Jaipur Literature Festival at Houston (Friday) [SOLD OUT]

Produced by Teamwork Arts and presented in partnership with Inprint

This September, the "greatest literary show on Earth" makes its debut in Texas with Jaipur Literature Festival at Houston (JLF). Teamwork Arts, producers of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, bring the iconic event to Houston, where ideas and perspectives jostle with intellectual vigor.

Houston, where skyscrapers and bayous meet, welcomes the Festival from September 14-15. Internationally acclaimed authors and thinkers will take part in a range of provocative panels and debates alongside Houston's best local writers on the thoughts and issues that resonate with our times.

JLF at Houston is a partnership of Teamwork Arts, Asia Society Texas Center, Inprint, and the Consulate General of India.

For more information about JLF at Houston and for individual author biographies, please visit: http://asi.as/JLFHouston

Schedule

7 p.m.

Inaugural Address: Imagining Our Worlds
Namita Gokhale, Sanjoy K. Roy, Anupam Ray – Consul General of India, Asia Society Texas Center, Inprint

7:30 p.m.

India Sutra
Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Namita Gokhale

Writer and politician Shashi Tharoor speaks about his new book Why I Am a Hindu, presenting his own convictions and understanding of one of the world's oldest religions. From the "Hinduism of habit" practiced by ordinary believers to manifestations of political Hinduism, to the teachings of ancient seers, and the abiding lessons of the Gita, he speaks of the essence of the religion and its vital contribution to a plural and secular democracy. In conversation with Namita Gokhale.

8:30 p.m.

VIP Reception and Musical Performance

About the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival 2019

Described as the "greatest literary show on Earth," the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival is a sumptuous feast of ideas. The past decade has seen it transform into a global literary phenomenon having hosted nearly 2,000 speakers and welcoming over a million book lovers from across India and the globe. The Festival's core values remain unchanged: to serve as a democratic, non-aligned platform offering free and fair access.

Every year, the Festival brings together a diverse mix of the world's greatest writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, business leaders, sports people, and entertainers on one stage to champion the freedom to express and engage in thoughtful debate and dialogue. Writers and Festival Directors Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple, alongside producers Teamwork Arts, invite speakers to take part in the five-day program set against the backdrop of Rajasthan's stunning cultural heritage and the Diggi Palace in the state capital Jaipur. Past speakers have ranged from Nobel Laureates J.M. Coetzee, Orhan Pamuk, and Muhammad Yunus; Man Booker Prize winners Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, and Paul Beatty; Sahitya Akademi winners Girish Karnad, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, as well as the late Mahasweta Devi and U.R. Ananthamurthy, along with literary superstars Amish Tripathi, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Vikram Seth.

An annual event that goes beyond literature, the Festival has also hosted Amartya Sen, Amitabh Bachchan, the late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Fry, Thomas Piketty, and former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. The ZEE Jaipur Literatre Festival is a flagship event of Teamwork Arts, which produces it along with over 25 highly acclaimed performing arts, visual arts, and literary festivals across more than 40 cities globally. Over the years, Teamwork Arts has produced ZEE JLF at The British Library, ZEE JLF at Boulder, JLF at Houston, JLF at New York, and JLF at Adelaide. Website: www.jaipurliteraturefestival.org.

About Inprint

Inprint, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 with the mission of inspiring readers and writers, has helped to transform Houston into a diverse and thriving literary metropolis. Inprint directly serves more than 15,000 Houstonians annually with low-cost or free literary performances for adults and children featuring leading writers; writers workshops for the general public, senior citizens, K-12 teachers, veterans, healthcare providers, the incarcerated, and more; and support for some of the world's top emerging creative writers, in the form of fellowship and prizes — more than $4 million, to date.

About Asia Society Texas Center

With 13 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the West. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach.

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Major support for Performing Arts programs comes from Nancy C. Allen, Milton D. Rosenau and Dr. Ellen R. Gritz, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, and the Anchorage Foundation. Generous funding also provided by AARP, The Clayton Fund, Miller Theatre Advisory Board, New England Foundation for the Arts, the Wortham Foundation, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and through contributions from the Friends of Asia Society, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming and exhibitions to Asia Society Texas Center. Jaipur Literature Festival is produced by Teamwork Arts in partnership with Asia Society Texas Center and Inprint.

Performing Arts Program Sponsors