B is usually for brunches in Dubai. But once a year, our city’s alphabet is set to B for ‘books’, ‘bibliophiles’, ‘brainiacs’ and ‘bookworms’, when the Emirates Literature Festival is in town. This annual literary event sees award-winning authors, poets, and artists congregate at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City.
In its 17th year now, the literature festival has a jam-packed remarkable six days of talks, performances readings, workshops and activities from January 29 – February 3.
1. Authors at the Emirates Literature Festival
Poet laureates and Man-Booker winners are staples at the Emirates LitFest. This year, Abraham Verghese, the NYT Bestselling author of A Covenant of Water, and Tanzanian-British author and 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature-winner Abdulrazak Gurnah are some of the high-profile authors attending this year. Beloved children’s author Jeff Kinney of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is also one of the speakers this year.
Emmy Award-winning journalist and former CNN anchor Hala Gorani will lead an engaging panel on her memoir But You Don’t Look Arab, and you can also meet A Series of Unfortunate Events creator Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket. Find full line-up of authors here
2. Experiences
The LitFest is known for creative events that are crowd-pullers every single year.
Desert Stanza
This poetry night out in the dunes connects you to every poet’s muse – nature. Spoken word performances and poetry readings by some of the best local and international wordsmiths combined with a buffet dinner make this one for the books. This edition features Emirati poet Khalid Albudoor, poetry collective RUMInation bring the lyricism of poetry through music and Jamaican author Safiya Sinclair amongst others. January 30
AED 425 per person; more info here
Murder Mystery Night
One of LitFest’s most popular outings is perfect for crime fiction and noir fans. Called All That Glitters, it’s themed around the drama and intrigue of Tinseltown murder on a film set. Participants get to be a part of the action and sniff out clues to solve the mystery. The ticket price includes dinner and a welcome drink. January 31
AED 425 per person; more info here
Arabic Poetry and Qanoon Night
The magic of music and eloquence of love poems through a performance at the Theater of Digital Art (ToDA). Abdulatif Yousef, Dr. Afra Atiq, Amal Al Sahlawi, Asmaa Azaizeh, Farah Younes, Haneen Al Sayegh and Lamya Alsaiqal come will take to the mic. January 31
AED 120 per person; details here
Business Breakfast: Women in Leadership
The brightest and best female minds in business who’ve authored best-selling self-help and personal growth books team up at this networking event. Guests include Jessamy Hibberd (The Imposter Cure), Maha Abouelenein (7 Rules of Self-Reliance), and Su Bridgman JD (The CQ Edge). The one-hour panel discussion is a chance get their wisdom on breaking the glass ceiling and navigating imposter syndrome. January 31
AED 150 per person; get details here
The Big Sing
Little ones make some big noise at this event. School choirs from across the UAE show off their pitch-perfect vocal skills in Arabic and English. February 2.
AED 100 per person, more info here
3. Writers Workshops at Emirates Literature Festival
Get those creative juices flowing with a host of workshops and boot camps that will help you hone that manuscript, edit content, build characters and even draw Manga. Find full list here
4. Family-friendly kids events
From on-stage activities with Jeff Kinney, as he launches the 19th Dairy of Wimpy Kid book, to an exclusive look into award-winning Emirati creatives Maitha Alkhayat and Hessa Al Muhairi’s YA fantasy novel, The Pearl Diver’s Daughter & the Cowrie Necklace, the LitFest is chockfull of events for kids and families. Adventurous science lab experiments with Mohanad Science and live reading sessions are also part of this roster. Details here
5. LitFest After Hours
These captivating talks and discussions get to the meat of matters as far-ranging as how much fantasy is rooted in culture and mythology, to the history of coffee. One of the sessions sees neuroscientist Kelly Clancy discuss the hidden influence of games on human history and a live crime novel writing session – Murder, We Wrote, where screenwriter MJ Arlidge pens a thriller on stage using elements and suggestions from the audience. Full schedule here
