - along with the heady freedom of the virtual world - with our community of more than 22 million people across the world. We will be back with our signature camaraderie, our caravan of ideas, and the magical flow of conversations.
Advisors
CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI
is an award-winning and bestselling novelist, poet, activist, and teacher of writing. She has won many awards, including the American Book Award and the Premio Scanno. Her work has been published in over 100 magazines and anthologies while her books have been translated into 29 languages. She teaches at the internationally acclaimed writing program at the University of Houston.
HARI AGRAWAL
is CEO of CNA Metals Group, a multi-national brokerage company that specializes in ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal, paper, and plastics. Agrawal’s expertise is in international business development, finance, turnarounds, and commercial real estate.
DURGA & SUSHILA AGRAWAL
are an Indian-American couple. Dr. Agrawal is a member of the UH System Board of Regents and serves as chair on the UH’s endowment management committee. He is the founder of Piping Technology & Products Inc. The University of Houston renamed an engineering building after Agrawal and his wife, Sushila.
JITEN AGARWAL
is founding CEO and President of Expedien, a data and business analytic company that was awarded the fastest growing firm in America by Inc: 5000 and Houston Business Journal. The company was also recognized as one of the largest software employer in Greater Houston area by Houston Business Journal in 2010 and top 50 fastest growing companies by American Express Open.
KRUPA PARIKH
has been with Inprint, a Houston based non-profit literary arts organization, for 20 years and now serves as the organization’s Associate Director. Among her many community activities, she has served as president of the Houston chapter of Amnesty International and a commissioner for the Houston Commission on Disabilities under Mayor Annise Parker.
DR. MARIE GORADIA
is a former President of Pratham USA’s Houston chapter and is on the Board of Directors of Pratham USA. Dr. Goradia is also the co-founder of Pratham Houston Young Professionals. An active community volunteer, she serves on the boards of the Asia Society and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
MEDHA & SHASHANK KARVE
have resided in the Houston area for nearly 40 years. They are strong supporters of the arts. Medha has been a docent at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston for more than a decade. Being an avid reader, Medha believes that literary culture, such as what the Jaipur Literature Festival promotes, has an important place in the community.
SHAZMA MATIN
is currently a co-Chair of the Muslim Series at Asia Society, a Board member of Daya, a non-profit that works with South Asian survivors of domestic violence, and a member of the Arts of the Islamic World Subcommittee at MFAH.
RICH LEVY
is a poet and, since 1995, executive director of Inprint, a literary organization in Houston, Texas. His collections include Why Me? and the letterpress chapbook One or Two Lights, and his poems have appeared in various publications, including Boulevard,Callaloo, The Florida Review, Gulf Coast, The Hopkins Review, Pool, The Texas Observer, and more.
STEPHANIE TODD WONG
is the Director of Performing Arts and Culture at Asia Society Texas Center. Prior to this position, she served as the Executive Director of Dance Source Houston and Director of Dance Metro DC. She holds a holds a BA in Dance from Mercyhurst College and an MFA in Dance from George Mason University.
Teamwork Arts
From Concept to Curation and Design to Production
Teamwork Arts is a highly versatile production company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. For over 30 years, Teamwork Arts has taken India to the world and brought the world to India, presenting the finest of Indian performers, writers, change-makers and visual artistes in the knowledge and arts space in India and abroad.
Every year, we produce over 33 festivals in 42 cities and 17 countries in the fields of performing & visual arts and literature; our venues include Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UK and USA as well as many eclectic festivals across India. We produce the world's largest literary gathering: the annual Jaipur Literature Festival; JLF international now travels to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Qatar and the Maldives and soon in Europe.
Even amidst the upheaval and unsettling times of 2020, Teamwork Arts successfully launched the digital series, JLF Brave New World and WORDS ARE BRIDGES, which were viewed by over 4.8 million people in their first season. Through its digital avatar, the Jaipur Literature Festival reached over 19 million viewers in January 2021 and brought together the world’s leading commentators and writers. The digital series Be Inspired was launched in 2021 – a series that crystal gazes into the future with conversations on science, technology, innovation, environment and more.
More information at: www.teamworkarts.com
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