Thursday, 10 February.. Highlights from the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature spent the day honouring librarians from all over the United Arab Emirates and celebrating the impact they have had on students reading habits, before announcing the winners of the School Librarian of the Year awards for 2022.

Coming Up Tomorrow… 

Friday is Fright Night at the Emirates LitFest, offering sessions, workshops and screenings of stories that all offer hints of the darker side, with everything from crime and horror for adult audiences, to a monster drawing workshop for children.  

House of Gucci author and journalist Sarah Gay Forden will be talking about the dangers of the Internet, or more specifically, how big tech companies use our data and what is being done to regulate them in the session titled How to Make the Internet Less Evil. 

Bestselling crime writers Lucy Foley and Mark Billingham will be leading teams facing off on opposite sides of a debate on whether criminals can, or should, be heroes. 

A fascinating panel discussing how writers can use fear in their own work, how to keep them reading, and why these authors are drawn to the use of fear-inducing techniques features David Eagleman, Stephen Graham Jones, Polly Philips, and Walid Owda. 

Bestselling children’s author Sam Copeland will talk about his latest ghost-inspired book, Greta and the Ghosthunters. 

Spoken word performer and award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo will discuss her latest book and discuss how love, grief, and family can impact people.