Preparations for Book Festival on Campus 2017 are underway

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. The festival will take place from 4 to 6 April 2017 and the opening hours are from 10 am to 3 pm and from 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 that 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. Caroline, who is of Maltese descent, was born in Newcastle and studied creative writing. During the festival, Caroline will be leading a number of workshops on creative writing and she will also be the guest in an activity dedicated to her where excerpts of her work will be read and 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 them student organisations. The full programme of events will be published later on this week and members of the public can follow updates directly from our Facebook page.

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, that is Għaqda tal-Malti – Università and the National Book Council, which should serve as an information desk for all visitors to the festival.

For more information or any requests for interviews, please contact John Grech on john.f.grech@gov.mt or Leanne Ellul on ghaqdatalmalti@gmail.com. Members of the public are urged to take note of the dates and keep them free so as to make sure they can attend the activities that have been prepared for them.