The highlight for bookworms across the UAE, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has finally opened its doors. Operating under the theme of ‘Here Comes the Sun’, the festival will be in full swing from February 3 to 13 at Habtoor City Hotels.

The pride of the emirates in full display

The first day is dedicated to Emirati talent!

Expect sessions about literary fiction, poetry, culture and even the jobs of the future. In our opinion, the session with Omar Saif Ghobash on the UAE’s journey to Expo 2020, and his personal journey in writing his first novel, cannot be missed.

Inspiring stories from across the globe

If you have ever wanted to create, you cannot afford to miss motivational stories from the man behind the ‘lockdown’ internet sensation #DrawWithRob, and ‘Bake Off’ champion, mental health campaigner and author Nadiya Hussain. What’s more, you can also sample the dishes that won her the competition!  

Want to feel good and be good?

Thanks to the tumultuous couple of years we’ve had, it’s not surprising to hear that mental illness and depression is on the rise around the world.

Well, the Emirates Lit Fest is the best place for you to fortify your mind with sessions focusing on self-care, mental health and self-improvement featuring psychotherapist Sasha Bates, the author of The Languages of Loss: A Psychotherapist’s Journey Through Grief.

You can also look forward to sessions by Mathilde Loujayne and Ruzina Ahad, pioneers of a new generation of self-help books for the Muslim women of today.

Otakus rejoice!

Anime fans can find out where graphic novelists and animators get their ideas from, with sessions featuring Fumio Obata, Ken Arto and Fadel Saeed AlMheiri.