A WORLD OF WORDS

‫ﺑﺎرﻳﺲ‬
CONTENTS
1 Welcome
Ahmed Al Ameri

2 Sharjah’s Vision
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi

5 SIBF 2018: What You’ll Find at the Fair

Roger Tagholm

6 Translation Grant Program Facilitates Cultural Camaraderie

Ed Nawotka

8 Sharjah: More Bridges, Fewer Walls

Simon de Jocas

9 Spreading the Word

Yasmina Jraissati

10 IPA: Supporting Publishers Across All Continents

Hugo Setzer

11 Sharjah Library Conference Celebrates 5th Year

Michael Dowling

12 Sharjah Publishing City – One Year On

14 Indie Bookselling, Sharjah-Style

Roger Tagholm

15 Sharing the Passion in Sharjah

Dennis Abrams

16 Sharjah: ‘Guest of Honor’ in Five International Book Fairs

17 Q&A with author

Emma Gannon

18 Q&A with author

Sophie Hannah

19 Q&A with author

Lee Holmes

20 Q&A with author

Avianti Armand

Welcome to the 37th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair
(SIBF), which takes place under the patronage of His Highness
Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the United Arab
Emirates Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
SIBF is the crown jewel of the Sharjah literary project. For 36
years, the Fair has attracted thousands of publishers and authors
and millions of visitors from around the world who have come
together to share experiences and expertise, and above all,
celebrate their love for the written word.
The third largest event for books and culture in the world,
SIBF is the birthplace of several ground-breaking intellectual
platforms which support regional and global publishing
businesses in adapting to a fast-changing business environment,
equipping them with the knowledge and tools to do so.
In the past few years, the UAE has been on a journey of
discovery of Japanese culture: from its novels, art, anime, cuisine,
technology and more. We are delighted to welcome Japan as
our Guest of Honour, and promise you a memorable showcase
of the country’s vibrant cultural and literary landscape through a
rich program of events.
Our popular and successful Professional Program is
one such platform, which has been welcoming publishing
professionals from all over the world to meet in Sharjah for the
past seven years. Rebranded as the Publishers Conference this
year, it will be attended by over 300 participants from all over the
world including Australia, Azerbaijan, Ghana, and Mexico who will
come together to discuss an array of topics strung together by
the theme: A World of Words.
The world’s top publishers and agencies are represented
including Hachette Australia, Bonnier Rights, Astier-Pecher
Literary Agency, Penguin Random House Canada and William
Morris Endeavor.
The SIBF Translation Grant, which was launched in 2011 with a
$300,000 fund, has facilitated the translation of more than 400
titles, and continues to grow. Last year, a record 1,611 applications
for the grant were submitted, a 21% increase from 2016.
1
Welcome
by Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman
of Sharjah Book Authority
Members of the American Library Association (ALA) will
again be meeting their counterparts from the Arab world in
the 5th edition of what is ALA’s most ambitious international
professional development collaboration to date, with more than
300 professionals scheduled to participate.
Last year at this time we celebrated the launch of Sharjah
Publishing City (SPC). In only one year, we have tremendous
interest from publishers, printers and distributors from all over
the world. SPC is the world’s first publishing Free Zone, giving
the global book industry the opportunity to capitalise on tax free
privileges and strategic access to markets in the Middle East,
Africa and Asia. If you have not already visited, I hope you will take
the opportunity to do so while you are in Sharjah.
Starting this July, we introduced dual trade licence,
which allows businesses the two-in-one advantage of a free zone
company while simultaneously having a presence on
the mainland.
The UAE’s publishing market is expected to triple in size to
approximately $650 million by 2030, and this added flexibility
offers businesses a huge impetus to leverage the opportunity to
boost sales and consolidate operations.
I would like to thank all our partners and friends in the
UAE and internationally for supporting the Fair over many
years, several of whom are now extending this partnership
by committing themselves to establishing bases in Sharjah
Publishing City. These partnerships that we have forged across
the world are of great importance to us and to the Sharjah
International Book Fair.
Our successful co-operation with New York University
also continues this year with the Publishers Training Program,
in association with the NYU School of Professional Studies
(NYUSPS) Centre for Publishing.
I hope you enjoy A World of Words, designed to showcase
developments in the Arab market and to deepen our
understanding of the huge opportunities that exist within it, and
in the international publishing world which we serve.
2
Sharjah’s Vision: To Build a Future with the
Intellect and Compassion of Youth
People think that the confrontation of this dark trend [violent
extremism] is by army. I say it explicitly: facing darkness is through
light, and light is truth, enlightenment and culture…
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of
the Supreme Council of the UAE and the Ruler of Sharjah
As we witness tragedies on all continents, we understand that
violent extremism knows no boundaries and affects every
society. Young people are, however, most at risk. They are
the main targets of recruitment strategies and fall victim to
extremist violence.
The only way to safeguard their futures is by ensuring that
young people around the world are safe, can access books and
knowledge, exercise their right to an education, and develop
respect for human diversity and a true appreciation for all
cultures of the world.
That is what His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi, The
Ruler of Sharjah, the third largest emirate in the United Arab
Emirates, reiterated in his opening remarks at the 2017 edition
of the Sharjah International Book Fair. SIBF was launched 37
years ago under his vision and patronage to promote a love
for reading and to offer the world a vibrant platform for free
exchange of ideas and opinions that would serve as the basis to
build peace and sustainable development.
Today, SIBF is the world’s third largest book fair.
Some of the most powerful words in his speech - “In our
turbulent world, where the mind is excluded, we find ourselves
facing a dark trend that wants us to be nothing. Followers of
the events taking place in the Arab World know that there are
shadowy hands that manipulate the minds of some of our sons
and daughters” - are strongly indicative of his fierce passion
for using Sharjah’s efforts and its enormous cultural voice to
reverse the effects of extremism by leading young people
towards becoming agents of change by reinforcing them with
books, knowledge and culture. His Highness understands that
the written word can be more powerful and have more meaning
than any other form of communication.
His Highness has been an avid reader and author since he
was a child. He uses his skills and natural talent to enhance
cultural ties across international borders and bring harmony
and understanding through his work.
The upcoming edition of SIBF is ready to take this
great visionary’s cultural ambitions of promoting peace and
prosperity by opening his arms, and Sharjah’s once again,
to the entire world.
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SIBF 2018: What You’ll Find at the Fair
by Roger Tagholm
Poetry has a starring role at this year’s Sharjah International
Book Fair – which is only appropriate given the form’s long
association with the Arab World. Two of the leaders of what
might be called the New Poetry – those empowered (and
empowering) voices who have risen via social media and
through performance – will be at the fair, giving readings and
meeting their young, borderless fan base.
The Sudanese American poet Emithal “Emi” Mahmoud
won the 2015 Individual World Poetry Slam Championship in
Washington DC with her impassioned poem “Mama”, and was
listed by the BBC as one of the “Most Inspirational Women of
2015”. Since then, her life has had an extraordinary trajectory.
She was invited by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
to speak at a nuclear ethics conference, at which she put a
human face on the war in her native Darfur, and she has taken
part in round-table discussions at the White House, including
with President Obama.
She has spoken at UN events, taken part in the “How To
Do Good Tour” organized by Dubai-based Philanthropy Age
magazine, and met refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos.
She is now a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and has spoken
at TEDxKakumaCamp in Kenya, the first ever TEDx event
held in a refugee camp. Her debut poetry collection, Sisters’
Entrance, was published by Kansas City-based publisher
Andrews McMeel earlier this year.
Mahmoud will be joined by the Lebanese-Canadian writer
Najwa Zebian, who has amassed more than 7,000,000 social
media followers, chiefly on Instagram. A poet, educator and
speaker, Zebian arrived in Canada at the age of 16, and recalls
feeling “unstable and adrift in an unfamiliar place”.
But she completed her education, and went on to become
a teacher as well as a doctoral candidate in educational
leadership. Her first students, a group of young refugees, led
her back to her original passion: writing. She says she began
“to heal her 16-year-old self by writing to heal her students”.
She has published two collections, Mind Platter and The
Nectar of Pain – both also from Andrews McMeel.
Another poet, Avianti Armand, is a writer from Indonesia
who combines writing with a career as an architect and curator.
She is either building with bricks or with words. She won
Indonesia’s Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2011 for her verse
collection Women Whose Names Were Erased, and she has
5
also written several titles on architecture.
Among those joining them in this year’s impressive author
line-up will be the author of a taut psychological thriller that
appeals to fans of The Girl on the Train (A.J. Finn); the woman
who has made Agatha Christie’s beloved Hercule Poirot live
again (Sophie Hannah); and an award-winning British romance
writer (Hannah Fielding).
AJ Finn is the pseudonym of former New York editor
Daniel Mallory, whose thriller The Woman in the Window
caused a bidding frenzy in 2016. With comparisons being
made to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954
classic Rear Window, it features another unreliable narrator
– a divorcee living alone in a New York City brownstone – who
becomes fascinated by the new family who have moved in
next door. When she witnesses what appears to be a shocking
act of violence, her world is tilted off its axis. But did she really
see what she thinks she saw?
The author, a senior editor at William Morrow, submitted
the novel under the name A.J. Finn – and it was own house
that put in the successful bid. Fox is producing the film, and
the novel has been sold in more than 40 territories.
Some people are snobby about crime fiction: not British
writer Sophie Hannah. She told the Guardian: “I’m snobby
about books that aren’t crime fiction: if I start reading a literary
novel and there’s no mystery emerging in the first few pages,
I’m like: ‘Gah, this obviously isn’t a proper book, why would I
want to carry on reading it?’”
In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s estate,
Hannah published The Monogram Murders, a “new” Poirot
novel, and two further Poirots have followed, as well as her
own standalone crime novels. In Sharjah, she will talk about
what it is like to continue such a famous legacy, and to make
the world’s most famous moustache twirl again.
The romance writer Hannah Fielding is the granddaughter
of the Egyptian Christian feminist Ester Fanous, and has that
famous figure’s drive. She has written six novels, which have
won various awards, including Best Romance at the National
Indie Excellence Awards in the UAE. Born in Alexandria,
Egypt, she has travelled widely and brings a tremendous sense
of place to her writing.
This is a taste of what is in store at this year’s Sharjah –
where slam meets Salaam…
6
Translation Grant Program
Facilitates Cultural
Camaraderie
by Ed Nawotka
One of the most impactful programs the Sharjah Book
Authority has fostered is its ongoing grant support for
publishers and agents looking to buy and sell rights while
attending the Sharjah International Book Fair. Established in
2011, the grant program facilitates cross-cultural exchange
and offers funding to assist Arab and foreign publishers in the
translation of literary works. The support is generous, with as
much as $4,000 available for general titles and $1,500 for
children’s books. Overall, the fund supports up to $300,000
of grants each year.
Since its launch, more than 400 books have been
translated with the support of the Authority, covering a wide
range of subjects and genres. The largest percentage of
books has been children’s books (44%), followed by fiction
(34%) and nonfiction (17%). Other translated works have
included young adult books, cookbooks and political books.
Prestigious publishers that have received grants include Al
Arabi Publishing, Arab Scientific Publishers, Grupo Planeta,
American University of Cairo Press, Interlink Publishing, Carl
Hanser Verlag, Dar Al Adab, and Dar Al-Saqi, among others.
This past year, 1,611 Translation Grant applications were
submitted, representing a 21% increase over 2016’s 767
applications. Publishers who participated in last year’s fair
as sellers included France’s Actes Sud, Macedonia’s Bata
Press, Brazil’s Companhia das Letras, Indonesia’s Gramedia
Publishers, People’s Literature Publishing House of China, the
U.K.’s Bloomsbury Publishing and many more.
Matchmaking opportunities
Oyunchimeg Bayarsaikhan, the copyright manager of Nepko
Publishing in Mongolia, has attended three years in a row, having
first been introduced to the fair by Nermin Mollaoğlu of Istanbul’s
Kalem Agency. “I had never been to the big fairs, like Frankfurt
or London, before, so I really embraced the matchmaking
opportunities,” she says. In that first year, Nepko was awarded
nine grants to support their publication of books from
Hungary, Denmark, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Belgium. “I was
most amazed,” says Bayarsaikhan. “The grant program helped
us to diversify our list and bring in titles from countries from
which we would not usually have been able to translate.”
Bayarsaikhan adds that her experiences in Sharjah have
had further impact on her career. She has just been put in
charge of her company’s new children’s book imprint, Nepko
Kids, and she has a new, ambitious goal. “[After attending the
fair] the idea of organizing an international book festival has
been stuck in my head,” she says.
French literary agent Pierre Astier, who runs an
eponymous agency, is among those who met Bayarsaikhan
during visits to the fair. “That's a dream for an agent and that's
the magic of Sharjah,” he says, adding he’s also met publishers
from South India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan.
“Sharjah has become a must-go-to place for many publishers,
scouts and agents, like Frankfurt, London, Guadalajara or
Beijing. We come nearly every year.”
Astier’s agency represents several top Arabic-language
authors, including Lebanese novelist Rabee Jaber, whose
novel The Druze of Belgrade won the 2012 International Prize
for Arabic Fiction; it also represents this year’s prize winner,
Palestinian writer Ibrahim Nasrallah, author of The Second
War of the Dog. He credits the Sharjah grant program for
facilitating deals that have led to the translation of books by
Rabee Jaber, Gyrdir Eliasson, Abdourahman A. Waberi, and
even Simone de Beauvoir. He adds, “For us, having an office in
Asia, run by Jérôme Bouchaud, Sharjah is also a perfect bridge
between East and West. There we will introduce authors that
we now represent from Malaysia, Thailand, India, Indonesia,
China at the fair.”
Poland’s Sonia Draga of the Sonia Draga Publishing
House has been to Sharjah for five book fairs and notes that
the Sharjah fair’s timing makes it a convenient place to have
follow-up conversations that started at the Frankfurt Book
Fair, just a few weeks earlier, or catch up on meetings that she
may have missed there. Draga says that the grant program
has enabled the publication of 11 books so far; eight titles
received grants in 2017, with two scheduled for publication. “I
also give credit to Sharjah for introducing me to people I might

never have otherwise met,” she says. “These include Steve
Rosato, Business Development Executive for Overdrive, and
Kuo-Yu Liang, [then] from Diamond Distribution [and now of
ReedPOP], who encouraged me to launch a comics imprint,
which I then did. It is named NonStopComics!”
Finding gems
Gabriella Page-Fort, Editorial Director of AmazonCrossing,
the translation publishing arm of Amazon Books, participated
in the fair for the first time in 2017. “I was impressed by the
diversity of publishers and agents attending,” says Page-Fort.
“My big discovery of the fair was Bangladeshi author Humayun
Azad, who’s brief but unforgettable book I Remember Abbu
will be published in February 2019, translated by Arunava
Sinha. Mitia Osman with Agamee Prakashani pointed to this
gem when I asked which book on her list she’s most attached
to personally. The book concerns one boy’s reflections on his
childhood and his grandfather’s life and through their story
readers come to understand how a momentous fight for
independence – and for language –established Bangladesh
as an independent country. Emotionally poignant, stylistically
evocative, and a must-read for anyone curious to learn more
about Bangladesh.”
In the fall of 2019, AmazonCrossing will also be publishing
its first translation from Arabic to English: International
Prize for Arabic Fiction-winning author Saud Al-Sanousi’s
Mama Hissa’s Mice, translated by Sawad Hussein with Mona
Kareem. “I’m grateful to London-based agent Laura Susijn for
submitting the book to me – in just a few chapters I understood
why this novel would resonate with English readers,” continues
Page-Fort. “Through the experiences of four generations, we
see first-hand the way wars in the Middle East have changed
people’s thinking, behavior and relationships. The personal
lens deepened my understanding of how we reach out to one
another across seemingly insurmountable differences.”
Children’s publishers have also benefited from visits to
Sharjah. These include Belgium’s Clavis Press, whose foreign
rights director Rose Janssens has been attending the fair
7
regularly since 2014, having been first introduced to it by
Bassam Chebaro, owner of Arab Scientific Publishers.
She explains that in order to help explore the market more
easily, her firm will take its Dutch language titles and translate
them into English for the Arabic market. She reports that her
attendance at the fair has led to robust business, particularly
with local publishers: half of the deals she has struck have
been with Emirati publishing houses. The remainder of the
deals has been divided among publishers in Egypt, Lebanon
and Jordan.
Brothers, not customers
“I am very grateful for the grant program,” Janssens says.
“Working in the region can be something of a struggle. The
market is by no means docile and in some countries it can be
quite a challenge. For many, buying high quality children’s
books is not the top priority for readers. So this grant program
gives publishers some breathing room.”
Janssens tells a story about her own personal growing
affinity with the Arabic culture and language (which she
studies) that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of kinship
intended by the Sharjah International Book Fair’s grant
program. “In the Arab world, there is a thin line between
customer and friend. Nowhere was this more strongly
illustrated to me than one time when I was at the fair and
introducing one of my customers to another customer. As
is my habit as a European, I always start more formally, so I
presented my friend, ‘Here is my customer.’ And he stopped
me. So I said, ‘No, I am wrong, this is my friend.’ And then he
stopped me again, and interjected, on his own, ‘No, I am your
brother.’ Now, if you go to that part of the world, this is very
important. Calling someone your ‘brother’ — even though,
obviously I am a woman — means you are truly important to
each other. This is something different than friendship; it is like
family, and the family is paramount in Arabic culture. This kind
of thing is really what the fair is all about — the kind of cultural
exchange that transcends business and leads to genuine
camaraderie.”
8
Before 2011, any seasoned publisher involved in buying or
selling would assuredly have told you that Frankfurt, London
and, perhaps, Bologna were the three pivotal fairs for any
serious business involving rights negotiation. Very few, if any,
would have mentioned Sharjah’s International Book Fair as
a potential opportunity. In fact, few would have even known
where to locate Sharjah on a map.
That may have been true then, but it is certainly not so
today. Since its launch in 2011 by His Highness Sheikh Dr.
Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the professional program,
with its very impressive Translation Grant, has become the
buzz of the publishing industry.
But where is Sharjah, you ask?
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven emirates of the United
Arab Emirates. (Yes, there are seven, of which the best known
are Abu Dhabi and Dubai.) Its capital, also called Sharjah, is
the host of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which
usually takes place at the end of October.
My experience with the SIBF dates back to 2013, when
a publishing friend from New Zealand wrote to me in June
to say that I simply had to be in Sharjah in the fall. The Fair
organizers generously covered all costs for attending. After
completing the form, I sent it off, and crossed my fingers. A
few months later, I was told that I was one of a contingent of
75 international publishers invited to SIBF in October.
I had no preconceived idea about what I would get out of
this trip, but I was interested to find out. I knew I’d be enjoying
the Middle Eastern sunshine and was happy missing the grey,
cold, wet, and dull part of our Canadian fall.
It took me only the first of the total three days of the
professional program to realize that this opportunity was
going to be way more than just about buying and selling rights.
With publishers coming from the Arab world as well as from
international venues, Sharjah was the perfect environment for
dialogue about change, our differences and our similarities.
With so much, or might we say “too much” criticism being
made about Muslims and Arab countries - criticism based on
ignorance and fear of the unknown - Sharjah was an oasis for
dialogue and openness, with literature and books the building
blocks for greater tolerance and better understanding.
In his 2016 opening address, His Highness put it quite
simply when he said: “Reading and books are the strongest
tools against ignorance and terrorism.” These words echo the
reason why we need the SIBF more than ever.
Sharjah: More Bridges,
Fewer Walls
by Simon de Jocas
Over the last eight years, Sharjah has become a must
for anyone interested not only in doing business with Arab
publishers, but also for those interested in breaking down
walls and making literacy accessible to all.
Sharjah was recently named UNESCO World Book
Capital for 2019. This is again a clear sign that the
international community has seen the wonderful work done
by the emirate and the book fair organizers.
I’ll be there this year, and certainly plan to be there in
2019. Hope you can join us!
Good to know before you go
Sharjah and the rest of the UAE are liberal Gulf countries.
Working with Arab publishers is no different than with
any other publishers. All have social and economic realities,
and all have publishing programs that reflect their convictions
and beliefs.
400 coups business opportunities
Les 400 coups has been present at four of the last five
events, missing only the 2015 edition, and will be present
again in 2018. What seemed, in the beginning, like just a great
opportunity to see the Emirates has become an important
part of our company business strategy.
With the financial support offered through the Translation
Grant, the publishing house has sold more than 50 titles to
Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Nepal, and picked up the rights for an
Iranian title.
In addition to doing business with Arab-speaking
countries and other international publishers, Sharjah’s
professional program offers the opportunity to build stronger
and longer-lasting bridges. Needless to say, we need more
bridges and fewer walls.
Simon de Jocas manages Montreal-based publishing house
Les 400 Coups, of which he became owner in February 2013.
Active in the industry for over 20 years, he is a member of
associations such as the Association Canadienne d’Éducation
en Langue Française (ACELF) and the Association Nationale
des Éditeurs de Livre (ANEL). Recently, he served as vice
president of Education at De Marque, where he managed
relations with partnered French schools both in Canada and
in Europe. His work has always been guided by education, the
French language and a desire to serve youth.

Spreading the Word
Yasmina Jraissati reports on the
barriers to international recognition
of Arabic literature
For the past 10 years, professionals of the book industry have
been meeting at the Sharjah International Book Fair in the
UAE to attend seminars and workshops, and most importantly,
to meet Arab colleagues for match-making sessions. At first
there were only a few of us, but in recent years, the number
of fellows has grown substantially, and in 2017, over 300
publishing professionals attended this event at the Sharjah
Chamber of Commerce.
The translation grant that supports translation between any
two languages is without doubt an important factor in attracting
international editors. But this growing attendance is also a sign
of an increasing interest in the Arabic book market as well as in
Arabic literature. For those of us who have worked hard in the
past decade to ignite editors’ interest in Arabic literature, this is
good news, and we seem to have finally reached an interesting
place. More, however, needs to be done.
Though the number of deals involving rights to Arabic books
is increasing, progress is still difficult and slow. The translation cost
is certainly one important hindering factor, but many other old
challenges persist.
First, the language remains mostly inaccessible. The number
of literary translators from the Arabic has increased in some
territories (there is for example a sizeable new generation of
translators into English), but in many other territories, literary
translators from the Arabic are rare. Though many editors express
their interest in Arabic literature, most of those are yet to invest
the time and money to create a network of reliable readers from
the Arabic.
Also, reaching readers with a title translated from the Arabic
is still particularly challenging for publishers. For example, in
my personal experience, TV or radio shows that were initially
interested in hosting an Arab author withdrew the invitation after
being told that the author needed an interpreter: the format of
these shows is simply not designed for international authors who
do not master at least the English language.
All in all, though there is growing interest and more financial
support towards translation from the Arabic, the Western
industry and market do not yet seem completely ready to commit
to introducing this literature.
As an agent, I have often wondered why people aren’t
motivated enough to make the extra effort. The challenges
mentioned above are important, but there needs to be a
change in attitude. There are also structural problems within
the Arabic book industry itself, which slow down efforts to
promote Arabic literature.
One of them has to do with the general quality of our
production. Though there are many great Arabic books, too
many published books display some surprising weaknesses.
These weakness are bound to deter those who acquire books,
and might be already reluctant.
9
© Jacob Russell
Certainly, books are a matter of taste, and fortunately, tastes
vary among people and places, but storytelling is universal. We
all seek to be immersed and transported by a narrative, be it
emotionally or intellectually, in fiction or non-fiction. We can
all recognize the value of a book, its capacity to carry us away.
While there is no absolute rule as to what makes a good book,
any experienced reader knows an absolute bad book: where an
invisible line has been breached in the narrative structure, and
the magic is gone.
For various reasons, Arab publishers are traditionally
producers, and editorial feedback is often limited to proof
reading. As a result, many print books display a lack of editing.
Too many of these books are on offer on the international rights
market, and some of them are acquired and published for
reasons that are sometimes questionable, contributing to the
negative perception of the general quality of our books.
This situation is linked to another deficiency in the Arabic
book industry: the absence of professional, dedicated media.
There is no real evaluation of a book’s quality. The absence
of such public platforms, where literature is evaluated, has
another worrisome consequence: many Arab authors will seek
recognition in translation through Western media. As an agent
I have been approached by young authors who, without having
yet published their first books, were already thinking about
selling translation rights. This innocent fantasy of being published
abroad has one dangerous upshot: many of these books end
up targeting mainly Westerners. They are more often than not
irrelevant to the Arab audience, somehow disconnected from
our deeper reality. They feed on mutual perceptions (how Arabs
perceive Westerners’ perceptions of Arabs) that are most of
the time incomplete, or even inaccurate, and ironically end up
cultivating the prejudices they were intending to upend.
Book professionals have been complaining for years about
the absence of a strong distribution network (which is why
the digital age of ebooks and audiobooks can be extremely
promising for this particular market), but people never complain
about the total absence of information and evaluation. This is the
true key to the development of the book industry within the Arab
region. Our literature will only travel and truly succeed on the
international scene after it is genuinely valued at home.
Yasmina Jraissati runs the RAYA Agency for Arabic Literature.
10
IPA: Supporting Publishers
Across All Continents
by Hugo Setzer
I write this ahead of a trip to Canada and the USA. By the time I
get to Sharjah I will have visited 22 countries (including the UAE)
during the past two years as Vice President of the International
Publishers Association (IPA). Each of those trips has enabled
me to meet local publishers and hear about local market
dynamics, challenges, and policy discussions at government
level. While each country’s industry is distinct, it is striking how
similar the challenges are and the way governments consider
policy changes that affect publishers. I come back from every
trip more convinced than ever that the work of the IPA is vital.
Two pillars
The IPA’s work focuses on two main areas: copyright and the
freedom to publish.
Copyright is key to sustainable publishing industries, and
any changes can have a dramatic impact on local publishing
sectors. I was in Canada in May to testify before a Parliamentary
committee handling copyright review, but IPA has submitted
comments on reviews of reforms in Colombia, Thailand, South
Africa and Australia, while monitoring proposals in Ireland,
Japan and the EU.
The calls from those seeking change are always the same:
more exceptions and limitations, no change to liability regimes.
We must not underestimate the degree of coordination
among those seeking to undermine copyright. The campaign
of technology companies who stand to benefit financially from
looser copyright rules to the detriment of those who invest
in copyright protected works is well funded, concerted and
has many faces. IPA has a copyright committee that keeps
up with all these developments and ensures that publishers’
associations worldwide are able to engage effectively with their
local policy makers.
The other pillar of IPA’s work goes to the heart of why we
do what we do: the freedom to publish. There is a range of
limitations to the freedom to publish internationally. These
can be clear policy positions like single textbook policies in
educational publishing, or a clear policy of censorship, where
books are banned. It can be a matter of life and death, with
publishers being murdered for the works they publish. This
is where censorship becomes more insidious, as authors,
publishers, and bookshops shy away from publications that may
be controversial and engage in self-censorship.
The IPA has a very active freedom to publish committee
that monitors cases and collaborates with other freedom of
expression NGOs to raise the alarm and draw international
attention to the plight of publishers who are under threat. The IPA
also celebrates the bravery of those who promote the freedom to
publish through their work as publishers. We do this with our Prix
Voltaire. This year’s recipient was Swedish Hong Kong publisher
Gui Minhai, who has been in detention for two years.
These two pillars have to be built on a foundation of
literacy, and IPA is working with other organizations as well
as international bodies like the UN and UNESCO to promote
this. As I write, IPA President Michiel Kolman is also traveling to
New York ahead of the UN General Assembly to pledge IPA’s
support for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Another area where IPA has been doing its best to
raise awareness and encourage action among publishers is
accessibility. Visually impaired persons (VIPs) should have
access to as many books as possible. That’s currently not the
case: fewer than 10% of publications are available in accessible
formats. My personal belief is that improving accessibility is not
only the right thing to do but that it makes good business sense.
Michiel and I are leading a drive to get publishers to sign up to
the Accessible Books Consortium Charter.
Convincing policy makers of the value of publishing
Some of the challenges facing publishers from a policy
perspective come from the perception of our industry by
policy makers. Publishing may go back hundreds of years, but
that does not make us old fashioned. Publishers are creative
and innovative. One of the ways the IPA is trying to support its
members in demonstrating this value is by working with the
World Intellectual Property Organisation to gather worldwide
publishing industry statistics.
Shaping the international narrative
At the International Publishers Congress in New Delhi earlier
this year, Michiel Kolman called on the publishing industry to
shout about itself more. We are very lucky to have many very
active members, like the Emirates Publishers Association,
that are trying to do just that. We need to work harder at
explaining our industry, helping governments achieve their
educational policies, explaining why censorship is destructive,
and why strong copyright is essential for publishers to continue
contributing to local economies and maintain the beautiful
diversity we have in international publishing today.
Hugo Setzer became vice president of the IPA in 2016 after
30 years in the industry, with many of those years involved in
the Mexican Publishers Association and the IPA. He is also
CEO of educational publisher Manual Moderno.

Sharjah Library Conference
Celebrates 5th Year of
Providing Professional
Development for Librarians in
the Middle East and Beyond
by Michael Dowling
As Sharjah prepares for its role as UNESCO World Book Capital
in 2019, this November 6-8 the 5th Sharjah Library Conference
(United Arab Emirates) will be held in conjunction with the 37th
Sharjah International Book Fair. The collaboration between the
Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) and the American Library
Association (ALA), which provides the program development,
continues to attract hundreds of librarians of all types to gather
and learn from international and regional experts. In addition to
the full slate of programming, the Sharjah Library Conference
gives attendees a pre-eminent collection development
opportunity, to be a part of SIBF, with its 1,500 publishing
houses from 60-plus countries represented.
The Sharjah Library Conference kicks off on Tuesday,
November 6, with two full-day preconference workshops.
Academic librarians involved in instruction will be attracted
to the in-depth overview of “The ACRL Framework for
Information Literacy for Higher Education”. This is the second
of the popular Roadshow Series traveling workshops offered
by the Association of College and Research Libraries at a
Sharjah Library Conference. The Conference continues its
focus on improving school librarianship in the region with a
day-long exploration of practices that can help librarians think
flexibly about how to use their time and spaces to impact
student learning.
ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo will provide the keynote,
“Libraries = Strong Communities”, to open the main program
on November 7. The conference will provide simultaneous
translation in Arabic and English, with concurrent programs
on trending topics as well as types of libraries. Major areas of
focus at this year’s conference are user experience, use of social
media, staff development, and the changing technical service
and data management landscape.
Dr. J.K. Vijayakumar, Library Director, King Abdullah
University of Science & Technology, will lead a session on human
resource development strategies, while Dr. Suha Al Awadhi,
Department of Information Studies, College of Social Sciences,
Kuwait University, will look at library use of social media to
engage users. Keith Webster, Dean of Libraries, Carnegie
Mellon University, will provide guidance on leading technical
services in the future.
11
The impact of globalization and digitization on representing
information resources in bibliographic records concerns all
libraries. Daniel van Spanje - Senior Product Manager, OCLC,
Leiden, the Netherlands - will provide insight and direction on
this subject.
Exciting changes to RDA Toolkit are occurring, including an
Arabic translation. Rania Osman, Head of Libraries of the Future
Section at the Biblioteca Alexandrina, which is creating the
translation, will update the region on these trends.
For public librarians, Brian Bannon, CEO of the Chicago
Public Library, will discuss next generation library services and
the recipe for success through manufacturing and technology.
There will be a track for school librarians facilitated by Library
Journal “School Librarian of the Year” Todd Burelson (Media
Specialist at Hubbard Woods Library, Winnetka, IL) and
Wendy Garland (Avery Elementary School, Dedham, MA).
Topics will include engaging and exciting readers, breaking
out of traditional literacy programs through shared literary
experiences, developing empathy through literacy, and more.
Winners of this year’s “School Librarians of the Year” in the
United Arab Emirates will be featured.
In addition to these programs, attendees will learn from
each other during the poster sessions featuring 20 case
studies across the library spectrum. They will benefit from
interactions at the Librarians’ Lounge and Exhibit of updates
on new products and services from the library vendor
community. This year’s diamond sponsor is OCLC. Platinum
sponsors are Ingram Content Group and the American
Psychological Association. Gold sponsors include Overdrive,
EBSCO, Follett and Baker and Taylor, and Taylor & Francis.
Participating exhibitors include Naseej, Kinokuniya, Human
Kinetics Publishers, and Knowledge E. Combined Book
Exhibit is the sponsor liaison for the conference as part of the
collaborative effort with SIBF and ALA.
ALA currently has 1,700 members from 93 countries outside
the United States. For additional information, contact the ALA
International Relations Office at intl@ala.org.
Michael Dowling is Director of ALA’s International
Relations Office
12
Sharjah Publishing City –
One Year On

Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) was launched just this time last
year, and since then there has been - as Sharjah Book Authority
Chairman Ahmed Al Ameri reports on page 1 of A World of Words
- tremendous interest from companies wanting to be part of this
publishing free zone. A good number of publishers, printers and
book organizations have joined SPC, and many more are showing
interest in doing so.

What is Sharjah Publishing City?

Sharjah Publishing City is a free zone publishing hub – companies
and staff within it pay no corporate or personal tax. It is the first place
of its kind in the world.
The City falls under the aegis of the Sharjah Book Authority, which
HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi established in 2013.
The Authority also manages the Sharjah International Book Fair, the
Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, and Sharjah Public Libraries.

What does Sharjah Publishing City offer?

In addition to the tax breaks, the many attractions for companies
establishing a base in SPC include, first, a location with easy access to
the Middle Eastern, African, European and Asian region’s marketplaces.
The UAE publishing market is expected to triple in size to approximately
$650 million by 2030. The Arab World imports over $1 billion worth
of books and other printed materials annually; and this is a youthful
market, with nearly 950m young people in and around the region.
The facilities include access to creative talent; state of the
art offset and print-on-demand printing facilities,an attractive
alternative to printing in China or India; assistance in procurement
(of paper, for example); and a distribution infrastructure. Spread
across approximately 100,000 square meters, SPC houses cafes,
restaurants, a theatre, and a bookshop.
City tenants maintain the status of independently owned and
managed companies. Among the further benefits are dual licenses,
so that companies can operate in the free zone and across the UAE/
GCC region; and storage facilities equipped with a fire-fighting
system especially designed to protect books and similar materials.
Warehouse facilities will be available soon.

Who are Sharjah Publishing City’s customers?

Antiquariat Inlibris Gilofer FZE; Austin Macauley Publishers FZE;
Liberty Education (UK) Ltd. (UAE Branch); Dar Al Andalus FZE; Nour
Publishing FZE; Panworld Books FZC; Skyline Travel and Tourism;
Color Mix LLC; Business Point Publishing Services FZE; Mafaza
Press and Publication FZE; Gulf Stream Editeur FZE; Chocolate
Advertising FZE; Laurence King Publishing Ltd. (UAE Branch);
The Global Consultancy, Training & Legal Services FZE; New
Tech FZE; Nageen Prakshan Pvt. Ltd. (UAE Branch); People and
Tangel Publishing House (Beijing) Co. Ltd. (UAE Branch); Pyramid
Publishing FZE.
Government and non-governmental organisations: Emirates
Publishers Association; National Media Council; Al Multaqa/Arab
Children’s Book Publishers Forum; Arab Writers Union; Emirates
Writers Union.
FZE = free zone establishment; FZC = free zone company
 13

Case study - Austin Macauley Publishers

Founded in the UK in 2006, Austin Macauley publishes books in
both Arabic and English reflecting the company’s dedication to
bringing high-quality books of all genres to the Middle Eastern and
international markets.
Austin Macauley’s international exposure in the UAE began in
2017 with the opening of its office in Sharjah Publishing City. The
company publishes a range of genres in the UK and the US, while in
the UAE it focuses on educational texts - particularly those that cover
mathematics, science and English as a foreign language – as well as
Arabic novels. Austin Macauley’s children’s books embody the UAE’s
traditions and values.
The company’s mission is “to bring the world closer together, one
book at a time”. Either through using the latest technology or starting
literary conversations, it aims to be a valued part of the publishing
industry, both in print and digital formats.
Named in Publishers Weekly as one of the fastest growing
publishers of 2018, Austin Macauley has award-winning teams
and an author-centric culture at its offices in Sharjah, London,
and New York.
Austin Macauley plans to select the best of its wide-ranging list of
English-language titles and, where appropriate to the local market,
sell them through the UAE office into the entire Middle East, thereby
contributing towards a stronger distribution network for English
language books in the region.
14
Indie Bookselling,
Sharjah-style
by Roger Tagholm
Sharjah has a stylish new bookshop and café on the city’s Al
Majaz waterfront, with a terrace that affords glorious views
across to the Hilton and Al Majaz island, and a cleverly designed
interior that can be adapted according to requirements. Called
Al Rawi, meaning “the one who tells stories”, it is an appealing
combination of a carefully curated selection of books alongside
a café and restaurant, all contained within a flexible, creative
space. It is the UAE’s version of what is happening in the US and
UK – an inviting and inventive answer to the online onslaught,
a demonstration of how bricks and mortar retail can offer an
experience that online cannot replicate.
Al Rawi is owned by Tetra, the Sharjah-based private
management company that also owns the sophisticated
Shababeek Lebanese restaurant in Al Qasba, Sharjah’s little
Venice. Tetra manager Zhora Qureshi says: “The idea behind Al
Rawi is to create a space that caters to Sharjah’s savvy reading
culture. Sharjah’s Al Majaz Waterfront is a hidden gem, a great
place to create a community hub for everyone to explore. The
shop combines both culinary and literary interests under one
roof, so we offer workshops for barista brewing every weekend
and also host book launches.”
The selection of books is eclectic. Browsers may find
Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Chris Anderson’s
TED Talks, Jojo Moyes’ The Last Letter from Your Lover, Robin
Sharma’s Life Lessons from the Monk Who Sold his Ferrari,
Insta poet Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey, and Dan Brown’s
Origin (which mentions Sharjah following his standing-room
only visit to the Sharjah International Book Fair in 2014).
There are many cookbook titles too, from familiar names
to UK visitors like Jamie Oliver and Nadiya Hussain, winner
of the Great British Bake Off TV series, to Katrina Meynink’s
Bistronomy: French Food Unbound and Barbara Abdeni
Massaad’s Soup for Syria. It is a shop full of surprises and
suggestions, of tempting face-out displays: exactly what you
want in a retail space.
“During the pre-opening of Al Rawi, we drew up a list of
books which we believed customers would enjoy reading and
are currently seeking in the market,” explains Qureshi. “We
wanted to cater to all minds, ranging from lovers of romantic
fiction to thrill seekers, explorers and cooks, as well as those
who simply love to read and learn.”
The team also came up with a clever marketing idea. “We
believe that we all should explore beyond our comfort zone,”
Qureshi adds. “So at Al Rawi, we will be hosting an event called
‘Blind Date with a Book’, where the idea is that the reader
won’t be able to see the title of the book, only six descriptive
words written on the wrapping paper. If the words entice them,
they can unwrap and explore a new genre.”
There are innovations in design and display, too. Instead
of fixed, interior walls, the store has moveable book shelving
that can create little rooms. There are hanging lights with
lampshades that are open books, as if to pour forth the light
of knowledge. Retail “pods” on casters are used to display
books, stationery and book-related merchandise, and Dubai-
based designers Pallavi Dean Interiors has added numerous
book-related touches. For example, the woven texture of the
handrails and space dividers is based on the stitching that
binds books, and the pattern on the custom-made tables
relates to books and printed words.
Al Rawi wants to be a creative hub. It hosts numerous
workshops from creative writing to “Zentangle” – a
combination of art and meditation – and even workshops
on how to sculpt food. In October the celebrated Australian
chef Greg Malouf, whose Lebanese parents set him on the
path to perfecting his own take on Middle Eastern cuisine,
will launch his new book Sugar in Al Rawi with a special
ticketed dinner.
The shop is a pilot project, though the hope is for
further stores in the future. Qureshi says: “Bookstores have
been dwindling in numbers, and the business model is
not as lucrative, with large competitors and e-commerce
businesses. I do believe that we are living in the age of
technology and we can’t ignore the fact of online sales.” So
Al Rawi fills web orders, too. But Qureshi adds: “In the end,
people still love the feeling of picking up a book and finding
a calm and cozy place to read it – I believe the age of coffee
bookshops is upon us.”

Sharing the Passion in Sharjah
by Dennis Abrams
My first visit was, curiously enough, the first year that the
Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) went from a biannual
event to an annual one, indicative of the way that it had grown
and continues to grow. The 2018 SCRF features a line up of
2,600 cultural and literary events and activities, and books and
publications from 134 publishers representing 18 countries,
along with appearances by 286 authors and literary guests
representing 121 countries from every corner of the world.
In 2012, Ahmed Al Ameri, Director of Sharjah International
Book Fair, told me about his dream of making the festival a
second Bologna, a place where Middle Eastern Publishers
could display their best, where literacy and education could be
promoted, and where publishers from all over the world could
come together to learn what new generations of publishers
were working hard to accomplish.
And now in 2018, we’re present for the birth of Sharjah’s
Publishing City - a “Publishing Free Zone for the World”. So
while I’ve witnessed nothing but continued growth during my
six years in attendance, the Children’s Reading Festival itself
has also managed to maintain its intimate feeling, while clearly
maintaining its stated mission: “A cultural celebration attracting
not only children, but extending the joy of learning to parents
and adults in a family-friendly atmosphere, SCRF encourages
learning and self education from a young age, helping raise
a generation of leaders, scholars and professionals who will
contribute to the development of their society.”
It achieves those goals in a wide number of ways. Where
else, for example, can you attend seminars ranging from “Animal
Tales: The Moral and Meaning” to “Arab Children’s Literature
Critique”, along with cooking exhibitions featuring international
chefs, workshops from origami to book making, from clown
theater to Shakespeare, with storytellers from around the world
spinning tales for rapt audiences ranging in age 5 to 80?
Where else but at the Sharjah Children’s Books Illustration
Exhibition can you see the works of artists from the UAE,
15
Lithuania, Philippines, Iran, Sudan, Ukraine, Jordan, South
Korea, Syria, and China, among others, with the winning
illustrator receiving an award of $8000?
It was here that I witnessed the launch of the world’s first
virtual reality book. Originally published by Kalimat, the book,
Baba Zayed, tells children about the life of the founder of the
Emirati federation, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
I learned firsthand about the changes that occurred
throughout the region as Arab Spring turned into Arab Fall by
meeting and talking with Samar al Kadri and Gulnar Hajo, of
Syria’s Bright Fingers, who were forced to flee their home and
country to escape the horrors of civil war.
Not only did I learn from Samar and Gulhan, we became
friends. This is fitting and proper, since one slogan of the
SCRF is “Discover Friends for Life”, and many of my fondest
memories of Sharjah are of the friendships I’ve maintained
from all my visits. Over the six years I’ve been going to
Sharjah, I’ve struck up lasting friendships with publishers
from the UAE, authors from the UK, storytellers from India,
artists from Malaysia and Scotland and beyond, as well as a
young British baker.
And every year, when I run into Sharjah International Book
Fair Director Ahmed Al Ameri on the floor of the festival, I’m
guaranteed a warm embrace. It’s been a pleasure to meet
all of these people, to learn about publishing in the UAE and
throughout the region, to speak at schools in Sharjah and Dubai,
and to get a glimpse into a world very different from my own.
It’s an opportunity to meet people not only from the
Middle East but from around the world, all with the same
interest and passion and love for children’s books as I have.
Dennis Abrams is a restaurant critic, literary blogger, and the
author of more than 30 young adult titles including The Play’s
The Thing, a guide to the plays of William Shakespeare.
16

Sharjah: ‘Guest of Honor’ in

Five International Book Fairs

Once upon a time, a Roman statesman who went by the name

of Cicero said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have Paris (above)

everything you need.” In 2014, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan

bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council
of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah, applied the
philosophy to an entire city. Sharjah Book Authority (SBA)
was created to build a platform for cultural and knowledge
exchange between people across the world and to highlight
and support the importance of books.
Within the span of a mere four years, Sharjah received one
of the greatest literary honors from UNESCO by becoming
the first GCC city to be bestowed with the title “World Book
Capital” for the year 2019. Furthermore, Sharjah has been
given the spotlight as guest of honor at five internationally
renowned book fairs: Paris Book Fair 2018, Brazil’s Sao Paulo
Book Fair 2018, New Delhi Book Fair 2019, Turin Book Fair
2019, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2020.
These book fairs have provided a showcase for Sharjah’s
literary and cultural assets. SBA organizes series of seminars,
performances, and heritage-related experiences that invite
people to have an authentic and meaningful experience and
exchanges with the rich cultures and heritage of the UAE and
Arab region. Multiple Emirati books have been translated
into various languages to foster a deeper insight into UAE’s
heritage.
Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, said, “Being
recognised for pioneering efforts in the promotion of
literature, arts in all its forms, intercultural appreciation,
reading, and knowledge-sharing in the region fills the nation
with immense gratitude. This is all due to the fruition of the
vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al
Qasimi, whose effort have entrenched Sharjah’s cultural
position on the global stage.”
Sao Paolo (above and below)
 17

Q&A with
Emma Gannon
Emma Gannon is an award-winning blogger, podcaster,
broadcaster and author. Her podcast CTRL, ALT, DELETE has
2 million downloads, and has featured Lena Dunham, Gillian
Anderson, Elizabeth Gilbert and Zoella. It has been picked as
“Editor’s Choice” on iTunes multiple times. It was listed in the
Times’ “top 20 podcasts to download”; Elle UK’s “podcasts
that will boost your career”; Marie Claire’s “career-changing
podcasts”, and Esquire’s “top podcasts of 2017”.
Gannon was selected in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe
2018 list in the media and marketing category. Lena Dunham
picked her as “one of her favourite Londoners” in Time Out
magazine. She has delivered a TEDx talk about online identity
and virtual worlds. She has also written two books: Ctrl Alt
Delete (Ebury) and The Multi-Hyphen Method: Work Less,
Create More & Design A Career That Works For You (Hodder
& Stoughton).

Is this your first visit to Sharjah?

Yes, I’ve never been to the UAE before. I am excited to visit
somewhere new. It’s always fun to say yes to new adventures.
What are you hoping to gain from the visit?
I’m looking forward to bringing the message of my book The
Multi-Hyphen Method to new audiences, having interesting
conversations, and meeting new people.
The internet is supposed to connect us all; but as you show,
it can be a lonely place as well. Is that why you hope your
books and podcasts will bring reassurance?
Yes definitely. The internet can be an amazing place. I’ve
interviewed many people about mental health and anxiety,
and in some individual cases they have said having the support
from an online community has often helped. But as we know,
it also fosters negative feelings, isolation and comparison.
A study from the University of Pittsburgh suggested that if you
spent over two hours a day on social networks, your chances
of feeling socially isolated were twice as high. There is clearly
a correlation here, but we are still trying to figure out exactly
how to make ourselves feel better in our day-to-day lives.
I think the important thing is to keep having conversations and
not pretending we always know the answer. This is definitely
the aim of my books and podcasts, to instigate long-form
conversations with a range of different people.
Some teenagers become addicted to social media, desperate
for validation there. Would you argue that social media
remains a positive feature of our lives, in spite of the pressure
it can bring?
I think being a teenager has always been a rough period of
life, you are changing and growing dramatically and your
hormones are all over the place! Back in the day, people would
obsessively ring each other on pay-phones, or feel a need
for validation via a letter from their loved ones. Now, it's 24/7.
I don’t think social media is inherently positive or negative; it
depends on how we (as humans) continue to use it.
What about sharing data online? Do you think we give away
too much?
I think we are still learning. When Facebook first launched,
everyone wrote public essays on people’s walls, I look back
and cringe at the stuff I used to write. We overshared because
it was new and exciting. Now, most conversations happen in
private inboxes, or WhatsApp groups, away from prying eyes.
Now we mostly publicize things with intent. I think we are
becoming more strategic with what we choose to share as we
learn more about the effects of technology and data.
It can be too easy to open up online. Opening up in a book
is another matter. Were you nervous about committing your
experiences to print?
I definitely spent a long time weighing what I’d include and
what I would leave out in my books. But I don’t see print as
being that different. Things posted online can stick around
forever too.
You've offered invaluable reassurance to a lot of young
people, women particularly. Being in this position can mean
that a lot is expected of you. How do you cope with the
demands on your time?
I have become good at saying no but it’s taken a long time to
be OK with that. You have to set boundaries, because people
often try and overstep the mark and ask too much of you.
It’s important to look after yourself and ring-fence your time
carefully, so that ultimately you can do your best work.
18
Q&A with
Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah has just published The Mystery of Three
Quarters, her third novel – written with the blessing of the
Agatha Christie estate – starring Christie’s celebrated Belgian
detective Hercule Poirot. Her other bestselling crime novels
have included 10 starring detectives Waterhouse and Zailer, as
well as standalones such as last year’s Did You See Melody?; her
2013 novel The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year award
at the Specsavers National Book Awards.
Hannah is also a children’s author and an acclaimed poet,
studied at schools and universities.
Her fame is international: she has been published in 49
languages and 51 territories.

What are you hoping to gain from your visit to Sharjah?

I love visiting new places. It is always fascinating to meet readers
and writers from different countries, and to learn new things
about books and reading communities. I’m also looking forward
to reading by the hotel pool, and swimming in it - a lot! That’s
my favourite hobby.

You are a poet and a crime writer. So was C. Day-Lewis; but it’s
not a common mix. Do you think of these roles as separate?
The two roles may seem different on the surface but,
underneath, they’re not so different. Both poets and crime
writers are fascinated by shape and structure — how things slot
together and how two apparently unrelated things are, in fact,
related. The music of language, when every word is in the right
place, is actually quite similar to the music of a great plot when
all the elements are perfectly balanced and harmonized.
Do you find people assuming that poetry is your “serious”
work, and crime writing is light relief?
Not at all. I find that the crime writng part of my life and the
poetry part barely seem to notice one another. Sometimes, I
almost feel like Sophie Hannah the crime writer and Sophie
Hannah the poet are two different people. Recently, the poet
side of me has been diverted into writing musicals. Last year, I
wrote a murder mystery musical, which was performed at a local
school and is now touring various literature festivals around the
UK. It’s called The Generalist, and who knows, maybe one day it
will travel further afield — perhaps even to Sharjah….? I co-wrote
it with a musical genius friend of mine - Annette Armitage - who
is a brilliant composer. I did the words; she did the music!
Again on the subject of assumptions: I read Five Little Pigs
this summer, and realised that Agatha Christie’s reputation
as a writer of pedestrian prose was undeserved. How do you
think this reputation came about?
I think a lot of people — maybe even most people — do not
properly notice or pay attention to the evidence they might
ideally pay attention to. Rather, they acquire views they hear
touted a lot and agree with what seems to be generally thought.
Agatha Christie was such a brilliant writer that it’s very possible
some people were jealous of her talent and success, and so
decided to claim that she was “only good” at plotting and not
at character development or depth or atmosphere. Then, lots
of other silly people just believed them! But it’s starting to
change now; more people are realizing Agatha Christie was an
important and accomplished writer.
Is there added pressure in writing Hercule Poirot stories?
A lot of readers will have quite strict expectations…
Not really. You can’t please every reader — and I knew I couldn’t
long before I started writing Hercule Poirot novels. People
shouldn’t write to please others; they should tell the stories they
need to tell and that only they can tell. My Poirot books contain
Agatha Christie’s famous character, but they are all stories I felt
an urgent need to tell. I will never write any book that isn’t.
In all your novels - not just the Poirots - your plotting is
intricate. How much do you plan when you write?
A lot! I always say that an architect wouldn’t start building a
house without clear blueprints, and neither could I start writing
a novel without knowing where it was going. I find that knowing
exactly where I’m going before I go there is the best way to
write, and actually allows me to be more creative — because
when I change things as I go, I still know the point and the end
game. In a way, my plans are so detailed that I could almost
count them as first drafts. I start with a title (not always the one
I’m going to use!) and a two-line “ itch” — a summary of the
story’s main hook. Then I write a longer summary, like the blurb
on the back of a book. I then spend a lot of time developing the
characters and setting and doing background research, and
finally I write out a chapter-by-chapter (sometimes, a scene-
by-scene) plan. I love this part of the book-writing process - it’s
almost my favorite bit! When I’m feeling pretentious, I call it
“story architecture”!

Q&A with
Lee Holmes
Lee Holmes is a holistic nutritionist, yoga teacher, wholefoods
chef, Lifestyle Food Channel’s Healthy Eating Expert and
author of eight bestselling books, as well of two online
wellness programs. She is a columnist with Wellbeing and
Danny Seo’s Naturally Magazine and a regular on ABC Radio.
Her articles have appeared in leading Australian newspapers
and journals, as well as the Times, the Telegraph and the
Daily Express in the UK and the Huffington Post in the US.
Holmes’ entrepreneurial spirit saw her appearing on Network
Ten’s Shark Tank Australia, securing a deal to spread the
Supercharged Food message further.
She blogs at www.superchargedfood.com, a website that
encourages S.O.L.E food: sustainable, organic, local and ethical.
It features delicious recipes, information, news, reviews and
menu planning ideas to make it easy for people to enjoy a
satisfying, wholesome and nourishing diet.
Is this your first visit to Sharjah?
No it’s my second! I was lucky enough to visit Sharjah for the
Children’s Literary Festival in 2015. It was such a wonderful trip
and I was very excited when I was asked to come back again.
What are you hoping to gain from the visit?
I am hoping to reconnect and connect with more people from
Sharjah. Last time I was out, I met so many lovely people and
families while I was doing my recipe demonstrations and also
when I went to various cultural events. I would love to see more
of Sharjah and find out more about its history.
What are your impressions of the food of the region?
I was absolutely impressed by the food. I’m a lover of middle
eastern food and found Emirati style food to have a lot of flavor.
I noticed that the cuisine makes use of many of my favorite
ingredients such as lemon, garlic, olive oil and spices like cumin,
turmeric, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon; plus, who can say
no to hummus with every meal! I also enjoyed trying some of
the local dishes and even indulged in a camel milk latte!
You have become famous for your Supercharged Food
books. What are supercharged foods?
Supercharged Foods are ones that are minimally processed
with nutritional value. They don’t need to be anything fancy
or expensive! I’m talking everyday foods and ingredients
like zucchini, cauliflower, spinach, fish, garlic, turmeric and
olive oil; they are all supercharged foods because they have
certain medicinal capabilities and they not only taste good
19
but they also make you feel good, and supply your body with
nutrients, vitamins and minerals that help nourish you and
give you more energy.
I have eight books. They are: Supercharged Food: Eat
Your Way to Health, Eat Yourself Beautiful, Eat Clean, Green
and Vegetarian, Heal Your Gut, Eat Right for Your Shape,
Fast Your Way to Wellness, Supercharged Food for Kids and
Supercharge Your Gut. I also run a four-week online “Heal Your
Gut” program, as well as a “2 Day a Week Supercharge Your
Gut” program, on my website, www.superchargedfood.com.
Would it be easy to follow your diet recommendations in the
UAE region?
Yes absolutely. I use simple and easy to find ingredients like
vegetables, meats, fish and fruits in my recipes, and flavor them
with delicious spices that are available in UAE. In 2015, some
of the people I met said that UAE was becoming a lot more
interested in a healthy food approach to eating and that certain
foods such as apple cider vinegar, tamari and coconut milk were
becoming more readily available. I am interested to see how the
healthy food market has evolved since my last visit.
Diet is a complex issue. But what simple advice would you
give to people looking to start eating healthier?
Look after your gut health, and by that I mean try not to be
on the consistent snacking bandwagon. It’s good to give your
system a rest from constantly eating. I recommend having
dinner earlier, around 5pm or 6pm, and breakfast a bit later,
around 9am or even 10am so that you can give your digestive
system a good rest. Also cooked foods are better for the gut
than raw foods which can be difficult to digest, so I suggest
swapping your daily salad for a soup!
20
Q&A with
Avianti Armand
Avianti Armand, from Indonesia, is an artist, architect and
curator as well as an author and poet. She published several
design monographs and collections of writings in Arsitektur
Yang Lain (The Other Architecture, 2012). She received the
Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2011 for her book of poetry,
Perempuan Yang Dihapus Namanya (Women Whose Name
Were Erased), and recently published her latest collection
of poems, Buku Tentang Ruang (A Book About Space).
She was an Asian Cultural Council Fellow 2016, conducting
an extensive research project and survey on architectural
museums and archives in the United States.
In 2013, Armand led the curator team for the Indonesian
pavilion at the International Architecture exhibition in Venice,
and in 2015 she was head of the design committee for the
Indonesian delegation as Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt
Book Fair.
Is this your first visit to Sharjah?
Yes, it is. And I hope for the second, the third, and so on.
What are you hoping to gain from the visit?
Aside from the involvement in the exhibition event and usual
tourist activites, I hope to be able to engage in the daily life and
culture of Sharjah’s people.
How do you combine the various sides of your career, as
artist and architect and author? Do you regard them as
separate, or related?
I think we all live in the age of cross discipline and are all
exposed to various media. So it is impossible to work only
within one area, especially in the creative industry as I do. All
things are related and intersect with one another. I see this
condition as a positive, elevating, and enriching boost to my
creative process in all endeavors.
You designed the Indonesia pavilion at the 2015 Frankfurt
Book Fair. What were your aims there? Were you pleased
with how it turned out?
I was the creative director - head of the creative division for
that event. I gave aesthetic and creative direction to the
other designers working with me there: architects, lighting
designers, graphic designers, video mapping artists,
artists, illustrators, and was entrusted with making sure
that everything was synchronised and in harmony, and
reinforced the design. With that many talents (and egos)
working together, it took more than creative work. I learned
a lot from this process, especially how to communicate well
with others, how not to crack under pressure (especially
when you deal with government bureaucrazy), and how to
be patient. In the end, it all worked well, and I am pleased
with the result.
I believe we succeeded in presenting the image of a
modern and contemporary Indonesia, not just the usual
“moie indie”, exotic, and touristic Indonesia. We succeeded
in showing the Indonesia that we believe we are, not the one
dictated or preferred by others.
What is the focus of your attention at the moment?
This might sound a bit bizarre, but right now I am involved
more in fighting the rise of intolerance and radicalism in my
country, especially with the presidential election next year.
Religion is still a very sensitive issue that can be stirred into
chaos and riot.
Right now, I am involved in movie screenings with critical
themes about radicalism and producing da’wah videos about
diversity, love, peace, and other sensitive political issues.
What are the themes you explore in your fiction and
poetry? Do they differ?
I think they differ from time to time. But mostly I focus on
personal experience, daily life, memories, and other usually-
neglected-trivial everyday things.
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