Emirates Airline Festival of Literature: The magic of words

Abdullah Abulhoul She is only 15. A student at Al Mawakeb School, she earned the distinction of ‘Youngest Emirati director' at the age of 11, when she participated in the 2008 Gulf Film Festival. She will launch her debut novel, Galagolia: The Hidden Divination, at this LitFest. You can catch her in conversation with writer Joan Scott-Minter. WHEN: March 8, 7.30pm-8.30pm, WHERE: Al Rimal 1, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh39 Chetan Bhagat He has sold more books than any other author in India. The former investment banker turned novelist has become an inspiration for positive change far beyond his books and even India, motivating children, business leaders and politicians in cities across the world. All his books have become bestsellers and two have inspired Bollywood films (including the hit film 3 Idiots). Hear him talk about his views on leadership, on being passionate and achieving goals. WHEN: March 9, 11.30am-12.30pm WHERE: Al Ras 2, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh65 Riz Khan The renowned television broadcaster will launch his first fiction novel. Titled We Interrupt Our Programming, the book is a comical drama set in the fast-paced world of international television news, and offers a candid look at some of the quirky things that take place behind the scenes. Catch him ‘In conversation with Shahnaz Pakravan'. WHEN: March 8, 6pm-7pm WHERE: Al Baraha 3, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh65 Ahmad Khalid Tawfiq With more than 200 published titles, Ahmad Khalid Tawfiq is the Arab world's most prolific and popular horror and science fiction writer. He is also an emerging voice in Egypt. Hear him discuss with fellow Egyptian writer Ahmad Mourad the dark side of Egyptian life and their books that resonate loudly in the moments after the Arab Awakening. WHEN: March 9, 7.30pm-8.30pm WHERE: Al Ras 3, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh65 Selma Dabbagh She is a British-Palestinian writer based in London. Her short stories, often set in the contemporary Middle East, have been included in a number of anthologies, including those published by Granta and International PEN. They have also been nominated for the International PEN David TK Wong Award and the Pushcart Prize. She will join other writers in the discussion ‘Identity shaped by Heritage: Then and Now'. WHEN: March 8, 6pm-7pm WHERE: Al Majlis, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh39 P G Bhaskar He is a banker based in Dubai. His debut, Jack Patel's Dubai Dreams, was published by Penguin India in August 2011 and follows the fortunes of Jaikishan ‘Jack' Patel, a Gujarati banker enjoying success in Dubai until the world financial crisis complicates his life. Catch him ‘In Search of Fame and Fortune on Dubai's Golden Streets'. WHEN: March 9, 11.30am-12.30pm WHERE: Al Majlis, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh39 Julia Johnson The British writer came to Dubai in 1975, and soon became a familiar face reading children's stories on Dubai Channel 33 (now Dubai One). Children (and their parents) can meet and listen to Julia read from her book The Leopard Boy, which explores the plight of the endangered Arabian leopard. WHEN: March 9, 3pm-4pm WHERE: Al Khaimah, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh39 Jacqueline Wilson She was voted by children in the UK as their favourite author in a recent poll. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total stands at over 30 million. Listen to her talk about her new book, Sapphire Battersea. WHEN: March 9, 11.30-12.30pm WHERE: Al Baraha 3, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: 39 Jeremy Bowen The BBC's Middle East editor has reported on the recent uprisings in the region. He has captured the thoughts and feelings of people as these life-changing events have unfolded, and is distilling them into a definitive account of the past 15 months, Anatomy of a Revolution, to be published later this year. Here's your chance for a sneak preview of what is bound to be one of the must-read current affairs publishing highlights of 2012. WHEN: March 9, 9pm-10pm, WHERE: Al Ras 1, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: DH65 Ariana Bundy She was raised in New York and London and trained as a chef in Paris, but her family roots are in Persian soil. In the evocative words of Madhur Jaffrey, "If you dream about being whisked into a world of gentle, aromatic, Persian delights ...look no further than Ariana Bundy's heady new cookbook, Pomegranates and Roses: My Persian Family Recipes." Here's your chance to see a live demo. WHEN: March 9, 1.30pm-2.30 WHERE: Al Ras 2, InterContinental Hotel ENTRY: Dh65 What more to expect As many as 125 authors, representing 30 nationalities, will attend the 2012 LitFest. The festival will include sessions on cookery, travel, sport, horror, popular fiction, literary fiction, crime, graphics, poetry, politics, journalism, autobiography, biography, entertainment, screen-writing, adventure, translation, creative writing, philosophy, local history, folk history, art, Islamic Studies, fantasy and science fiction. Kinokuniya is the official bookseller for the 2012 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. They will be selling the authors' titles on site throughout the festival, as well as stocking their books in their shop at The Dubai Mall. Buy your tickets online at tickets.emirateslitfest.com. Tickets are also available in-store at WH Smith, Oasis Centre (ground floor) and at the box office at the InterContinental Hotel Events Centre. Call: 04-353 4002