SAIL Fest is launching as the first of its kind in the UK, and is dedicated to celebrating South Asian children’s children’s authors, poets and illustrators. Perminder Mann will give the keynote speech.
The festival – which will be free to attend – aims to bring together the South Asian children’s book community across the country from publishers and booksellers to aspiring creatives, teachers and librarians.
The inaugural festival will be held at the British Library on 6th September 2024 from 10am to 5pm and will delve into the diaspora—featuring thought provoking discussions that explore our rich cultures and the significance of our history. Mann, chief executive of Bonnier Books and president of the Publishers Association, will deliver the keynote speech.
Sessions will include The Art of Storytelling and how it intersects with your culture, The Joy of Picture Books and Visual storytelling, The Craft of Imagining Fantastical and other Worlds, Writing the Contemporary vs Writing Historicals and Demystifying the Publishing of South Asian Literature.
SAIL festival is created by a collective of South Asian women working in children’s books in the UK: the owner of the Children’s Bookshop in north London, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar (winner of the Children’s Bookseller of the Year and Best Book Retailer of the Year at the 2024 British Book Awards); award-winning author and creator Chitra Soundar; and freelance PR consultant Sinéad Gosai.
