In The News

GTLF 2015 writer, Danton Remoto, gushes about his wonderful experience at the George Town Literary Festival, joining more than 50 other writers from all over the world.

The George Town Literary Festival, which celebrates the literary world of poetry, prose and spoken words, is back and will run from November 27 to 29. Noted Malaysian writer, poet and educator Bernice Chauly also returns as the festival director, having curated the first three editions of the event.

Each year, literary festivals report record attendance. Asia boasts an estimated 60 literary festivals, making it clear that new generations of writers and readers are still moved by the written word. George Town Literary Festival made it to the list of six highly recommended literary festivals in Asia by the Myanmar Times.

George Town Literary Festival 2014 discussed the array of benefits and tribulations that the altered scope of modern-day publishing has to offer through a series of lectures, classrooms and conversations, with titles like What Publishers Want, Inventing Characters, The Art Of Political Biography and Polish Your Writing.

Fresh from the George Town Literary Festival – the fourth in the series – and while waiting for their flight their respective homes in the Klang Valley, Ahmad Fuad Rahmat and Sharaad Kuttan look back at ideas and notions embedded in the many conversations they had at the annual gab-fest.

Umapagan Ambikaipagan, the festival’s director, says that Malaysians crave debate and have been doing it a lot more these days. However, the level of discourse leaves a lot to be desired if only because we have been living under a shroud of control.

This year, Umapagan, the man behind the now two-year-old, mid-year Cooler Lumpur Festival, assumes the role of curator of the annual George Town Literary Festival (GTLF), taking over from author/poet Bernice Chauly.

With Asian authors gaining wider acclaim, literary festivals have mushroomed across the region. Bloomberg lists George Town Literary Festival as one of the four must-visit literary festivals in Asia.

The George Town Literary Festival is back in 2013 with the theme, "The Ties That Bind". With 30 brilliant writers, poets, thinkers and critics coming together in the historic city George Town to tell their stories through prose, poetry, spoken word, cartoons and film, it's definitely not something to miss out on. Bernice Chauly, Malaysian writer, poet and teacher tells us more.

As one of BFM’s Spotlight interviews from the Georgetown Literary Festival, Sharaad Kuttan talks to Ghanaian author, Nii Ayikwei Parkes who is now currently practicing his trade in the UK.