In a few short weeks I’ll be boarding a jetplane and returning to the UAE for the 30th annual Sharjah International Book Fair. It goes without saying that I can’t wait!
Sharjah International Book Fair this year has a really exciting program, including many leading Arab authors, a country focus on India, a city focus on Edinburgh, a genre focus on comics, a children’s program and a #geekfest!
I’m looking forward to meeting lots of excellent literary people from the Middle East, India and internationally also, as well as catch up with friends I have met on previous bookish adventures. I also can’t wait to discover more about the literature of this region – last year I came back with lots of books, something that will no doubt be repeated.
I’ll be blogging about my trip mostly at the Emerging Writers blog (with video – a new medium for me), a little here, and of course will be tweeting from @lisadempster and @emergingwriters. I’m alsoexperimenting with G+ and might attempt a hangout or two while away. The hashtag for the book fair is #shjibf.
Personally, I’m looking forward to more time away from Melbourne, and also to spend a few weeks in adry zone. Last year I had an excellent time at the book fair, discovering Sharjah, and not drinking. It was a magical time, I felt happy and open and on top of the world. You know when everything just feelsright?
This is me blissing out among Sharjah’s many palm tress…
I only wish I had started learning Arabic a year ago when I got home from Sharjah! I am going to start relearning what I picked up last year now, and hopefully add a few more words to my artillery before I go…
No comments:
Post a Comment