Literary, not literal
When thinking of literary festivals, images of star-struck fans, sold-out performances, acoustic sets and comedy shows may not immediately register. But this year's Bookworm Literary Festival (BLF), running from March 8 to 22, promises to be anything but perfunctory, bringing an impressive and international mix of collaborations to the capital.
The 2013 opening party for the BLF will kick off Friday at 7 pm at the Bookworm, featuring author Lionel Shriver - the name behind Orange Prize-winner We Need to Talk About Kevin and more recently The New Republic, followed by a performance by American indie-folk-pop musician Joe Gil.
Since its beginnings in 2007, the nationwide festival has tweaked and added more to the mix; this year welcomes 80 authors from 18 countries.
What's new
Chen Mengfei, program assistant and media liaison of the BLF, says the big change in this year's festival is the larger Chinese program. The festival on wheels will hit Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo, Chengdu and Chongqing, featuring readings, performance poetry, panels and discussions for Chinese audiences, all for free.
"The BLF is an English language festival … but a lot of what we do is about engagement, introducing foreign authors to Chinese audiences, and vice versa. Interesting things happen when you have the Chinese and international mix," said Kadi Hughes, director of BLF.
Hughes added that one of the main focuses of the BLF was partnering with interesting people to ensure it reached broad demographic across age and nationality. "Literature is something for everyone … sometimes people think only a certain type of person will go to a book talk, but there's a lot of diversity," said Hughes.
While every expat learns the whereabouts of the Bookworm shortly after settling down in Beijing, the store is still something new for many locals. Cherry Yu is an Anhui Province native and first-time volunteer at this year's festival. She said that among her Chinese colleagues at a foreign enterprise in Beijing, only a handful know about the festival.
"I registered to sign up for their newsletter, and when I saw the newsletter calling for volunteers this year, I thought it would be a good chance to get involved," she said.
Two other new events this year are the Future Perfect panel, which discusses the future of the society, and the Big Questions series, which will gather thinkers. The program this year includes different artistic programs such as comedy and plays, to draw on Beijing's vibrant artistic space.
Process
The process of choosing the writers for the festival is a yearlong effort, beginning from the end of the last BLF.
"From May to November, it's a constant process. We put together a wish-list of people and around November, invitations go out. It's a long process, because people have to be able to make it here," said Chen.
This year features with many established authors, like Lionel Shriver, in conversation with debut writers like Sifiso Mzobe and Chinese figures. Hu Yong, a popular social media critic, for example, will be participating in a panel about social media alongside Duncan Hewitt, author of Get Rich First.
"This is really a nationwide festival," Hughes emphasizes. "After seven years, we're lucky that we have a great reputation and writers want to [participate]. We see what other festivals do and tweak it."
For the selection of the Chinese authors, the Bookworm works closely with Paper Republic and Pathlight magazine. All talks at the Bookworm will be in English; authors that don't speak English will have a translator.
"It's good to see authors speak because their writing might come across one way, and speaking another," said Hughes.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Bookworm, from 9 am to 9 pm. For a full list of events, visit bookwormfestival.com.
Metro Beijing picks of the BLF:
Songwriting with Joe Gil @ Atelier
Folk pop musician Joe Gil will hold a workshop on the art of constructing lyrics and melodies.
When: Noon, Saturday, March 9
Where: Room 202, Bldg. 3, Jinxiu Yuan, Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang disctrict
Tickets: 280 yuan
Future Perfect: China 3.0 @ The Bookworm
What's the future look like for those who want to do business in China? David Wolf of consulting group Wolf Asia, Arthur Kroeber of Dragonomics and Cao Haili, Chief Editor of The New York Times Chinese, discuss challenges and payoffs.
When: Noon, Sunday, March 10
Where: No.4 Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang district
Tickets: 100 yuan
CJ Bowerbird: a Performance @ The Bookworm
Watch CJ Bowerbird, winner of the 2012 Australian National Slam Championship, in action.
When: 8 pm, Saturday, March 16
Tickets: 65 yuan
Fantastical Tales: Talking Science Fiction with Karin Tidbeck @ The Bookworm
Swedish Tidbeck and Chinese Fei Dao discuss the reality of fantasy.
When: 5 pm, Monday, March 22
Tickets: 65 yuan
Queer Voices in Literature: Justin Torres & Jacek Dehnel @ Colibri
American Justin Torres, author of We the Animals and Polish poet Jacek Dehnel discuss the issues of being a gay author and a queer voice in literature.
When: 11:30 am, Monday, March 18
Where: LG51, The Village North, No.11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang distrcit
Tickets: 65 yuan