JLF Houston is Back and On-Ground
HOUSTON: Teamwork Arts, producer of the iconic annual Jaipur Literature Festival and the international extensions of JLF, returns with the 5th edition of JLF Houston on-ground this year, in partnership with Asia Society Texas, Inprint, University of Houston, India House and Pondicheri restaurant. Scheduled to take place from September 9th–10th 2022, spanning a wide genre of literature, this edition of the festival will blend South Asia’s unique literary heritage with the culture, diversity, and energy of the Bayou City.
Award-winning writer, poet and academic Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni will be in conversation with academic and writer Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan at a session that explores the intangibles of memory and the texture of lived life through writing. During the session, Divakaruni will give a peek into the many words, legacies and memories that have formed her writing practice. At another session, Ragini Srinivasan will be in conversation with authors Sonal Kohli and Naheed Phiroze Patel. Naheed Phiroze Patel’s latest book, Mirror Made of Rain, is a devastating coming-of-age novel about the wounds of inherited trauma. Sonal Kohli’s book, The House Next to the Factory, charts three decades of a ‘rising’ India. The panel will take audiences on a journey through the stories, memories and histories their work navigates.
The annual festival will feature award-winning poet, translator, and art historian Roberto Tejada in conversation with celebrated Indian poet and author Arundhathi Subramaniam and
Executive Director of Inprint Rich Levy for a session where the two celebrated poets will take audiences on a journey through their work in poetry and prose.
At another session titled ‘Intersections: Searching Equity’, Dalit activist Guru Prakash Paswan will be in conversation with political commentator and writer Sunanda Vashisht discussing the wounds of history and the processes of restorative justice. His co-authored book, Makers of Modern Dalit History, features the inspiring accounts of individuals who battled the divisive, discriminatory force of caste – their forms of protest, activism, social reform, and legacy – in contemporary India.
Mathematician and novelist Manil Suri will be in conversation with Pakistani-American writer Maya Kanwal to discuss his latest book, The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math that embarks on a mathematical origin story spanning the universe.
Every year, the festival brings together a diverse mix of the world’s greatest writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, business leaders and entertainers on one stage reaching out to a wide audience worldwide. Making the festival more accessible this year, each session will be live-streamed on the exclusive virtual platform of the festival.