The Editor's Guide To All The Panels You Must Attend At JLF 2023!

If you follow bookstagrammers, you must’ve seen Ruth Ozeki’s book The Book of Form and Emptiness — it was everywhere and for good reason. I’m attending this session because Ruth has unique insights into our relationship with grief and our material possessions, and these insights are heartbreakingly poignant. Ozeki will be in conversation with journalist Bee Rowlatt.

Tomb of Sand made history in 2022 as the first novel translated from Hindi to have won the Booker International. Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell, the author and the translator, will be in conversation with Tanuj Solanki and I want to hear everything this amazing duo has to say. Do not miss this.

This is a conversation none of us should miss, especially if you care about the state of our nation. Journalist Ravish Kumar will be in conversation with Satyanand Nirupam, editorial director of Rajkamal Prakashan Group, and Ravi Singh, humanitarian and CEO of the international non-profit aid and relief organization Khalsa Aid.

Vidya Krishnan is an award-winning investigative journalist and in her book Phantom Plague, she writes about the social impact of tuberculosis. Vidya will be In conversation with the surgeon and writer Ambarish Satwik. I’m attending this because I’m deeply interested in how diseases have and continue to shape society.

A conversation between a Nobel Prize-winning author and a publishing legend? SIGN ME UP.  Alexandra Pringle will be in conversation with the brilliant Abdul Razak Gurnah to discuss his life in writing.

A Poem A Day is a beautiful book. Why? Because it has 365 poems that have been carefully curated by Gulzar Saheb himself. Don’t miss this session as Gulzar Saheb will be in conversation with writer and critic Rakhshanda Jalil to discuss the power of poetry and the power of the written word.

Meena Kandasamy, Avinuo Kire and Makarand R. Paranjape, three of the best modern Indian poets, will recite poetry in what promises to be a spellbinding session. Poetry lovers, do not miss this.

This year’s JLF is extra special and one of the reasons is this session. Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize for his book Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, which was first published in India as Chats with the Dead. If you’ve loved the book and want to know the author better, this is the session for you.

What happens when a feminist publisher, author and translator, and one of the foremost authorities on translations get together at JLF? A brilliant conversation around women translating women. You’ll find me in the first row as I listen to Urvashi Butalia, Rita Kothari and Neeta Gupta.

This is both a session and a book launch. Amazing, right? Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni in conversation with Aanchal Malhotra to discuss the former’s new novel, Independence. Sudha Murthy will launch the book and I can’t wait to see three brilliant female authors whom I admire on stage.

Jerry Pinto is one of the finest writers I’ve read. He’ll be in conversation with Janice Pariat to discuss his latest book, The Education of Yuri. If you’ve read the book, you know why this will be an excellent session. And if you haven’t, listen to what I know will be a delightful conversation and discover Jerry’s work.

Chuden Kabimo, Daisy Rockwell, Sheela Tomy, Arunava Sinha and Manoranjan Byapari will be in conversation with Mita Kapur. This session will be wonderful for those who love the craft of writing for these accomplished authors will read from, and context beginnings and endings in the structure of their work.

Fans of dystopian fiction, be here. Vauhini Vora’s The Immortal King Rao is magnificent. I’m attending this session because I want to know how Vora combined three novels/genres into one (in under 400 pages!) and wrote this extraordinary book, which is her debut.

Have you seen the cover of Aanchal Malhotra’s debut fiction? Have you read the blurb? If you haven’t, go read it and you’ll know why I’m recommending this session. I recommend this session if, like me, you too want to know how a non-fiction author wrote her debut fiction, what research went into it, and so much more.

I hope these recommendations help you better plan your JLF itinerary. I’ll be there at all these sessions and hope to bump into you, fellow person of culture.