The National Book Council and l-Għaqda tal-Malti – Università would like to announce that preparations for the 4th edition of the Book Festival on Campus are underway and would like to inform the public that the festival will take place from 4 to 6 April 2017. The opening hours are: 10 am to 3 pm and 5 pm till late in the evening.
This festival is meant to provide a space for Maltese publishers and distributors to promote their work with a mature audience, such as university students. Apart from book sales, there is a varied programme of events. This aims at promoting literature within a wide scope that extends well beyond the business of selling books.
This year’s special guest is Caroline Smailes. Smailes is the renowned author of a number of books, including the much-appraised ‘In Search Of Adam’, which was published in 2007 (The Friday Project/Harper Collins). Other works penned by her include ‘Like Bees to Honey’,‘99 Reasons Why’ and ‘The Drowning of Arthur Braxton’, which is currently being made into a film. Smailes, who is of Maltese descent, was born in Newcastle and studied creative writing. During the festival, she will be leading a number of workshops on creative writing. She will also be the guest in an activity dedicated to her where excerpts of her work will be read. The public will have the opportunity to address the writer directly.
Among the other activities in the programme, there will be interviews with authors, local music performances, the screening of literary-themed films and a good number of collaborative activities with various cultural organisations, among which are student organisations. The full programme of events will be published later on this week and members of the public can follow the updates directly by visiting the event’s page on facebook.
The publishers and distributors participating in the festival are HORIZONS, FARAXA BOOKS, SENSIELA KOTBA SOĊJALISTI (SKS), STUDENTS PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, EDE, KOTBA CALLEJA and BDL, some of whom will be setting up events of their own. There will also be a stand for the organisers, Għaqda tal-Malti – Università and the National Book Council, which will serve as an information desk for all visitors to the festival.