SHJIBF: Book haul | Emerging Writers' Festival

Just a small selection of the books available at Sharjah International Book Fair… can’t wait to start reading.

Good, old-fashioned Middle Eastern hospitality « Fatemeh Fakhraie

Friends, I was in Sharjah, U.A.E. last week. And I enjoyed my time so much there that I barely missed my normal Thanksgiving servings of pumpkin pie.

I was in town for the Sharjah International Book Fair. It was a wonderful maze of book stalls in Arabic and English, with every type of book imaginable on display. Paradise, really. The book fair also boasted an excellent collection of authors that I was honored to meet, including Yahia Labibidi and Michael Rothenberg, the creator of the 100 Thousand Poets for Change movement.

Other fair goers and I were privileged to witness poetry nights at the Book Fair, hearing poems from Lababidi, Rothenberg, and local talent. Pictured right is a snapshot of the fair–I love the pop of that orange carpet!

The organizers of the fair were generous enough to set up a lecture for me at the American University of Sharjah. Yusra, a fellow I Speak for Myself contributor, flew in to help me represent the book and we met for the first time despite working together for years at Muslimah Media Watch. We discussed MMW, multi-culturalism, and the need for more women’s voices in mainstream media.

The crowd was a wonderful one, full of bright young Emirati minds who asked wonderful and intelligent questions–I definitely enjoyed my time at the university!

The American University of Sharjah's main building, where our lecture was located.

My time in Sharjah was blessed for a host of other reasons, as well. I was lucky to connect with several colleagues who are located in the area, and enjoyed some beautiful sunshine–a really wonderful change from rainy Oregon winter. And everyone–everyone–was incredibly kind and welcoming. Hospitality is a prominent facet of Middle Eastern cultures, and I definitely felt it!

Another reason I enjoyed myself so much is because, for the first time, I was in the religious majority. The Emirates is a predominantly Muslim country, even if the majority of its inhabitants are made up of expatriates and domestic workers from non-Muslim-majority countries. So I experienced new perks: I was awoken every morning by the beautiful call to prayer from the Al Noor mosque down the street from my hotel and enjoyed a (beef) pepperoni pizza at Pizza Hut! These things seem so little, but I enjoyed them immensely.

I can’t express all the gratitude I feel toward everyone I met in Sharjah. A “thank you” doesn’t seem enough–I enjoyed my time so much there, and hope I feel the Gulf’s sun on my face again soon.

في حب الكلمة المقروءة .. موسى البلوشي

في حب الكلمة المقروءة ..

دوّنها موسى البلوشي في 11:10 م

"لنوقف ثورة الكونكريت ولنبدأ ثورة الثقافة" 

الشيخ الدكتور سلطان القاسميّ - حاكم الشارقة

 يبدو ساحرا هذا المكان, يبدو بكل الألوان هذا المعرض ,يبدو آمنا هذا البلد.

نأمل أن لا تنطفىء هذه المدن في يوم ما وأن تكتفي بالسفر, تذهب لتضيء مكان آخر و تمتزج به ليتمخض عنها ألوانا أخرى,تسافر إلى مكان تنقصه الروح والحركة حيث أن "الكونكريت" وحده لا يعني البشرية شيئا فليست الاهرامات مجرّد كونكريت.

نعم لا زال الكثير من الباحثين في مجال التاريخ والآثار يثبتون لنا أنها أكثر من مجرد مقبرة فاخرة لملوك الفراعنة,فهي تضم رموز وكتابات وبصمات البنائين والرسامين والشعراء والمهندسين .. حتى تناسقها و طريقة صفها ونضدها بشكل هرميّ يدل أنه كان بناءً فكرياً وله أبعاده الجغرافية والفلكية,كما أنّ لها رمزيتها وأهميتها للإنسان المصريّ القديم. 

وهنا لابد من الإشارة إلى ما ذكره تشارلز سميث في كتابه (ميراثنا عند الهرم الأكبر) :ارتفاع الهرم مضروبا بمليار يساوي 14967000 كم وهي المسافة بين الأرض والشمس، والمدار الذي يمر من مركز الهرم يقسم قارات العالم إلى نصفين متساويين تماما، وأن أساس الهرم مقسوما على ضعف ارتفاعه يعطينا عدد (لودولف) الشهير (3.14) والموجود في الآلات الحاسبة ..انتهى الاقتباس

كانوا يدركون أنها ستسافر إلينا ,كان سفرها بالنسبة لهم مقلق لإنه شعروا بأننا سنكتفي بتفاصيل صغيرة كالنبوءات التي أتت المصائب والكوارث على مقاساتها وتفاصيل كنوزهم و ملابسهم و أدواتهم التي وجدناها هناك ..

في معرض الشارقة -المكان المختلف في المدينة المختلفة- أنت بحاجة إلى أن تكون حاضرا بكل حواسك , أن تتحول طوال مدته إلى دودة تستقر في أعماق معظم الكتب وتتصفحها حتى ينتفخ فكرك وتتضخم حصيلتك اللغوية, حتى تشبع روحك - ولن تشبع- أن تتوزع كنسمة هواء في قاعاتها ,هي رحلة محفوفة بالكثير من المفاجآت نكفي لإحياء خلاياك الميتة وإغواء الخلايا الحية منها.

يسأل البعض أنه لا جديد في حديثك أعلاه وأن ميراث الفراعنة مبنيّ على افتراضات ولا اثباتات علمية وهناك من يربطها بقصص قرآنية وأنه هي صرح فرعون موسى حين طلب من هامان أن يبنيها له وتأويلات وجدالات لا تنتهي البتّة!

ثم ما هو المختلف في معرض الشارقة الدولي للكتاب:

وأقول أنّ الجديد هو حصاد السنين ,كتاب للشيخ الدكتور سلطان القاسمي يتضمن أهم المحطات الثقافية في مسيرة هذه المدينة بما يضمن حضورها في كافة الفعاليات والتظاهرات الثقافية وفيها تغيير للتصور الذي يجعل الثقافة محصورة بين دفتي كتاب أو في قلم كاتب أو شفتي ناقد إنمّا هي بناء ومنظومة تتضمن الاهتمام بالإنسان وتوفير متطلبات الحياة السعيدة وتهيئته حتى يتفاعل بشكل حقيقي مع أبناء مجتمعه ومع منتسبي الثقافات الاخرى ويمدّه بأدبيات الحوار وتغرس فيه الإيمان بالاختلاف حتى الوصول إلى نقاط التقاء تساهم في التقريب لا الخلاف. 

الجديد والمختلف هو توظيف تكنولوجيا بوعي وبذكاء أيضا لخدمة الزوّار,وتوجيههم لدور النشر مباشرة عبر البحث في قائمة الكتب الكترونيا وإعطاءه مكان تواجد الكتاب أو الإصدار.

الجديد والمختلف أيضا بعض دور النشر التي لا نجدها في معارضنا وسنسأل كثيرا عن السبب ولن يكون قلة الزوّار احداها فالعمانيّ يضع دائما موعد معرض الشارقة الدولي للكتاب في الحسبان وقد أكد لنا الكثير من العارضين أن العمانيين مرو من هنا بإبتسامتهم وبساطتهم ووبشغفهم للقراءة وانتقائهم للكتب.

الجديد والمختلف أن هناك اهتمام بأدب الطفل:جناح خاص بالأطفال ,شخصيات كرتونية تجتمع بالأطفال,مكان للرسم, اصدارات و برامج متخصصة موجهة للطفل.

دور النشر المصرية والليبية والسورية كانت حاضرة بقوّة رغم الأحداث التي تمر بها هذه البلدان وبمختلف توجهاتها وأحاديث الثورة كانت حاضرة أيضا.

لا زالت الكتب الاسلامية تواصل حضورها اللافت في معارض الكتب.

الجديد والمختلف هو حضور أعلام  في سماء الشعر والقصة والرواية والنقد والإعلام: واسيني الأعرج,تركي الدخيل,علوية صبح,مصطفى الفقيّ,جمال الغيطاني,أميمة الخميس.. وغيرهم.

الجديد والمختلف هو ذلك المكان الذي تم اختياره للتوقيع على الاصدارات الجديدة وطريقة اختياره و الفرصة التي حظي بها هؤلاء ليلتقوا بمحبي حروفهم ومتابعيهم , وهو مكان في واجهة القادمين للمعرض والخارجين منه.

الجديد والمختلف هي تلك العبارات التي أجبرت الرؤس أن ترتفع وأن تقف طويلا أمامها في كل جناح وفي الممرات وسأذكر بعضها - وهي مقتبسة من كلمات ألقاها الدكتور سلطان القامي في مختلف المناسبات- :

"نريد السلام لنا ولغيرنا"

"كل عربيّ مسؤول عن فلسطين"

"الطفل هو مفتاح المستقبل"

"لابد من التفاعل مع متغيرات العصر بذكاء ووعي"

"إننا مطالبون بتعميق مفهوم الوحدة في كل مكان"

"ويبقى المسرح ما بقيت الحياة"

"لنوقف ثورة الكونكريت ولنبدأ ثورة الثقافة"

  

ومضة:

 في هذا الوقت ما من علاج بالمجّان ولن يمنحك أحد تذكرة ركوب قطار هذه المرحلة المهمة من التاريخ ولن تكفي كل الأسرّة لهؤلاء المتساقطين خواءً حولك.

سافِر مع الكتاب 

أو ورقة وقلم .. و لا مانع أن تحمل معك ممحاة ..

ابتسامة :

ابتسمت كثيرا وأنا أقف أمام دار نشر من وطني هي باز للنشر حيث كانت تستعرض تراثنا والأماكن السياحية بطريقة فنية مبتكرة ومختلفة .. "نبرز جمال عمان"  
.فتحية اعتزاز واكبار لهم

آخر الأرقام :

50 مليون دولار هي مبيعات معرض الشرقة الدوليّ للكتاب وأكثر من نصف مليون زائر خلال 10 أيام.

SHJIBF: India focus | Emerging Writers' Festival

One of my highlights of this year’s Sharjah Book Fair has been the India focus in the cultural programming. The Book Fair brought out some huge name Indian authors –Shobhaa De, Shashi Tharoor, Ruskin Bond, Chetan Bhagat and others – and all the events were packed out by the enormous local Indian community. And when I say packed, I mean packed - it felt like there were a thousand people screaming for Chetan Bhagat at his event in the huge external hall at the expo centre. BIG TIME.

In addition to the India meet-the-author events, there was a panel on Arab-Indo Literary Relations that discussed the state of, well, Arab-Indian literary relations. This kind of event is important because it helps to contextualise the India program, to go beyond simply showcasing Indian authors to discussing how their work is perceived here and vice versa. Unfortunately the panel didn’t really go there; they talked a lot about the historic relations between the Arab and Indian world, though they also mentioned the need to translate regional books into languages like Malayalam, which is spoken by a large number of Indian migrants and expats living in the UAE. (To be fair, I think quite a bit got lost in translation at this event.)

It’s great to see the Book Fair cater to the diverse interests of the Sharjah community in their programming, and good to see such culturally diverse events, featuring writers from India, the Arab world and Europe. (The children’s program is even more diverse and featured writers from Argentina and China as well.) The UAE is a melting pot of nationalities, cultures and religions, and it’s nice to see that reflected in the cultural events at the Fair. However it was a bit of shame that attendees at the events weren’t always as diverse – for example, with few exceptions I only saw Indian people in the audiences for Indian authors. It would be great to see more integration, perhaps by doing more cross-cultural panels with authors of a variety of backgrounds (such as thewomen’s writing panel, which was fab!).

(Aside: It’s really cool seeing how a multilingual country gets along. Multilingualism just works here, everyone finds a common ground, and translators are used when required, no biggie.)

I’ve wanted to visit India for a long time, but now I’m really dying to get there. It’s such a reading, writing and publishing powerhouse of a country. As Shobhaa De said:

India is not just shining now but dazzling. The India growth story is astonishing, and there is so much ahead of us. The business of books in India has exploded. It is one of the few countries in the world where new bookshops are constantly opening up, where newspaper and magazine business (print) is actually growing.

It’s also been fun to read novels by Indian authors that aren’t of the literary heavyweight variety. So far I’ve read YA by Chetan Bhagat and a love story by Shobhaa De. As was said in the crime writing panel and translating panel, contemporary popular novels can create just as much insight into other cultures as high lit.

I feel like the India focus has really set a benchmark at Sharjah Book Fair. It will be great to see what countries are featured at future Fairs!

Blog | Emerging Writers' Festival | 2011 May 26 – June 5

Congratulations to the organisers, staff, and volunteer for putting an amazing 30th edition of the Sharjah Book Fair. And thanks to all the publishers, booksellers, writers. social media types and readers who made it such an inspiring, informative and fun festival. It truly was an awesome celebration of the written word.

Fake Plastic Souks: Olives - The Book Goes To Print

It's an odd feeling, there's a strange finality sending my novel Olives to the printers. I've sent dozens of magazines, yearbooks and other projects to print over the years, but nothing quite equals sending something so personal off to print. And a book's somehow different to a magazine - a 'literal' in a magazine is an annoyance, but usually something that you live with because it's transitory. I once printed a yearbook with the immortal words 'Midddle East Buyer's Guide' across two pages in 24 point print and it was two years before anyone noticed. I put this down at the time to the SEP field (first proposed by Douglas Adams, the SEP field renders objects invisible by the sheer scale of the incongruity they represent, therefore making them 'Somebody Else's Problem. In Adams' case, a spaceship that looked like an Italian bistro).

But it's different with a book. A book is graven, as it were, in stone. This particular book, Olives, has been edited to death. It's had structural edits, line edits, readers' edits, a professional edit and then I finally got my author's proof from Amazon's Createspace and, to my horror, managed to dot said proof with little red line corrections. Quite a lot of them. Sloppy writing, slapdash phrases, clunky bits. And a few honest to goodness literals in there, too. How did theyget through?

But that's it, now. If you buy a copy and find a literal, I don't want to know. I'm done changing it. This is the finished product. This is my statement.

The Middle East edition of Olives launches at TwingeDXB - the first Dubai Urban Festival on the 10th December. It'll be in UAE bookshops from then onwards and I'm working to get it into Lebanese and Jordanian bookshops as soon as I possibly can after that.

If you can't wait, or if you're based outside the Middle East, you can get a print copy of Olives at amazon.com, linked for your clicking pleasure right here.

Everyday Adventure, Lisa Dempster › Literary feminism @ Sharjah Book Fair

Women have lived in masculine culture which is made my men. Traditionally, men drew the image of women and we have only seen ourselves through the eyes of man. So it was difficult to realise the experience of women, to have the language to explore it deeply. Therefore the language of women has been confiscated and there was no female rhetoric. I don’t write against men, or to confiscate the language or voices of me; but I write against male rhetoric.

- Alawiya Sobh (Lebanon) on writing from the female perspective.

One of my highlight’s of Sharjah International Book Fair (as well as the India focus!) has been hearing from so many diverse female writers speaking about their work.

To get a flavour of what the women at Sharjah Book Fair have been talking about, visit the Emerging Writers Blog: Writing women into history, Women who write, and Notes from the Orange Prize.

SHJIBF: Writing and isolation | Emerging Writers' Festival

I try to build my work on the title of the story. When I wrote this new work I had no idea of the outcome of the novel. The title was a kind of glittering title and as I always do, I locked the door, I isolated myself, in order to stay close to the characters of my story. I confined myself to my work, lived with the characters of my work, listening to them speaking.

- Sarah al Jawan, Emirati novellist

In another two sessions on the Arab novel at Sharjah Book Fair, two diverse novellists spoke about their need for isolation when working.

I have certain ways and manners in writing. I have set up a nice place in my house to write in, however, I never use this space. It is a space that people are always coming in to. When I write I feel like I need to be isolated from the world. I like to write in a corner at a hotel; some people might call it a luxurious writing experience because I’m in a hotel. But it is not the Four Seasons. I use my days to write. At night, I don’t feel relaxed.

- Dr Amir Tag al-Sir, Sudanese writer

anissa's blog » Blog Archive » a spectacular breakfast in sharjah

It has been an exceptionally busy month: my residency at Leighton House, the offal and baby goat dinner, a huge dinner for thirty Italian art collectors and cookery demonstrations at the Sharjah International Book Fair. Busy but fun, especially my spectacular breakfast with the lovely ladies at the craft centre in Sharjah. A lavish spread made up of various dishes the ladies had prepared at home except for Moza, the lady in pink, who baked khameer (a saffron-flavoured brioche-like flat bread) in front of us in an ingenious electric portable oven that doubles up as a hot plate. She first placed the flattened disks of dough on the hot top, brushed them with beaten eggs then after a couple of minutes, she lifted them off, opened the hot top to slide the breads inside the ‘oven’ where they puffed up and browned. Then another lady spread the breads with butter before giving them to us to eat with freshly made cheese (shami), date syrup or honey. Totally fabulous. Here are a few pictures to make you jealous!

The beginning of our breakfast with a large platter of fruit which is a must, lgeimat (saffron-flavoured fritters drizzled with date syrup) and shami (freshly made cheese).

Then the table filled to also include boiled chickpeas, balaleet (one of my favourites, sweet-savoury vermicelli flavoured with saffron and cardamom and served with a thin omelette on top, bathith (a mix of toasted flour and dates), Omani halva and m’halla (thin pancakes).

Moza checking on the khameer.

Some of the lovely ladies enjoying the breakfast.

One of the ladies serving me a huge plate of balaleet. Supreme hospitality and generosity are both a mark of Emirati life. Everyone is so kind and welcoming, it makes me want to move there! Would make a huge change from London, not to mention the gorgeous weather at least at this time of the year.

My plate of balaleet. I wanted to eat it all but I resisted. The kilos are piling on!!

SHJIBF: Cooking corner | Emerging Writers' Festival

Cooking demos returned to Sharjah this year. The demo kitchen was set up in one of the book halls and all the sessions that I’ve seen so far have been really well attended. The smells coming from the kitchen draw people in from across the fair – and the promise of taste testing of course!

There was a whole cookery program this year with plenty of amazing chefs appearing from all corners of the globe including Amy Riolo, Anissa Helou, Aisha Tamimi, Suzanne Hussein, Kimiko Barbar, Sophie Grey and Robert Arbor. The kitchen was super-pro in its set up as well!

A cute addition this year were recipe cards so the audience could follow along with the chef and also take to try at home.

Sharjah International Book Fair Day Three

Today I have been learning about Arab female empowerment and seeing the diversity of expression that the individuals here can manifest. It begins with a visit to the American University of Sharjah to hear Fatemeh Fakhraietalking about her experiences of being an American Muslim woman.

She talks about the book I Speak for Myself, which is a collection of 40 essays written by American Muslim women under the age of 40, all of whom were born and raised in the US. Through these personal stories, Fatemeh and her co-authors highlight the diversity found within American Islam.

Now that I’m growing accustomed to things here, I'm starting to see diversity around me in Sharjah. ...

Although, most women are in flowing black, the cuts are different, the trims are different, the headscarfs are different. Once you get used to them, you see the individuality that is being expressed. Coloured flourishes and design notes are allowed. And the handbags! Always a favourite fashion accessory anyway, they take on epic proportions out here. Loud and colourful, they adorn many ladies’ shoulders.

Back at the festival, I’m not surprised to read in the Khaleej Times newspaper that The Sharjah International Book Fair is hosting 750 publishers from 42 nations. If previous averages are anything to go by, when the fair ends on Saturday some 400,000 visitors will have passed through the doors. I thought it was busy here!

A large part of the festival is aimed fostering the lifelong love of reading in children. To that end, there can be no greater symbol of this goal than Kalimat publishing. Founded by Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, one of the Royal Family of this country, the books aim to present the very best of children’s publishing for the children of the Arab world.

Again, there is great diversity of subject matter in the books, from a grandma who likes to make paper aeroplanes, to a group of friends who go on a treasure hunt, to a little boy who breaks wind with such power and noxious force that birds drop from the sky. What can I say? I never expected to see a book about that when I boarded the plane at Heathrow.

Amateur Tour Guides « Living the Travel Channel

We served as amateur tour guides for Sharjah International Book Fair visiting authors (Mike, Terri, Sophie, Nicola, Stuart, and Yahia – I hope I got that all right.)

We started with lunch at a Yemeni restaurant.

We shared a large platter of mandi (lamb and rice).

Eating rice with their hands seemed to be a new experience for everyone. It was enjoyed by all and mastered by some.

Then we were off to Fujairah Fort which is open to the public due to the 40th National Day celebrations that started November 11th (with the beginning of the Al Saif sword competitions) and will continue through December 15th. The actual National Day is December 2nd and commemorates the joining of the 7 Emirates into a single country.

It was a real pleasure to get to see the inside of the fort.

Sophie found a place to rest with an inspiring view and took a moment for contemplation.

Below the Fort many traditional activities are on display. This man is making a fishing net by hand.

These men are tying palm leaves together to make a small boat.

Eventually, it will look like this.

Then, of course, we had to squeeze in a visit to the bull butting. This competition is held every Friday afternoon and dates back to the 1600′s.

The dark bull was something to see. He started by kneeling and rubbing his head on the ground and then was up in a flash, catching the other bull by surprise and gaining the advantage.

Unfortunately, time ran out and the authors had to return to Sharjah for the book fair activities. We enjoyed giving them a taste of Fujairah and Emirati culture.

Everyday Adventure, Lisa Dempster › My corner of Sharjah

Life at the Hotel Holiday International is pretty sweet.