Saudi Arabia’s Literature, Publishing & Translation Commission is organizing the ‘Writers and Readers Festival’ from 23 February to 11 March, 2023 in the Eastern Province to celebrate Arab and international culture and literature.
The festival is being held in five different locations in the Eastern Region, namely Dammam Corniche, Dhahran Expo, Khobar Corniche, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), and Qatif Corniche.
The authority’s choice in selecting the Eastern Province reflects the region’s cultural richness and its impact on the literary creativity in the Gulf region, presenting litterateurs such as Tarafah ibn Al-A’bd, who enriched Arab culture with his immortal poems.
The festival, while aiming to attract prominent intellectuals from different nationalities to present their works to an international audience, will also provide opportunities for partnerships in publishing and translation, allowing private and non-profit sectors to contribute to the enrichment of the literary movement.
Visitors to the festival can participate in a comprehensive cultural programme including an interactive session that allows a live immersive literary experience designed with a variety of creative templates including panel discussions with writers, a literary salon, art criticism workshops, children’s activities, movie screenings, a book fair, literary street activities, a social media corner in literature and information, theatrical works, poetic and lyrical evenings, shops for craftsmen, and cafes and mobile food carts.
Through its festival, the Literature, Publishing & Translation Commission seeks to celebrate writers and readers as the most influential links in the chain of culture and human civilization, besides providing a platform that allows Saudi Arabia’s literary creators to communicate on a global platform to enrich the cultural arena and provide the community with aesthetic forms of literature, culture, and other arts.
