Lahore Literary Festival is returning to New York on May 12

The third edition of the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) in New York will take place at the Asia Society on May 12.

It will host writers, artists and commentators, speaking on issues affecting Pakistan and the world. The full day of programmes includes discussions on fiction, non-fiction, art, architecture, history and politics, say a statement by the organisers.

“In this third year of our collaboration, it is more important than ever to host this exchange of ideas and creativity in an interdependent world,” said Rachel Cooper, director for Global Performing Arts and Special Cultural Initiatives at the Asia Society. “The LLF cuts across genres and disciplinary silos and seeks to cultivate common ground,” she said.

The special feature of this year’s New York edition is a keynote address by Ayesha Jalal, Mary Richardson professor of History at Tufts University, titled ‘Liberalism and the Muslim Question’.

Speakers include architect Nayyar Ali Dada, artist Waqas Khan, short story writer Muhammad Umar Memon, journalist Kathy Gannon and Kiran Desai, the author of The Inheritance of Loss which won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

After a star-studded line-up of speakers, there is a special performance by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwals.

Originally published in Dawn, May 5th, 2018