Following the success of our tenth birthday celebrations last year, we're pleased to announce our all-day festival returns on Saturday October 20th 2018 at The Wesley in London...

The Asian Writer will once again bring together the contents of its website – interviews, masterclasses and features on literary trends - in a live format. The festival aims to support and encourage writers, by offering advice and inspiration and seeks to raise the profile of emerging voices.

Featuring: Vaseem Khan, Gautam Malkani, Deepa Anappara, Winnie M Li, Ayisha Malik, Amer Anwar, CG Menon, Shivanee Ramlochan, Susmita Bhattacharya, Emma Smith-Barton, Rukhsana Yasmin as well as emerging new voices.

Organised and programmed by Farhana Shaikh, Editor of The Asian Writer, Dahlia Publishing

Made possible with generous support from: ALCS, The Literary Consultancy, Arvon, Spread the Word, Mslexia, The Writing Magazine and Wasafiri.

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

9:30 – 9:45 AM Registration

10:00 – 10:15 AM Welcome and Keynote by Vaseem Khan: Call me a writer

10:30 - 11:30 AM Write what you know: should new writers follow the rule book?

Advice on how to write well can be confusing and contradictory. How do new writers navigate this and who do they listen to? In this session, new and emerging writers will share their experiences and discuss whether writers new to the craft should follow writing rules or break them. Featuring readings from new and emerging voices, Deepa Anappara, Gautam Malkani and Winnie M Li. Chaired by Joe Sedgwick from The Literary Consultancy.

11:45 - 12:45 PM How publishing really works: Your questions answered

This interactive session will give you an exclusive opportunity to put your questions to a panel of literary agents and editors. If you’ve always wanted to know what agents really do and what editors are looking for from a manuscript, this is your chance to find out! Please send us your questions to put to the panel ahead of the session for this Question Time style event. Featuring literary agents, Lorella Belli and Federica Martin-Leonardis. Chaired by Rukhsana Yasmin, deputy editor of Wasafiri.

1:45 - 2:45 PM Book launch: The Asian Writer 10 Year Anniversary Collection

The Asian Writer has been championing British Asian writers since 2007. This new collection published to mark the online magazine’s ten year anniversary, brings together a selection of its much-loved contents in print for the first time. Emerging voices, CG Menon, Farhana Khalique, Mona Dash, Emma Smith-Barton will read from their work and discuss what role the magazine has played in their writing journey. Chaired by Farhana Shaikh.

3:00 - 4:00 PM Genre Fiction: Is the only way up commercial?

Sales of genre fiction have rocketed in recent years with thriller and detective novels now outselling all other fiction. At the same time, literary fiction sales have dropped dramatically and a recent report by ALCS has found author earnings are dwindling. In this session, writers of genre fiction discuss and debate whether now is the time to embrace commercial fiction. Featuring Ayisha Malik and Amer Anwar, in conversation with Namita Elizabeth Chakrabarty.

4:15 - 5:45 PM SI Leeds Prize Readings £7 (free to festival ticket holders)

Words of Colour director, Joy Francis hosts the shortlist of the 2018 SI Leeds Literary Prize for a lively roundtable of discussions and readings. Joy will be speaking to the authors about their books, experiences and the current publishing climate. Come along to hear some exciting new voices in literature. Featuring Kavita Bhanot, Mona Dash, Omega Douglas, Yoanna Pak, Yvonne Singh and Shereen Tadros. In partnership with SI Leeds Prize.

Masterclass/ Roundtable Timetable: Mandela Room

10:30 - 11:30 AM Going mainstream: From self-publisher to Penguin - Free (booking required)

Sufiya Ahmed will discuss her writing journey from self-publishing to landing a publishing deal with Penguin. Sufiya will draw on her experiences as a children's/YA author initially self publishing and marketing her own books, to working in schools as a published author. She will invite you to share your own experiences and discuss the recent #ReflectingRealities report in this interactive session.

11:45 - 12:45 PM Masterclass: Finding your voice with Preetha Leela Chockalingam - £15

In this masterclass, published writer Preetha Chockalingam will invite you to consider the importance of viewpoint and voice in capturing the spirit of your work in progress. How do you decide to tell a story in the first person or third and which point of view should you use? Through a series of practical exercises, Preetha will help you to find the natural rhythm of your writing and show you how best to capture your voice.

1:45 - 2:45 PM Masterclass: Writing short stories with Susmita Bhattacharya - £15

In this masterclass, prolific short story writer Susmita Bhattacharya will teach the art of writing short stories. You will begin by discussing how to generate good ideas, then look at beginnings and endings, and learn how to think out of the box when working on a short story.

3:00 - 4:00 PM A New Wave of Female Poets - Free (booking required)

Shivanee Ramlochan joins us during her UK tour, to read from her Forward Prize shortlisted collection, Everyone Knows I am a Haunting. Shivanee will be joined by Hafsah Aneela Bashir, Khairani Barokka, and Shazea Quraishi who will read from their first collections, The Celox and the Clot, Rope and The Art of Scratching. Writers will discuss their influences and inspirations and discuss the emerging poetry scene. Presented in association with Renaissance One.

Tickets: Purchase your all-day festival ticket for just £35, workshops and free ticketed events will need to be booked separately.

AGENT ONE TO ONE APPLICATIONS WITH JAMILAH AHMED AND JONATHAN RUPPIN

Book a ten minute session with an agent to discuss your work and get tips and advice on putting your submission package together.

To apply for an agent one to one, you will need to purchase an all-day festival ticket first. Then, email your covering letter and first three chapters to f.shaikh@dahliapublishing.co.uk with 'Agent One to One application' in the subject heading. Applications close 5th October 2018. There are limited spaces for this opportunity so an early application is advisable.

Jamilah Ahmed has worked in publishing for over fifteen years, as a Development Editor, Commissioning Editor, and most recently Literary Agent. Her remit at the Barbara Levy Literary Agency is to find new writers of fiction and non-fiction. She is also a Prize administrator for the Jhalak Prize 2019. Jamilah has had her own fiction and non-fiction published, as well as winning The Asian Writers Short Story Award in 2016, and the SI Leeds Readers Choice Award, 2016.

Jonathan Ruppin has worked in the UK book trade for 23 years, including 13 years at London’s most famous bookshop Foyles. He founded The Ruppin Agency in 2017 – handling literary and commercial fiction and serious non-fiction – with the aim of promoting writers from underrepresented communities. He has judged a dozen literary awards, including the Costa Novel Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and Desmond Elliott Award. He has interviewed hundreds of authors in print and on stage, and his journalism encompasses television, radio and print.

SPREAD THE WORD BURSARIES

Our Spread the Word bursary applications have now closed and we have awarded three writers a chance to attend the festival, with a complimentary all-day access pass and a masterclass of their choice.

Due to the popularity of this scheme, we have released 10 half-price tickets. If you're a writer on a low-income and would love to attend but can't otherwise afford to, please email me at f.shaikh@dahliapublishing.co.uk for an exclusive discount code.

QUESTIONS

For more information or partnership opportunities please contact Farhana on f.shaikh@dahliapublishing.co.uk