Lilly Singh, Finn among int’l guests at Sharjah book fair
sharjah — A number of wellloved writers, novelists, influencers and TEDx speakers from across the world fill up the roster of personalities who will be at the 37th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) from October 31 to November 10.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the book fair puts together big names, such as Lilly Singh, Okechukwu Ofili, Emma Gannon, and Dr Leonard Mlodinow, in an extensive programme of seminars, speeches, and panel discussions where visitors can meet their favourite authors.
Visitors can expect Singh, a Canadian YouTuber of Indian descent who is first on the list of Forbes Top Influencers, to bring in her ‘superwoman’ vibe; as fourtime TEDx speaker, African innovator, and best-selling author Okechukwu Ofili inspire the audience with his journey.
Mlodinow, an acclaimed theoretical physicist who co-authored books with Stephen Hawking and Deepak Chopra, will also be one of the SIBF’s main guests, along with Gannon, an award-winning blogger, social media editor, Sunday Times business bestseller, and podcast creator.
More names unveiled
With ‘Tale of Letters’ being the theme for this edition, international authors will be flying in from across the world, including the New York Times bestseller AJ Finn, whose book will soon be a film starring Amy Adams, and Kim Howe, the well-loved author of
The Freedom Broker and SkyJack.
A highly acclaimed crime fiction writer, Sophie Hannah from the UK; comic writer and scriptwriter Lauren Beukes from South Africa; author, screenwriter, and director Travis Hunter from the USA; and Dublin awardee Akhil Sharma, will all be present.
Poets such as Najwa Zebian from Lebanon/Canada and Emtithal Mahmoud from Sudan will be trailblazing at SIBF 2018, along with romance novelists like Katie Fforde from the UK and Hannah Fielding who is a BritishEgyptian author.
On the non-fiction front, there is Jane Wenham from the UK who is a novelist, journalist, and presenter. She has written three nonfiction books and her columns and articles have been published in British newspapers and women’s magazines. Another guest from the UK is Ben Garrod, who is an evolutionary biologist and broadcaster. He is an award-winning BBC science presenter and is very keen to be promoting the benefits of reading to keen young scientists attending SIBF. From the USA, James W. Parkinson, a California lawyer, activist, speaker, and literacy advocate will be taking part in SIBF 2018.