This week, our editors-at-large take us to India, Kenya, and México. From a cross-cultural poetry retreat to a crime writer’s conference, read on to find out more!
Réne Esaú Sánchez, Editor-at-Large, reporting from México
Not so long ago, I was talking with some friends about the Guadalajara International Book Fair and how, for many locals, an event like that was actually their only chance to find certain books, meet certain authors and even reflect upon their literary activities. Despite the importance of the Fair, literary circulation remains centralized in Mexico City, while book commercialization in other places like Guadalajara, Monterrey, or Oaxaca is always secondary.
This is why I find it important to celebrate events like the Yucatán International Reading Fair (FILEY), which will conclude this Sunday, March 30. This year, it has hosted important authors including Cristina Rivera Garza, Verónica Murguía, Brenda Lozano, Jorge Comensal, and Xita Rubert. At the Fair, the 2025 José Emilio Pacheco Award for Excellence in Literature was presented to Alberto Ruy Sánchez, a prolific novelist who, in his unique style, shared the reasons behind his writing:
I write to know, to explore vast dimensions of reality that only literature can penetrate. I also write to remember, but no less, I write to forget. I write to extend my body, my senses, to experience the sensuality of the world day after day. I write for pleasure, for desire, for rage. To expose the falsification of icons, the abuse of public power. I write to be hated and to be loved, more so, to be desired. I write to propose new spaces in this world, to create places.
As its name suggests, FILEY has also been a space to reflect on why, how, and from where we read, something essential if we want to address the problem of cultural centralization. As María Teresa Mézquita, the Fair’s director, said in her opening remarks at the festival, beyond numbers and sales, the event is driven by a desire to foster personal growth, learning, and a cultural environment enriched precisely through reading.
It is good, as Ruy Sánchez’s remarks suggest, to know why we write; just as important is knowing why we read.
Wambua Muindi, Editor-at-Large reporting from Kenya
The Kenyan poetry scene is flourishing. Alliance Française hosted a captivating poetry concept show in honor of World Poetry Day on March 21st. The gathering of poets and poetry enthusiasts had a vibrant atmosphere of artistic appreciation and served as a testament to poetry’s thriving as a genre in Kenya. The event’s program featured a compelling poetry performance, showcasing the elegance and depth of Kenyan literary tradition among contemporary poets. Complementing this was a dynamic spoken word and music performance, headlined by Mosoti Norman and the esteemed Slim Shaka, the 65th African Slam Poetry champion. Their performance electrified the audience, demonstrating spoken word’s raw power and contemporary relevance. The event’s strong attendance speaks to Nairobi’s robust poetry community and its keen interest in diverse poetic expressions.
The Kenyan poetry community is also fostering cross-cultural collaboration, as Kenyan poets Michelle Agwenyi and Ngartia Muruthi, alongside Scottish poets Genevieve Carver and Eloise Birtwhistle, embarked on a week-long Turkana residency, which was announced by Macondo Literary Festival on February 25th. The ‘Disrupting the Nature Narrative Retreat,’ a collaboration between Macondo Book Society, Scottish Poetry Library, and the Turkana Basin Initiative, fostered this unique exchange. Following the residency, the poets will participate in an evening of poetry and conversation at Cheche Books on April 5th, sharing their experiences and the creative outcomes from this artistic endeavour.
Sayani Sarkar, Editor-at-Large, reporting from India
Every year, I eagerly await the nominations for the International Booker Prize. This year, Heart Lamp by Indian author Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi from Kannada, has been longlisted among thirteen books from around the world. Mushtaq, a journalist and lawyer from Karnataka, wrote these stories beginning in 1990, portraying the lives of girls and women in Muslim communities in southern India. In other prize news, Gayatri Spivak, a celebrated literary critic and postcolonial scholar, has won the 2025 Holberg Prize for her significant contributions to postcolonial studies, feminist theory, and literary criticism. Her acclaimed works include translations of the Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi and the philosopher Jacques Derrida, as well as the essay Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988), which discusses the position of historically marginalized people and women in colonial India.
As a graphic novel enthusiast, I was excited about the launch of Vaadivasal: The Arena earlier this month. This graphic adaptation brings to life the modern literary classic by C.S. Chellappa and Perumal Murugan, illustrated by Appupen. It focuses on jallikattu, a traditional bull-taming sport practiced in Tamil Nadu during the 1950s. The story revolves around the taming of a bull named ‘Kaari’ by Picchi, whose father, Ambulithevan, was tragically gored to death by the bull.
The Ooty Literary Festival (OLF) 2025 took place from March 14 to 15, 2025, at the Nilgiri Library in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Ganesh Devy, a renowned linguist and scholar, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to linguistic studies. He led the People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI), which is a comprehensive documentation of all living Indian languages. During the festival, he delivered the keynote address titled “Who Is an Indian?” which addressed the linguistic, historical, and cultural transformations in India. Devy, along with Indian historian Tony Joseph and archaeologist Ravi Korisettar, edited an important volume titled The Indians: Histories of a Civilization which I enjoyed immensely. The book explores the historical landscape of the subcontinent from the last Ice Age to the twenty-first century.
Finally, the inaugural Kolkata Crime Writers’ Festival will take place on March 29th at the Storyteller Bookstore in Kolkata. The event will feature interactive author sessions and a workshop on writing crime fiction. I will be participating in the short crime fiction competition and will provide updates about the festival events afterward.
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