International award winning authors to hold discussions at SIBF 2015

SHARJAH, 4th October 2015 (WAM) --- A glittering line-up of international award winning authors will hold panel sessions and discussions at this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) taking place between 4th-14th November at Sharjah Expo Centre. Man Booker prize winners and PEN prize winners are among a raft of published writers who will be at this year’s event. Those interested in turning their secret dreams of novel writing into a reality can take part in an event with Rehan Khan who turns business people in to writers, and award winners from the Philippines, Nepal and Bangladesh will also be taking part. Man Booker prize winner Ben Okri, a Nigerian writer and poet who won the accolade for his novel The Famished Road, will take part in a panel discussion titled, The magic of storytelling: exploring the imagination. Okri’s work has been translated into 26 languages and won numerous international prizes including the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Africa, the Paris Review Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, and the Chianti Ruffino-Abtico Fattore International Literary Prize. His most recent work, The Age of Magic, his first novel for seven years, will be one of the topics covered in this session which also seeks to answer age-old questions on the craft of story-telling. Those interested in developing their first novel should not miss out on Rehan Khan’s session, From business to novel writing. Khan is a novelist, business writer and lecturer in Dubai. His debut novel is Last of the Tasburai and by day he is the MENA Regional Consulting Director for a FTSE 100 corporation. He is also a Professor of Management at an international business school and holds an MBA in strategy. Khan’s session will answer questions such as why do successful academics and businessmen decide to become novelists? Can your previous business experience have any influence on your creative writing, and offers advice for other businessmen who feel the urge to write a novel. American Award-winning novelist and poet, Leza Lowitz has published over 18 books and received the PEN Josephine Miles Award in Poetry, a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award and the Asian Pacific Award in Youth Literature for her debut YA novel, Jet Black and the Ninja Wind. Her memoir on adapting and adopting in Japan, Here Comes The Sun, was published by Stone Bridge Press and Lowitz has also written for the New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Harper’s. Anisul Hoque is an award-winning novelist and playwright from Bangladesh and author of more than 80 books. He also writes poetry, television and film scripts, and a newspaper column. He has written television dramas and four feature-length films, receiving awards as a fiction writer, including Bangla Academy Award and playwright. Hoque participated in the International Writing Program at University of Iowa, USA and his novels include Aetodin Kothai Chhilen [Where Have You Been] which won the Citi Bank-Anando Alo Award for Best Novel. Other events to look out for include Everything you need to know about Minecraft with Alex Wiltshire. For fans of the ‘game of blocks’ this session is packed full of essential information about each block and its uses from basics to enchantment tables uncovering amazing facts and crazy secrets behind this pixelly land, ideal for both beginners to more experienced players alike. Public speaker and author John McCarthy who survived as a Lebanese hostage for over five years will also be making an appearance and Illustrator and graphic designer Kerby Rosanes is one of the many lauded professionals from the Philippines taking part in this year’s event. Rosanes recently took the plunge, leaving his day job as a graphic designer to concentrate full time on creating art for personal projects and clients around the world. Don’t miss Arun Budhathoki, poet and short fiction writer from Nepal, also known as Daniel Song, he is a prominent voice in the area of young Nepalese Poetry in English and author of five books. – Emirates News Agency, WAM -http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395286248518.html