The National Book Council is publishing the programme of events for the Book Festival on Campus 2017, which will take place at University on the 4-5-6th of April, starting 10:00 hours and continuing till late. The purpose of the Festival is to promote literature as a whole, while at the same time giving publishers and book distributors a space in which they can promote their material with a mature audience, such as university students.

The publishers and distributors participating in the festival are HORIZONS, FARAXA BOOKS, SENSIELA KOTBA SOฤŠJALISTI (SKS), STUDENTS PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, EDE, KOTBA CALLEJA, and BDL, some of whom will be setting up events of their own. Among these we find HORIZONS who will launch a poetry collection by Prof. Kenneth Wain, entitled โ€˜Who looks at the sun anymoreโ€™ and FARAXA who have also prepared a poetry evening. KOTBA CALLEJA will be holding two workshops on the art of book binding.

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Apart from the publishers and book distributors, other participants in the Festival have contributed to the programme. The poetess Miriam Calleja will lead a workshop on the topic of creative writing which is open to all writers of all levels.ย  The event will involve a number of exercises and games, prompts and guidelines, as well as advice on how to improve oneโ€™s writing. The event will close with a reading of Callejaโ€™s poetry both in English and in Maltese. Other events of academic interest include โ€˜Il-Malti u l-Barraninโ€™, set up by Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Lsien Malti, where a number of people who studied Maltese as a foreign language will talk about what motivated them to learn Maltese and why Maltese of all the languages in the world, and โ€˜X’naqbad ngฤงid?โ€™, a talk and discussion on linguistic variations in Maltese, which will be led by Michael Spagnol.

 

As we have already announced in a press release of last week, the special guest of the festival is Caroline Smailes, the renowned author of โ€˜In Search of Adamโ€™, โ€˜Like Bees to Honeyโ€™, โ€™99 Reasons Whyโ€™ and โ€˜The Drowning of Arthur Braxtonโ€™, which is currently being made into a film.

Caroline Smailes, who is of Maltese descent, was born in Newcastle and has studied creative writing. During the festival she will be leading workshops on the subjects of creative writing, aspects of narration such as the choice of dialogue diction and location, the need for convincing and consistent characters and the question of linguistic inheritance. There will also be an activity in which excerpts of Smailesโ€™ work will be read and members of the public will be able to address the author directly.

Every year the programme of the Festival includes a musical performance, which this year will be given by the HipHop act Marmalja, whose performance will close the first night of the Festival, that is 4th April.

We ask the public to read well the programme and to learn about the events that have been prepared as they are sure to find much more than one event that piques their interest. The programme will be available in print form and distributed in public places in the coming few days.

BOOK FESTIVAL ON CAMPUS 2017

PROGRAMME

 

4th April

 

10.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Il-ฤ gant id-Dฤงuli // Faraxa Books

 

Il-ฤ gant id-Dฤงuli taโ€™ Gladys Masters, tradott minn Toni Aquilina. Qari minn studenti tal-primarja, bโ€™attivitajiet relatati mal-ktieb.

 

Il-ฤ gant id-Dฤงuli by Gladys Masters, translated by Toni Aquilina. Readings by primary school students and other related activities.

 

11.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Grappling with storytelling structure // Teodor Reljic

 

Teodor Reljic, awtur taโ€™ TWO u taโ€™ MIBDUL, sensiela taโ€™ kotba taโ€™ komiks space opera li ฤงierฤกa dalwaqt, se jitkellem dwar kif tgฤงallem l-arti tar-rakkuntar huwa u jikteb dawn iลผ-ลผewฤก proฤกetti. Teodor jgฤงidilna kif fl-aฤงฤงar mill-aฤงฤงar tgฤงallem jikteb l-istejjer billi kiteb. Dan kollu jimplika li wieฤงed jitgฤงallem mill-iลผbalji, xi ฤงaฤกa li Teodor intebaฤง biha lejn l-aฤงฤงar tal-proฤ‹ess tal-kitba taโ€™ TWO.

 

Teodor Reljic, author of TWO and the upcoming space opera comic book series MIBDUL, will speak about learning storytelling during both projects. Teodor will speak candidly about the only way he learned to write fiction – by actually doing it. This of course implies a degree of trial and error, as was made evident to Teodor towards the end of the writing process for TWO.

 

 

12.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Authentic language and convincing dialogue // Caroline Smailes

 

Dan il-workshop jiffoka fuq kif jingฤงaqdu d-djalogu u l-post, u r-restrizzjonijiet li jikkawลผaw kemm lill-kittieb kif ukoll lill-qarrej. Kif jitฤงalltu l-lingwi differenti flimkien fโ€™Like Bees to Honey? U kif inkludiet il-Malti fir-rumanz tagฤงha? Kien bลผonn li tippreserva wirt lingwistiku, jew il-wirt tal-familja?

 

The workshop focuses on how dialogue and place connect, and the restraints that these cause for both writer and reader. How do different languages come into play in Like Bees to Honey? How did Caroline Smailes include Maltese in the novel? Was it a need to preserve heritage and language?

 

13.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Il-Malti u l-barranin // Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti

 

Matul din id-diskussjoni niltaqgฤงu maโ€™ nies minn oqsma differenti tal-ฤงajja li ddeฤ‹idew li jitgฤงallmu l-Malti gฤงal finijiet differenti. Xโ€™kien li ฤงajjarhom jitgฤงallmu l-Malti? Gฤงaliex il-Malti minn tant lingwi oฤงrajn? U veru li l-Malti daqshekk diffiฤ‹li biex titgฤงallmu?

 

During this discussion we will be meeting people from different spheres of life who learned Maltese for several reasons. What attracted them to such a language? Why Maltese? And it is true that Maltese is a difficult language to learn?

 

14.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Naqra, Nann // L-Gฤงaqda tal-Malti, Malta Libraries, San Vinฤ‹enz de

Paul

 

Fโ€™din is-sessjoni se jsir qari gฤงall-anzjani animat minn Dianne Giordmaina. Kulฤงadd mistieden jattendi u jakkumpanjana.

 

During this session Dianne Giordmaina will lead a reading session for the elderly. Everyone is welcome to join in!

 

17.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  TAฤฆลปIลป5 // L-Aฤกenzija ลปgฤงaลผagฤง u l-Gฤงaqda tal-Malti

 

Matul din is-sessjoni l-pubbliku inฤกenerali mฤงeฤกฤกeฤก jingฤงaqad mal-parteฤ‹ipanti taโ€™ TAฤฆลปIลป5 gฤงal sessjoni taโ€™ taฤงriฤก fil-kitba kreattiva.

 

The general public is invited to join this yearโ€™s participants of TAฤฆลปIลป5 for a creative writing workshop.

 

18.30ย ย ย ย  ย ย ย Who looks at the sun anymore // Horizons

 

Horizons se jniedu kollezzjoni taโ€™ poeลผiji taโ€™ Prof. Kenneth Wain bl-isem Who looks at the sun anymore.

 

Horizons will launch a poetry collection by Prof. Kenneth Wain entitled Who looks at the sun anymore.

 

20.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Marmalja

 

Il-Marmalja ilhom stabbiliti mill-2010 u kienu parti mill-grupp popolari No Bling Show. Mill-ewwel dehra tagฤงhom ฤงolqu stil gฤงalihom fix-xena, kemm bil-ฤงoss awtentiku li kapaฤ‹i joฤงloq Drinu kif ukoll il-lirika mirquma bโ€™arti fix-xena tal-hip hop Maltija. It-temi li jindirizzaw huma soฤ‹jali u politiฤ‹i, u taโ€™ natura kontroversjali. L-ewwel album tagฤงhom bฤงala duo, Demm ฤ did, nedewh fl-2015.

 

Marmalja have been around since 2010, and were previously part of No Bling Show. Their style is unique to the local scene, with authentic sounds created by Drinu and the art of writing lyrics in the local hip hop scene. The themes they tap into are sociopolitical and of a controversial nature. Their first album, Demm ฤ did, was launched in 2015.

 

 

 

5 tโ€™April

 

10.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Hubertus von Amelunxen on Photography as Representation // Studentsโ€™ Philosophy Society

 

Prof. Hubertus von Amelunxen se jagฤงti taฤงdita dwar il-fotografija bฤงala rappreลผentazzjoni. It-taฤงdita se tฤงares lejn Roland Barthes u Walter Benjamin biex tindirizza xi wฤงud mill-kunฤ‹etti li jqajjem is-seminar taโ€™ Prof. Amelunxen dwar Photography – Image of the Becoming. Se jkun hemm ukoll diskussjoni fโ€™panel maโ€™ Prof. Vince Briffa u Dr Clive Zammit.

 

Prof. Hubertus von Amelunxen will be giving a talk on photography as representation. The talk will make use of Roland Barthes and Walter Benjamin in order to deal with some of the concepts broached in Prof. Amelunxenโ€™s seminar on Photography – Image of the Becoming. There will be a panel discussion, with the participation of Professor Vince Briffa and of Dr Clive Zammit.

 

12.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Engaging with words // Miriam Calleja

 

Dan il-workshop jgฤงodd gฤงal kittieba taโ€™ kull livell, u matulu wieฤงed jistaโ€™ jaฤงdem fuq ix-xogฤงol tiegฤงu permezz taโ€™ eลผerฤ‹izzji u logฤงob, prompts, u gwidi, kif ukoll pariri gฤงal kitba iktar effiฤ‹jenti. Wieฤงed jistaโ€™ jikteb bโ€™liema lingwa jrid. Wara jkun hemm qari taโ€™ poeลผiji bil-Malti u bl-Ingliลผ minn Miriam Calleja stess.

 

This workshop is suitable for creative writers of all levels and backgrounds. Throughout this session, you will be able to hone into your own โ€œflow of workโ€ through the means of exercises and games, prompts, and guided play, as well as tips on writing more efficiently. You are welcome to write in any language! This will be followed by a reading of poetry in Maltese and English by Miriam Calleja.

 

13.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Conjuring characters // Caroline Smailes

 

Dan il-workshop jiffoka fuq il-bลผonn taโ€™ karattri konvinฤ‹enti u konsistenti fin-narrattiva. Se jintuลผaw gฤงadd taโ€™ mistoqsijiet li l-kittieba, permezz tagฤงhom, se joฤงolqu karattru li jistgฤงu juลผaw fโ€™kitbiethom. Jiฤกu indirizzati wkoll id-djalogu u l-gฤงaลผla tat-temp.

 

This workshop will focus on the need of convincing and consistent characters in narratives using a set of questions. The writers will leave having created a character they can then use in their own writing. It would also touch on dialogue/tense choices.

 

14.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Is-sengฤงa tal-legatorija // Glen Calleja

 

Xโ€™inhu l-proฤ‹ess li bih jinฤงadem ktieb bl-idejn? Kemm-il struttura taโ€™ ktieb nafu biha u xโ€™jagฤงลผel struttura minn oฤงra? Din id-dimostrazzjoni minn Glen Calleja tiffoka dwar is-sengฤงa tal-legatorija tradizzjonali u kif din tistaโ€™ tintuลผa biex jinฤงolqu kotba ฤกodda. Se tingฤงata spjegazzjoni qasira tal-gฤงodda u l-metodi taโ€™ kif jiฤกi ddisinjat ktieb mill-idea inizjali sal-prodott aฤงฤงari.

 

What does it take to make a book by hand? What book structures do we know of, and what makes a structure different to another? This demonstration by Glen Calleja focuses on the art of traditional legature, and how this can be used to create books. A short explanation of the tools will be followed by the methods applied to design a book, from the initial idea to the final product.

 

17.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Il-lingwa tal-kฤ‹ina // Sinteลผi (l-Gฤงaqda tal-Malti)

 

Matul din is-sessjoni se niddiskutu l-Malti u l-kฤ‹ina โ€ฆ u l-lingwa tal-kฤ‹ina. Qabel kienu jgฤงidu l-Malti lsien tal-kฤ‹ina. Imma xโ€™jiฤกri meta naraw xi kliem jintuลผa fil-kฤ‹ina? Clifford Jo ลปahra se jmexxi d-diskussjoni maโ€™ gฤงadd taโ€™ studenti li ฤงadmu fuq ir-reฤกistru tal-kฤ‹ina.

 

During this session weโ€™ll discuss the Maltese language and the kitchen โ€ฆ the language of the kitchen. In the old days, they used to say that Maltese was the kitchen language. But what happens when we look into the words we use in the kitchen? Clifford Jo ลปahra will be moderating the discussion with students who have worked on the topic.

 

18.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Fuลผjoni: poeลผija u films // Inizjamed

 

Din l-attivitร , ikkurata minn Noel Tanti, se tiffoka fuq il-fuลผjoni bejn il-films u l-poeลผija. Tliet studenti mid-Dipartiment tal-Malti fi ฤงdan l-Universitร  taโ€™’ Malta se jagฤงลผlu tliet poeลผiji u jabbinawhom maโ€™’ tliet films magฤงลผula speฤ‹ifikament gฤงall-poeลผiji minn tliet studenti tal-Istudji tal-Films. Dakinhar tal-Festival issir diskussjoni u jinqraw il-poeลผiji fl-isfond tal-film relatat.

 

This activity, curated by Noel Tanti, will focus on films and poetry. Three students from the Maltese Language Department at the University of Malta will choose three poems and combine them with three films chosen by students from the Film Studies. During the Festival the poems are read with the films in the background and a discussion will follow.

 

19.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Fight Club

 

Wiri tal-film Fight Club bโ€™sottotitli bil-Malti minn Simon Cassar. Fight Club huwa film Amerikan tal-1999 ibbaลผat fuq ir-rumanz bl-istess isem taโ€™ Chuck Palahniuk.

 

Screening of Fight Club with Maltese subtitles done by Simon Cassar. Fight Club is a 1999 Americanย  film based on the carrying the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.

 

6 tโ€™April

 

10.30ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Place // Caroline Smailes

 

Malta kif saret karattru fil-kitbiet taโ€™ Caroline Smailes? Is-sensi kif jistgฤงu jintuลผaw biex jevokaw post? Kif tibqaโ€™ leali lejn post u l-problemi kollha li jistaโ€™ jikkawลผa? Dan il-workshop iฤงares ukoll lejn l-uลผu tal-preลผent u gฤงaliex Smailes tagฤงลผel li tpoฤกฤกi l-karattri tagฤงha, fl-issa, fi spazju li hu differenti minn dak li kitbet fih.

 

How did Malta became a character in Smailesโ€™s writing? How do senses conjure place? How does one remain faithful to the location and the problems this might cause? This workshop would also look at the present tense and why Smailes chose to put her characters, in the now, in a location that was different from where she wrote.

 

11.30ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Is-sengฤงa tal-legatorija // Glen Calleja

 

Xโ€™inhu l-proฤ‹ess li bih jinฤงadem ktieb bl-idejn? Kemm-il struttura taโ€™ ktieb nafu biha u xโ€™jagฤงลผel struttura minn oฤงra? Din id-dimostrazzjoni minn Glen Calleja tiffoka dwar is-sengฤงa tal-legatorija tradizzjonali u kif din tistaโ€™ tintuลผa biex jinฤงolqu kotba ฤกodda. Se tingฤงata spjegazzjoni qasira tal-gฤงodda u l-metodi taโ€™ kif jiฤกi ddisinjat ktieb mill-idea inizjali sal-prodott aฤงฤงari.

 

What does it take to make a book by hand? What book structures do we know of, and what makes a structure different to another? This demonstration by Glen Calleja focuses on the art of traditional legature, and how this can be used to create books. A short explanation of the tools will be followed by the methods applied to design a book, from the initial idea to the final product.

 

 

12pmย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Xโ€™naqbad ngฤงid? Il-varjazzjoni lingwistika fil-Malti // Michael Spagnol

 

Is-sฤงab jew l-isฤงab? ลปewฤก fliexken jew ลผewฤกt ifliexken? Ingravati jew ingravajjet? In-nies ฤกew bi ฤงฤกarhom jew in-nies ฤกiet bi ฤงฤกarha? Insietu jew nesietu? Nifirฤงilha jew nifraฤงilha? Fโ€™din is-siegฤงa se naraw ฤงafna eลผempji taโ€™ varjanti lingwistiฤ‹i. U se nippruvaw inwieฤกbu tliet mistoqsijiet: (a) xโ€™inhi l-varjazzjoni lingwistika?, (b) gฤงaliex insibuha fil-lingwa? u (ฤ‹) mnejn tinbet?

 

During this hour weโ€™ll look at a number of linguistic variations whilst we try to answer these questions: (a) what is linguistic variation?, (b) why do we find it in language? and (c) where does it come from?

 

13.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Films qosra // KNK

 

Fis-snin li gฤงaddew il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb organizza konkors gฤงal films qosra bbaลผati fuq novelli, u fost l-oฤงrajn ingฤงaลผlu โ€œLaqgฤงa maโ€™ mara morbiโ€ (Immanuel Mifsud) u โ€œDar ir-Rummienโ€ (Pierre J. Mejlak). Dawn iลผ-ลผewฤก films qosra se jerฤกgฤงu jintwerew fโ€™din is-sessjoni.

 

In previous years, the National Book Council organised the contest for short films based on short stories, namely โ€œLaqgฤงa maโ€™ mara morbiโ€ (Immanuel Mifsud) and โ€œDar ir-Rummienโ€ (Pierre J. Mejlak). These two films will be shown again during this event.

 

14.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Il-preservazzjoni tal-karta // HoASA

 

Matul din is-siegฤงa se nkunu qed nitkellmu dwar il-preservazzjoni, ir-restawr tal-kotba, u l-arkivji.

 

During this hour long talk, weโ€™ll discuss paper preservation, book restoration and the archives.

 

17.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Min hu nies? // Jean Paul Borg

 

Elena Cardona se tintervista lill-kittieb Jean Paul Borg li fโ€™Novembru li gฤงadda nieda l-kollezzjoni taโ€™ bl-isem ta’ Mhux Nies (Klabb Kotba Maltin). Kemm Elena kif ukoll Jean Paul se jaqraw xi siltiet. Lejn l-aฤงฤงar tal-attivitร , il-pubbliku se jkun ukoll jistaโ€™ jagฤงmel il-mistoqsijiet tiegฤงu.

 

Elena Cardona will interview Jean Paul Borg who last November launched the collection of short stories Mhux Nies (Klabb Kotba Maltin). Both Elena and Jean Paul will read excerpts from the book. The audience is invited to ask questions too.

 

18.00ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Qari taโ€™ poeลผiji // Faraxa

 

Matul dan il-ฤงin se jinqraw poeลผiji kemm bil-Malti kif ukoll bl-Ingliลผ minn Marlene Saliba, Therese Pace, Dion P. P. Pizzuto, u Sarah Springham dwar suฤกฤกetti varji fโ€™atmosfera rilassata.

 

Poetry readings in Maltese and English by Marlene Saliba, Therese Pace, Dion P. P. Pizzuto, and Sarah Springham on various subjects and in a relaxed atmosphere.

 

 

19.30ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Caroline Smailes: Meet the author

Il-mistiedna speฤ‹jali Caroline Smailes hija awtriฤ‹i rinomata taโ€™ diversi kotba, fosthom In search of Adam (2007, The Friday Project/HarperCollins). Rumanzi oฤงrajn li kitbet huma Like Bees to Honey, 99 Reasons Wh,y u The Drowning of Arthur Braxton li bฤงalissa qed jinฤงadem fโ€™film. Caroline Smailes gฤงandha parentela Maltija, twieldet Newcastle u studjat il-kitba kreattiva. Matul din is-serata Caroline se taqra x-xogฤงol tagฤงha u se tiฤกi intervistata minn John Bonello.

This yearโ€™sย  special guest, Caroline Smailes, is the author of the acclaimed debut novel, In Search of Adam (2007,The Friday Project/HarperCollins. The Big Issue North declared the book โ€œan engrossing and touching read from a new talent.โ€ Since then Caroline has written other books such as Black Boxes, international bestseller Like Bees to Honey, 99 reasons why, and The drowning of Arthur Braxton. The film of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton is in post-production, with an expected spring 2017 release. During this event Caroline will read from her work and will be interviewed by John Bonello.

 

5 – 6 – 7 TAโ€™ APRIL

 

IL-BIBLIJOTEKA TAL-UNIVERSITร€

 

DAWRIET mal-biblijoteka bโ€™differenza. In-nies se jkunu jistgฤงu jidฤงlu ฤกewwa l-parti l-magฤงluqa tal-Melitensja, li s-soltu ma tkunx ma tkunx aฤ‹ฤ‹essibbli gฤงall-pubbliku.

A library tour with a difference. The public is invited to visit the closed stacks at the Melitensia, where no access is usually granted to the general public.

 

PREลปENTAZZJONI fil-Melitensja taโ€™ xi kotba u manuskritti prezzjuลผi.

A presentation of books and valuable manuscripts.

 

HORIZONS – FARAXA BOOKS – SENSIELA KOTBA SOฤŠJALISTI (SKS) – STUDENTS PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY – EDE – KOTBA CALLEJA – BDL.


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