Annasi & Kadalagotu: Savour Local Literature in all its Simple Glory

Continuing to expand the borders of literature, the A&K (Annasi & Kadalagotu) Literary Festival will be back on 21st October 2018 at the iconic Mount Lavinia Hotel for the fourth consecutive year. Entrance for the full day festival is priced at only Rs. 100/- in keeping with the core objective of making literature available for all and aptly themed ‘Simply Local, Simply Literature’.

Born from the idea of providing a platform for anyone who loves literature and comes from all walks of life – since literature should be enjoyed in its own stride, even as you nibble upon slices of Annasi or Kadala in gotu – over the past few years the A&K Lit Fest has brought together a variety of writers, poets, dramatists, musicians and artists in a range of panels that discuss writing, publishing, performing, travel, digital writing, and comics.

Panel Discussions
The panel discussions for this year, as in the past, promise to push the perimeters of literature by not confining to novel or poetry writing alone, but explore the many other avenues in which ideas are expressed. The dialogues attempt to touch upon governance, writing in the digital era, science fiction, short films as well as an opportunity for debut writers.

Short Story Competition
A short story competition in all three language – English, Sinhala and Tamil – is being conducted parallel to the literary festival where writers can submit their pieces under the two age categories of ‘13-18 years’ and ‘18 years & above’. Submissions can be made directly through the A&K Lit Fest website http://www.aklitfest.com/shortstory.php. The winners of the competition will be announced at the literary festival on the 21st.

Creative Writing Workshops
Two creative writing workshops; for students and adults, will be held in the morning of the festival. Registration for these workshops are free. Since seating is limited, each workshop will only host 30 people. Registrations can be done through emailing Nishika on nishhassim@yahoo.com.

Book Launches
As done every year, the A&K Lit Fest will once again open its doors to writers who are looking for a space to launch their new books. The past years have seen these book launches help writers immensely as they provide them with an option to an otherwise expensive and tedious task of organizing a book launch. Those interested in launching their books at the A&K Lit Fest can contact Dhananath on dhana.fdo@gmail.com for more details.

The Mount Lavinia Hotel joins the festival as official venue partner, creating the ideal setting for literature to be enjoyed; seeped in its own history and picturesque beauty, with the Indian Ocean as the background.