Produced by Teamwork Arts and TRASAL (Traveling South Asian Literary Festival), JLF Seattle is the international chapter of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the world’s largest annual literary event. Taking place from September 20-22, 2024, at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and Town Hall, this debut edition promised to bring the same exhilarating energy that has made the Jaipur Festival an iconic gathering of literary minds. Supported by local universities, cultural organizations, and the wider community, JLF Seattle managed to draw book lovers from across the West Coast and beyond.

The 17th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, held in February 2024 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, was a resounding success, affirming the power of words and ideas through a remarkable line-up of speakers. JLF editions in the US, UK, Spain, the Maldives, and beyond have seamlessly blended South Asia’s multilingual literary traditions with the local essence of each region. As JLF made its Seattle debut, it celebrated not just the city’s literary and cultural diversity, but also its vibrant social consciousness, environmental awareness, and inclusivity. 

Nestled between water, mountains, and parklands, Seattle’s distinct topography and dynamic cultural landscape made it the ideal backdrop for a festival that celebrates both tradition and innovation. Featuring a brilliant line-up of novelists, poets, historians, and more, JLF Seattle proved to embody the signature camaraderie and flow of ideas that make the festival a truly unparalleled literary experience, creating a unique space for readers, writers, and thinkers to converge.