During a recent press conference on developments of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the Emirates Literature Foundation announced the launch of a new independent publishing house, ELF Publishing LLC, an exciting new publishing house that champions exceptional storytelling through initial works of fiction.
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is being held from 3-13 February, 2022, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, by the Emirates Literature Foundation at Al Habtoor City, a multi-use development in Dubai.
The UAE continues to have an impressive track record in championing literature, especially through the pioneering work of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, sovereign ruler of the emirate of Sharjah and member of the Federal Supreme Council of the UAE; Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi’s pivotal role in the industry as President of the International Publishers Association (IPA); leading international book fairs of global repute such as the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) and the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF); and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature recognized as one of the leading international literature festivals.
The publishing house will begin accepting submissions for evaluating and considering the possibility of publishing them during the Month of Reading in March 2022. The selected works will be published in both Arabic and English, in addition to translations.
Among the initial publications to be launched during the festival of literature will be Young Voices of Arabia 2021, which includes the second anthology of stories from the Voices of Future Generations, a unique writing initiative created to promote sustainability, and supplemented by illustrations created by UAE artists.
Children’s authors Ebtisam Al Beiti and Julia Johnson are among the first writers to be roped in by ELF, both of whom will be appearing at the literature festival. Julia Johnson will team up with writer-illustrator Maitha Al Khayat, for her book’s illustrations. ELF Publishing also hopes that this will be the first in a series of agreements with local writers in the region. Regional stories from Emirati writers and expats will be encouraged, trying to capture and preserve the oral history of the region in book form.
