Meet the exhibitors of the 2023 Campus Book Festival

Kampus Kotba, the 2023 Campus Book Festival will be held between Wednesday 22 March and Friday 24 March. This year marks the tenth edition of the Festival and will see a number of participating publishers and book sellers, as well as collaborations with a number of University of Malta departments and student organisations.

Whilst this festival is open to all, it especially targets university students and post-secondary students.

It is in that spirit that the festival is held in the heart of the University of Malta – in a 240sqm tent in the quadrangle.

This year’s edition will welcome back a number of exhibitors and organisations from previous years, strengthening years-long collaborations, while also welcoming new exhibitors. Ede Books and Kixott, Faraxa Publishing, Horizons, Kite Group, Klabb Kotba Maltin/Midsea Books and SKS will be the publishers present at the festival, alongside Mallia & D’Amato Bookshelf Curators, Arts Council Malta, the NGO LGBTI+ Gozo, the university magazine Think, and the student organisation l-Għaqda tal-Malti – Università.

Together, publishers and book sellers will bring to the table a vast array of carefully selected local and international books, catering to the tastes of all readers. From fiction to non-fiction, the exhibitors will advise the public about their next great read, be it a novel, a poetry collection, a play, a biography or research works of a more academic nature.

Student organisations, cultural entities and NGOs will also be among the exhibitors, with Arts Council Malta, Think magazine, and l-Għaqda tal-Malti – Università being at the helm of a few events.

The tenth edition of the Campus Book Festival will put a magnifying lens on the 2022 National Book Prize winners, with events revolving around some of the winners. Tyrone Grima, who won the novel category with Frammenti, will be interviewed by Colin Fitz in an event also featuring Noah Fabri; and dramaturg Alfred Buttigieg, who won the drama category through L-Interrogazzjoni will be interviewed by Teatru Malta’s artistic director Sean Buhagiar.

Other events will put hot topics such as ChatGPT and the realities of LGBTIQ people in Gozo on the centrestage. Kampus Kotba’s cultural programme will also feature hands-on workshops: one about illustration (organised by Arts Council Malta), and another on creative writing for young adults, led by Leanne Ellul. Leanne is a past winner of the Novels for Youth Literary Contest, that has been relaunched by the NBC together with Aġenzija Żgħażagħ. Audience participation will also be encouraged during the events: Poetry Slam, Palk Ħieles/Open Mic and the Islanders’ Book Club discussion on Castillo, the latter with the participation of the author herself, Clare Azzopardi.

The full programme can be accessed through here.

Entrance to the 2023 Campus Book Festival is free. Opening hours are 9am-4pm on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23, and 9am-7pm on Friday 24. For more details visit the Facebook page of NBC and the Kampus Kotba event page.