Himalayan Literature Festival to bring Pulitzer winners and poets to Kathmandu
With sessions titled ‘Poetry and Consciousness’ and ‘Sudden Zen’, this year’s Festival aims to connect literature with healing. Photo: Provided to the Post
The Himalayan Literature Festival and Writers’ Workshop is happening from May 29 to June 5 at the Malla Hotel. It is organised by poet and journalist Yuyutsu Sharma in collaboration with The Prodigy Project.
With more than 75 writers from all over the globe, the theme for this year’s festival is ‘Ecstasy, Healing and Creative Writing in the New World Order’.
The faculty for the festival includes a wide range of novelists, journalists and scholars. From Tracy K Smith, Pulitzer Prize winner and 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States, to Paul Muldoon, whom the Times Literary Supplement named the most significant English-language poet born since the Second World War and a Pulitzer laureate, the festival’s faculty brings together internationally renowned voices.
Jean Hanff Korelitz, Tina Chang, Martin Doyle of The Irish Times, Devdutt Pattanaik, Brian Turner, and veteran Nepali poet Shailendra Sakar complete a faculty of rare range and depth. The sessions will explore poetry and human awareness, with classes titled ‘Poetry and Consciousness’ and ‘Sudden Zen’.
Sharma believes, “Literature is not a luxury. It is the oldest form of healing we have. The festival is a celebration of the great glory of the Himalayan nation, Nepal, its rich cultural heritage and vibrant life. The festival celebrates Nepal and brings its great glory to the forefront of the world.”
The festival is also hosting writing workshops, which will be held in Buddhist monasteries, emphasising cultural practices along with literature.
In addition to the festival’s premises, the faculty will also be giving sessions at a few schools in Kathmandu, directly leading creative workshops for students.
Registrations for the workshop and the festival can be completed separately. __________
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