House of Wisdom commemorates Emirati Writer’s Day with a cultural program
Sharjah, May 26 / WAM / The House of Wisdom celebrated Emirati Writer’s Day through a cultural program that extended over two days and included a series of dialogue meetings, literary events, and book signing sessions, with the aim of enhancing the presence of the Emirati writer and providing a space for direct communication between readers and book makers.
Emirati Writer’s Day falls on May 26 of each year, which is the date on which the Emirates Writers and Writers Union was established in 1984, in recognition of the role of Emirati writers in enriching the cultural and intellectual life in the country and highlighting their contributions to building awareness, strengthening national identity, and supporting the presence of Emirati literature in the Arab and international cultural scene.
The program witnessed the “Our Writers” event, which included a mini-exhibition of Emirati literary publications, in addition to a dialogue session in cooperation with the “Kalimat” group, which highlighted young people’s literature in the Emirates in light of the novel “The Thief of Stories,” in conjunction with the official launch of the novel at the House of Wisdom.
Marwa Al Aqroubi, Executive Director of the House of Wisdom, said that Emirati Writer’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the creative voices that contributed to building the local cultural scene and conveyed through writing the features of the Emirati identity and the stories and values of society to new generations, stressing that the Emirati writer is a partner in preserving cultural memory, enhancing the presence of language and knowledge, and building bridges of dialogue with the world.
The “Our Writers” event provided the public with the opportunity to view and purchase a group of literary publications, and learn closely about the experiences of the participating writers within an interactive space that brought together readers and book makers. It was held with the participation of a number of local publishing houses, including Kalimat Publishing Group, GAF Publications, Austin Macauley Publishing, Manasa Distribution Company, Kitab Publications, and Qissaa House.
The signing sessions witnessed the participation of a number of Emirati writers in a scene that reflected the diversity of Emirati literary voices and the multiplicity of their experiences in writing and publishing.
The House of Wisdom organized a dialogue session within the “Hikma Talk” series entitled “Between Narrative and Identity” in cooperation with the Kalimat Group to explore young people’s literature in the UAE in light of the novel “The Thief of Stories” as a model of narrative that reflects the interests and questions of new generations.
Emirati writer and novelist Nadia Al-Najjar, writer and translator Noura Al-Khoury, and painter Asma Al-Hamli participated in the session. The discussion dealt with the role of stories in shaping awareness and expression of identity and the experiences of young people. The session also witnessed the official launch of the novel “The Thief of Stories,” which was co-authored by Nadia Al-Najjar and Noura Al-Khoury.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter
