The iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, held annually at the Pink City of Jaipur, Rajasthan, has always believed in the spirit of community and the hope, strength, and vitality literature gives. As we distance ourselves from each other physically, Teamwork Arts, the producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival, goes on curating international editions of JLF, which traditionally infuse the multilingual literary heritage of South Asia with the distinct flavor of the host regions, in the digital space with a diverse and engaged community of book-lovers. JLF Houston is scheduled to take place on October 16-17 and is presented in association with the Consulate General of India, Asia Society Texas Center, and Inprint.
Registration is free and open to the public. To join any of the sessions, register here. To see the schedule for Day 2, click here.
SCHEDULE FOR DAY 1
Inaugural Address: Imagine
9:30 AM CT
Keynote Session – Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM CT
Adam Tooze in conversation with Shruti Rajagopalan
Adam Tooze’s latest book, Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy, is a staggering and incisive take on the interplay of globalisation, world politics, economy, and climate change. Masterfully unraveling the fragility of the world order, the cogent narrative weaves through finance, business, and the global human experience to make it clear that the crisis unleashed well before the virus. In conversation with Shruti Rajagopalan, Tooze gives us a panoramic view of the continued impact of 2020 and the deeply rooted ruptures in our way of being.
Black Wave
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM CT
Kim Ghattas in conversation with Seema Sirohi
With extraordinary detail and intricacy, Kim Ghattas’ book Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East is a gripping narrative weaving together history, geopolitics, and culture to present a comprehensive analysis of the Middle East. In conversation with acclaimed journalist Seema Sirohi, Ghattas unfolds a fascinating cast of characters whose lives were severely impacted by the geopolitical contours of the region.
Why I Am Like Tequila
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM CT
Lupe Mendez in conversation with Analicia Sotelo
Texas Poet Laureate, activist, and poet Lupe Mendez’s powerful poetry collection, Why I Am Like Tequila, is a pulsating journey covering birth, family and community. Illuminating the Texas Chicanx experience both past and present, Mendez shifts between narrative, dramatic, and lyrical poems to give us a glimpse into his life, heritage, and identity. In conversation with award winning poet Analicia Sotelo.
Bottles of Pain: Sacklers, Ranbaxy and the Dark Side of Pharma
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM CT
Katherine Eban and Patrick Radden Keefe in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy
Intertwining corporate greed and the intergenerational empire behind the opioid crisis in America, a gripping and foreboding session that unravels the infestation seeped into the pharmaceutical industry. Investigative journalist Katherine Eban’s shocking expose, Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, follows the nuances of generic-drug manufacturing and the attendant risks for global health. Rooted in accounts from whistleblowers and regulators and FDA documents, Eban unravels a cocoon of fraud, false data and cost cutting initiatives. Writer and journalist Patrick Radden Keefe’s explosive new book, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, traces the family’s ambitions and ruthless methods and their role in the OxyContin epidemic. A disturbing narrative on American morality and ambition, the saga investigates the owners of Purdue Pharma and their complete disregard for human health. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy.
The Wrong End of the Telescope
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM CT
Rabih Alameddine in conversation with Alia Malek
Rabih Alameddine’s latest novel, The Wrong End of the Telescope, is a kaleidoscopic rendering of the many aspects of the refugee crisis sweeping across the Mediterranean. Following the story of a Lebanese LGBTQA+ doctor and her attempts at making a difference at a refugee camp in Lesbos, the narrative gives us a glimpse into the deep connection she forms with a refugee matriarch secretly diagnosed with cancer. In a session that evaluates the experience of alienation, displacement, and the search for home, Alameddine navigates through the complex tapestry of tragic circumstances and resilience in the midst of one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. In conversation with journalist and former civil rights lawyer Alia Malek.