@emirateslitfest Tickets for Emirates Airline Festival of Literature go on sale

Tickets for the 2014 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, January 21 at WHSmith outlets in Dubai Mall (lower-ground level), Oasis Centre Mall, Marina Mall and Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi and online at www.emirateslitfest.com.

The Festival will take place in Dubai from 4 to 8 March under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage. The Festival is now part of the Emirates Literature Foundation, which was established last year by Royal decree.

Festival Director Isobel Abulhoul said of the programme, “We look forward to welcoming more than 150 authors, celebrities and speakers from around the world who are attending the Festival this year. During five packed days, festival goers can choose from around  300 sessions covering  a wide variety of genres and topics including  women’s issues, journalism, history, biography as well as workshops and masterclasses on writing, illustration and self-help, plus, very  importantly, a chance to meet your favourite authors and discover new ones too. Tickets are already selling out fast to the Festival Friends, so we are expecting a packed Festival.”

The LitFest will be holding the Festival Prologue, a series of creative writing workshops, on the weekend before the Festival, on February 28 and March 1. The Prologue includes fiction writing, script-writing and paper-sculpting workshops by Sherry Ashworth, Mohammed Achaari, Anjum Malik and Dave Wood.

The Festival begins with a grand Opening Ceremony, to be held in Al Mamzar, with Paddy Ashdown, Pam Ayres, Jeremy Paxman and Tim Rice in conversation with Riz Khan.

The following evening offers a majestic treat for poetry-lovers with the return of Desert Stanzas, a night of poetry and music Nestled in the sand dunes. The second Desert Stanzas will feature UAE poets Khalid Albudoor and Khulood Al Mu'alla, who will be joined by former UK Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Berlin-based slam poet Frank Klötgen, Lemn Sissay, the official poet of the London 2012 Olympics and international Chinese poet, novelist and painter Yan Li. The poets will recite their works in a fabulous desert setting accompanied by authentic Arabic fare.

Sessions start on Thursday with the Female Focus morning, followed by the massively popular Murder Mystery Dinner, a light-hearted dinner where would-be sleuths have the chance to solve a crime with the help of authors.

A brand new event, Friday Rhythms, makes its debut on Friday night. The evening of poetry and music includes a rock/poetry fusion performance by LiTTLe MaCHiNe among others. Closing Night brings together authors and participants to celebrate the Festival past and to look forward to 2015.

New for this year is the Literary Idol, a cross between Dragon’s Den and Pop Idol, where writers can anonymously have their work critiqued by a panel of experts. Another new event is Big Ideas, where authors take the stage to talk about a subject of their choosing.

A number of exciting masterclasses and workshops will once again be part of the programme with subjects ranging from writing picture books (Vivian French) and writing memoir and biography (Raja Shehadeh and DJ Taylor), workshops on Arabic Script-writing by Mohammed Hassan, poetry workshops by Frank Klötgen and LiTTLe MaCHiNe along with Mariam Al Saedi’s creative writing workshop in Arabic.

The Festival will once again have the Penguin Fringe for children and adults, the Penguin Reading Garden and the Timeout Kids’ Zone. New this year will be a calligraphy exhibition with works by Mourad Boutros, Hassan Massoudy and Dave Wood.

The full author line-up, programme and tickets are available online at www.emirateslitfest.com. Tickets can be purchased in person at WH Smith. The Festival operates a dedicated membership scheme called Festival Friends which offers discounts on tickets as well as benefit packages.

For more details of the Festival please visit www.emirateslitfest.com. Join us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/emirateslitfest), Twitter (www.twitter.com/emirateslitfest), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EmiratesLitFest) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/EmiratesLitFest) for competitions and more updates.

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Author List 2014

Forename	Last name	Nationality	Genre	One-Liner
Kamal	Abdel-Malek	Egyptian		Academic and novelist with an interest in cultural encounters. Author of 'America in an Arab Mirror' and 'Come with Me from Jerusalem'
Dubai	Abulhoul	Emirati	Fantasy/ Sci-fi/ Children/ YA	Young Emirati author of ‘Galagolia: The Hidden Divination’
Mohammed	Achaari	Moroccan	Literary Fiction	Moroccan poet, joint winner of the 2011 International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Kate	Adie	British	History/ Journalism	Renowned British reporter and author of non-fiction including 'The Kindness of Strangers', 'Into Danger' and 'Fighting on the Home Front'
Amal Al	Agroobi	Emirati		Emirati filmmaker, whose documentaries include 'Half Emirati' and 'The Brain that Sings'
Mohammad Hassan	Ahmed		Script-writer	[FYI -Workshop 810]
Khalid	Albudoor	Emirati	Poetry	Emirati modernist poet, film producer and co-founder of the Emirati Writers' Union
Jim	Al-Khalili	Iraqi	Science/ Technology	Leading theoretical physicist and youngest ever recipient of the Michael Faraday prize for scientific communication
Ali	Alsaloom	Emirati	Society	Emirati cultural spokesperson and environmental awareness ambassador, best known for his 'Ask Ali' column in The National
Saud	Alsanousi	Kuwaiti	Literary Fiction	Kuwaiti novelist and journalist, whose novel 'The Bamboo Stalk' won the 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Abdullah	Al-Shwaikh	Emirati	Journalism	Journalist and director of media affairs for various UAE government entities, currently working on various government social media projects
	Amish	Indian	Fiction/ Publishing/ Celeb/ Arts/ Folk Tales	Acclaimed as 'India's Tolkien'; author of the Shiva Trilogy, the fastest-selling book series in Indian history
Charles	Arthur	British	Journalism/ Science/ Technology	Technology editor for the Guardian and author of 'Digital Wars: Apple, Google, Microsoft and the Battle for the Internet'
Paddy	Ashdown	British	History/ Society/ Politics	British diplomat, former leader of the Liberal Democrat Party and author of 'A Brilliant Little Operation: The Cockleshell Heroes and the Most Courageous Raid of World War 2'
Pam	Ayres	English	Poetry/ Biography/ Memoir	English poet, comedian, songwriter and presenter of radio and television programmes; her most recent collection is 'You Made Me Late Again!'
Mona Al	Bahar	Emirati		Director of the social development programme of the Emirates Foundation
Jody	Ballard	American	Personal Development	Artist, novelist and founder of women's wellness programmes, author of 'The Smell of Mud'
Samar Mahfouz	Barraj	Lebanese	Children/ YA	Lebanese author and translator, four of whose books for children have been shortlisted for the Etisalat Award
Mohammed Al Murr	Belabed	Emirati	Poetry	Emirati poet who has participated in cultural events throughout the Gulf
Amal	Belhoul	Emirati		Advisor to Watani and author of 'Al Muwatana El Salha', which will be published at the 2013 Emirates Lit Fest
Dherar	Belhoul	Emirati		Director General of Watani and author of 'Kharej El Nas'
Henry	Blofeld	British	Biography/ Memoir/ Sport	British sports journalist, cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match special and author of ‘Squeezing the Orange’
Luigi	Bonomi	British	Publishing	Leading literary agent whose clients include Terry Wogan, and also the judge of the Montegrappa First Fiction competition
Mourad	Boutros	Lebanese	Calligraphy	One of the world’s most outstanding Arabic calligraphers, designers and typographers, founder of Boutros International
Arlette	Boutros	Lebanese	Calligraphy & Cookery	Distinguished typographer, interior designer and writer, who also has a passion for Lebanese food demonstrated in her acclaimed cookbook, ‘Enjoy’
Jeremy	Bowen	Welsh	Journalism/ TV Production	BBC Middle East Editor and author of the books 'Six Days' and 'War Stories'
John	Boyne	Irish	Historical/ Fiction/ Children/ YA	Author of books for both adults and children, including internationally bestselling 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' and most recently 'This House is Haunted' and 'Stay Where You Are And Then Leave'
AA	Bukhatir	Emirati	Fantasy/ Sci-fi/ Children/ YA	Performer, author and businessman, founder of a mobile game development company and author of 'Dragon boy and the Witches of Galza'
Oliver	Burkeman	American	Journalism/ Psychology	Award-winning journalist, author of 'The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking'
John	Burningham	English	Children/ YA	Acclaimed children's illustrator, two-time Greenaway Medal-winner for 'Borka' and 'Mr Gumpy's Outing', and 2014 UK nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
Darcey	Bussell	English	Celeb/ Arts	Widely considered to be one of the greatest English ballerinas of all time, awarded a CBE in 2006.
Linda	Chaccour	Lebanese		Certified Youth, Family and Parent Coach and founder of EMERGE – Personal and Youth Coaching in Dubai
Taghred	Chandab	American	Children/ YA/ Journalism/ Language	Lebanese-Australian children's author interested in promoting cultural awareness and tolerance, best known for 'The Perfect Flower Girl'
Rajiv	Chandrasekaran	Indian-American	History/ Journalism/ Society/ Politics	National Editor of the Washington Post and author of the highly-acclaimed 'Imperial Life in the Emerald City' and ‘Little America: The War within the War for Afghanistan’
Ha-Joon	Chang	Korean	Journalism/ Business/ Economy	Award-winning economist, author of '23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism' and 'Economics: A User's Guide'
Melanie	Chappuis	Swiss	Fiction/ Journalism	Novelist and journalist, author of 'Maculée conception' and 'Des baisers froids comme la lune', 2012 recipient of the Canton of Vaud  La relève award
Amit	Chaudhuri	Indian	Literary Fiction/ Music/ Travel/ Place	Author, critic and musician, winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Betty Trask Award among others, his most recent book is 'Calcutta: Two Years in the City'
Eoin	Colfer	Irish	Comic Book/ Children/ YA	Author of 'Airman', 'Half-Moon Investigations', 'WARP' and the award-winning 'Artemis Fowl' series, as well as crime novels for adults
Justin	Cronin	American	Fantasy/ Sci-fi	Author of 'The Passage' and 'The Twelve'
Hayley	Doyle	British		Novelist, radio presenter and founder of Hayley’s Comet Theatre Company in Dubai, specialising in acting and musical theatre training for children and teenagers.
Kyra	Dupont Troubetzkoy	Swiss	Fiction/ Journalism	French-Swiss journalist and novelist, author of 'Le Hasard a tout prévu', currently working on a project on Emirati women
Nicholas	Evans	English	Crime/Thriller/ Literary Fiction/ TV Production	Film producer, screenwriter and author of 'The Horse Whisperer' and 'The Brave'
Mohammed Al	Fahim	Emirati	Society/ Politics	Emirati businessman, philanthropist and author of 'From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi'
Liz	Fenwick	British	Historical/ Romantic Fiction	Dubai-based author of 'The Cornish House' and 'A Cornish Affair'
Orlando	Figes	British	History	Historian of Russia best known for 'A People's Tragedy', as well as 'The Whisperers' and ‘Just Send Me Word’
Mohammad Ahmed	Fikree	Emirati		Illustrator of the graphic novel ‘Martyrs of the Flag’
Judy	Finnigan	British	Fiction/ TV Production/ Celeb/ Arts	One half of Richard & Judy, and co-founder of Richard & Judy's Book Club, as well as being an author in her own right with ‘Eloise’
Nicolas	Forzy	French		Head of Creative Development at content agency e-Motion and author of 'Alphanumeric', to be published in March 2014
Vivian	French	Scottish	Children/ YA	Prolific children's author whose 250 books include the 'Tales from the Five Kingdoms', 'Draglins', 'Sparkle Street' and 'Tiara Club' series
Seumas	Gallacher	Scottish	Crime/Thriller	Crime writer whose books include 'Vengeance Wears Black' and 'Savage Payback', voted blogger of the year 2013
Sally	Gardner	British	Children/ YA/ Special Needs	Author of the Nestle Gold Award-winning 'I, Coriander' and the Carnegie Medal-winning 'Maggot Moon'
Manal Al	Ghdani	Emirati	Children/ YA	Emirati author of 'Ubar, The Lost City'
Rafia	Ghubash	Emirati		Professor of psychiatry, founder of UAE Women's Museum and author of the biography of the renowned Emirati poet Ousha Bint Khalifa Al Swaidi
Parween	Habib	Bahraini	Poetry/ Journalism/ TV Production	Poet and academic, 2011 winner of the George Washington University Dynamic Woman Award, working on developing methods of teaching the Arabic language
Khalaf Al	Habtoor	Emirati
Rachel	Hamilton	British	Children/ YA	Runner-up in the first Montegrappa First Fiction competition, her children's book 'The Case of the Exploding Loo' won her representation by Luigi Bonomi and a book deal with Simon & Schuster
Joanne	Harris	British	Literary Fiction/ Fantasy/ Sci-fi/ Folk Tales	Author of the bestselling 'Chocolat' and many more novels, most recently 'Peaches for Monsieur le Curé' and 'The Gospel of Loki'
David	Heard	British	History/ Society/ Politics	Longtime UAE resident and author of 'From Pearls to Oil'
Frauke	Heard-Bey	German	History/ Society/ Politics	Historian and political scientist who has written extensively about the region
Charlie	Higson	English	Comic Fiction/ Children/ YA/ TV Production/ Celeb/ Arts	Author and comedy writer, best known for the book series 'Young Bond' and 'The Enemy' and TV shows including 'The Fast Show'
Accalia	Hipwood	British	Festival Story-teller	Dubai Radio Presenter with a radio career spanning over 20 years
Kathy	Hoopmann	Australian	Children/ YA	UAE-based author of 'All Cats have Asperger Syndrome' and the award-winning 'Inside Asperger's Looking Out'
Rachel	Hore	British	Historical/ Romantic Fiction	Author of six novels, most recently 'The Silent Tide’, and Tutor in Creative Writing and Publishing at the University of East Anglia
Georgina	Howell	British	History/ Biography/ Memoir/ Travel/ Place	Author of 'Daughter of the Desert', an acclaimed biography of Gertrude Bell
Nasser Al	Jaberi	Emirati	Children/ YA
Peter	James	British	Crime/Thriller/ TV Production	Author of the bestselling Roy Grace detective novels, most recently 'Dead Man's Time'
Buffi	Jashanmal	Bahraini		Author of 'Buffi's Dress Design' and former contestant on 'Project Runway'
Julia	Johnson	British	Children/ YA	UAE-based author of children's books, including 'One Humpy Grumpy Camel' and 'Leopard Boy'
Penny	Johnson	American	Society/ Politics	Co-editor of 'Seeking Palestine: New Palestinian Writing on Exile and Home' and associate editor of 'Jerusalem Quarterly'
Mossabeh Al	Kaabi	Emirati	Poetry	Emirati poet honored by UNESCO for his poetry and literature
Rashid Al	Kashf	Emirati	Poetry	Regular participant in personal and professional development workshops in leadership, team building, communication and presentation skills.
Ali Ahmed	Kashwani	Emirati
Hala	Kazim	Emirati		Emirati artist and creator of 'Journey Through Change'
Houriya	Kazim	Emirati		The UAE's first woman surgeon and founder of Dubai's only breast cancer support group
Simon	Kernick	British	Crime/Thriller	Bestselling author of 'Relentless', 'Siege' and 'Ultimatum', among others. His novels are praised for their breakneck pace
Saniyasnain	Khan	Indian	Children/ YA/ Publishing/ Society/ Politics	Indian television host and children's author with more than 100 children's books dealing with Islamic themes and issues  to his credit
Maitha Al	Khayat	Emirati	Children/ YA	Emirati children's author, whose book 'My Own Special Way' was named Best Children's Book at the 2011 Riyadh Children's Forum
Tessa	Kiros	Greek	Cookery	Cookbook author known for her evocation of place and taste in her books, which include 'Falling Cloudberries' and 'Recipes and Dreams from Italian Life'
Frank	Klötgen	German	Poetry	Slam poet, writer of hyperfictions and singer in the band Marilyn's Army, his most recent book is 'Büdchenzauber und Zechenverse', a mixture of novel, poetry and tourist guide
Camilla	Läckberg	Swedish	Crime/Thriller	Swedish crime writer whose books have been translated into 33 languages
Andy	Lake	British	Business/ Economy/ Environment	Specialist in Smart and Flexible Working, author of 'Smart Flexibility', 'Can Homeworking Save the Planet?' and the novel 'Shades of Green'
Christina	Lamb	British	Journalism/ Biography/ Memoir	Sunday Times US Editor, five-time Foreign Correspondent of the Year and author of books including 'Small Wars Permitting' and co-author of ‘I Am Malala’
Gabriele	Landwehr	German		Executive Manager and Regional Director of the Goethe Institut Gulf Region
Prue	Leith	South African	Cookery/ Business/ Economy	Restaurateur, cookery writer, businesswoman and novelist, whose most recent work is her memoir 'Relish'
Julie	Lewis	British	Self-development	Adventurer and personal development expert who led an expedition of UAE breast cancer survivors to Antarctica
	LiTTLe MACHiNe	British	Poetry/ Music/ Celeb/ Arts	Trio of poets and musicians who set well-known poems to music and perform them
Tim	Mackintosh-Smith	British	History/ Travel/ Place/ TV Production	Author of a trilogy of books following in the footsteps of the great traveller Ibn Battuta
Richard	Madeley	British	Fiction/ TV Production/ Celeb/ Arts	One half of Richard & Judy, and co-founder of Richard & Judy's Book Club; now an author in his own tight with ‘Some Day I’ll Find You’
Sahar Naja	Mahfouz	Lebanese	Children/ YA	UAE-based Lebanese children's author, whose books include 'Zarafa Melia', and founder of the writers' group HUNNA
Francesca	Main	British	Publishing	Editorial Director of Picador UK, chosen in 2011 by the British Council to participate in a UK editors' tour of China
Alia	Mamdouh	Iraqi	Literary Fiction	Iraqi novelist, essayist, and journalist whose novel ‘The Loved Ones’ won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2004.
Falah Al	Marri	Emirati	Poetry	Emirati poet who began composing at age 14
Hassan	Massoudy	Iraqi	Calligraphy	Calligrapher whose work is influenced by tradition, by his study of modern art and by his frequent collaboration in stage productions
Lara	Matossian-Roberts	Armenian		Writer, actor and director, on the committee of the Dubai Drama Group and Lead Coordinator for the Dubai Science Festival
Mohamed Al	Matroushi	Emirati		Emirati journalist and tv and radio presenter
Mohammad Al	Mazrouei	Emirati		Manager of the Emirati Writers' Union - Abu Dhabi and Director of Cultural Programming at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
John	McCarthy	British	Biography/ Memoir/ Travel/ Place/ Society/ Politics	British journalist, writer and broadcaster who was taken hostage hostage in Lebanon on his first assignment and for five years, which became the basis for his book 'Some Other Rainbow'
Sarah	McIntyre	British-American	Comic Book/ Children/ YA	Writer & illustrator whose works include 'Morris the Mankiest Monster', 'You Can't Eat a Princess' and 'Oliver and the Seawigs
Alexander	McNabb	British	Crime/Thriller	Digital communications expert, author of 'Olives - A Violent Romance' and 'Beirut - An Explosive Thriller'
Deon	Meyer	South African	Crime/Thriller	Award-winning South African thriller author, whose books published in English include 'Seven Days' and 'Trackers'
Fatma Al	Mheiri	Emirati		Illustrator of children's books, including 'Hungry Rosy' and 'Alhamdulillah for my Grandmother'
Sara Khalifa Al	Mheri	Emirati		Emirati communication professional & project manager currently working for Emirates NBD Group IT
Pankaj	Mishra	Indian	History/ Journalism/ Society/ Politics	Journalist, novelist and travel writer, author of the Orwell Prize-nominated 'From the Ruins of Empire'
Moni	Mohsin	Pakistani	Journalism/ Society/ Politics	Novelist and journalist, author of 'The Diary of a Social Butterfly', based on her column in Pakistan's 'Friday Times'
Andrew	Motion	English	Poetry/ Biography/ Memoir	UK Poet Laureate from 1999-2009, co-founder of the Poetry Archive and Poetry by Heart, his most recent collection is 'The Customs House'
Jojo	Moyes	British	Historical/ Romantic Fiction	Two-times winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, author of 'Me Before You' and the forthcoming 'I'll Take You There'
Khulood Al	Mu'alla	Emirati	Poetry	Respected Emirati poet, the first poet from the Gulf to win the Buland Al Haidari Award for Young Arab Poets. Her most recent collection is 'I Hold the Edge of the Light'
Abdulaziz Al	Musallam	Emirati	Folk Tales	Director of heritage and cultural affairs at the Sharjah Department of Culture and an expert on the folk history of the UAE, renowned for his storytelling skills
Abdulaziz Al	Najjar	Emirati		Author of more than 40 children's books and founder of Al Salwa publishing house
Ibrahim	Nasrallah	Jordanian	Poetry/ Society/ Politics	Much-awarded novelist and poet, whose works include the IPAF-shortlisted 'The Time of White Horses'
Noura Al	Noman	Emirati	Children/ YA/ Fantasy/ Sci-fi	Children's author whose first Young Adult novel, 'Ajwan', is one of the handful of science fiction novels published in Arabic
Nooreya Al	Obaidli	Emirati	Children/ YA	[#123 Made in UAE]
Sarah	Odedina	English	Publishing	Publisher who worked for Penguin and Bloomsbury before founding Hot Key Books, whose publications include Sally Gardner's bestselling 'Maggot Moon'
Helen	Oxenbury	English	Children/ YA	Celebrated children’s illustrator, having won the Kate Greenaway medal twice. Best known for 'Farmer Duck' and 'We’re going on a Bear Hunt'
Patty	Paine	American	Children/ YA/ Folk Tales	Poet, founding editor of 'diode poetry journal' and editor of 'The Donkey Lady and Other Tales from the Arabian Gulf'
Katherine	Pancol	French	Fiction	Moroccan-born French novelist known for the bestselling 'Les Yeux jaunes des crocodiles'
Anita	Papas	Lebanese	Self-development	Clinical psychologist who is passionate about positivity and personal growth, author of 'The Positive You!' and 'Go for It!'
Jeremy	Paxman	British	Journalism/ History/ Celeb/ Arts	BBC journalist best known for his 'Newsnight' interviews and for presenting 'University Challenge'; author of 'The English' and 'On Royalty' among others
Fadwa Al	Qasem	Palestinian		Author and artist who writes in both Arabic and English
Mimi	Raad	Lebanese		Image consultant for Al Arabiya News, fashion journalist and blogger
Philip	Reeve	British	Fantasy/ Sci-fi/ Children/ YA	Author of the bestelling 'Mortal Engines' series, as well as 'Larklight', 'Here Lies Arthur' and 'Oliver and the Seawigs'
Tim	Rice	British	Biography/ Memoir/ Music/ Sport/ Celeb/ Arts	Lyricist and author whose stage musicals include 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat', 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Evita'
Tony	Ross	British	Children/ YA	Award-winning illustrator possibly best known for his work on the 'Horrid Henry' and 'Little Princess' series
Silvena	Rowe	British	Cookery	Top chef and cookbook author, known for 'Country Show Cook Off' and her book 'Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume'
Rima	Sabban
Mariam Al	Saedi	Emirati		Emirati writer of short stories
Wafaa Al	Saffar	Qatari		Graphic designer, filmmaker and artist from Qatar; illustrator of 'The Donkey Lady and Other Tales from the Arabian Gulf'
Lubna	Sarwar	British-Pakistani		Teacher who researched and developed 'Sandstruck in the UAE', a resource pack that encourages self directed learning as well as a deeper understanding of the Emirati culture and language
Ali Al	Sayegh	Emirati	Poetry	Emirati Businessman and poet, whose poems have been published in the collection 'Awdat Al Nawras'
Samineh	Shaheem	Iranian		Assistant Professor of Psychology, founder of Bolt Down on Bullying who also introduced Life Clubs to the UAE
Rashid	Sharar	Emirati	Poetry	Emirati poet and performer, awarded the Fazza Order of Merit, presenter of the daily radio show 'Whisper of Nabati Poetry' on Dubai Radio
Raja	Shehadeh	Palestinian	Journalism/ Travel/ Place/ Society/ Politics	Palestinian lawyer and writer, founder of human rights organisation Al-Haq and author of Palestinian Walks
Jamal Al	Shehhi	Emirati	Publishing	Emirati writer and publisher, founder of Kuttab publishing and host of ' Halaqat Wasel' on Dubai TV
Francesca	Simon	British-American	Children/ YA	Creator of the phenomenally popular 'Horrid Henry' series of children's books
Lemn	Sissay	Ethopian	Poetry	Poet, playwright and author, official poet of the London 2012 Olympics and creator of Landmark Poems installed throughout London and Manchester
William	Sitwell	British	Cookery/ History/ Journalism/ Publishing	Author of 'The History of Food in 100 Recipes' and award-winning editor of 'Waitrose Kitchen' magazine
Hani	Soubra	Lebanese	Society/ Politics	Author of 'Conversations with Abed', 'Letters to Dalia' and most recently 'Islam and Brand Misrepresentation'
Ahdaf	Soueif	Egyptian	Literary Fiction/ Journalism/ Society/ Politics	Author, translator and political and cultural commentator known for her novel 'The Map of Love', the first recipient of the Mahmoud Darwish Award
Yasir	Suleiman	Palestinian		Professor of Modern Arabic Studies at the University of Cambridge and a former trustee of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Khalid Al	Suweidi	Emirati		Emirati writer & columnist, author of 'Hero in Spite of Myself'
Mona	Tayim	Jordanian	Language	Novelist, poet and journalist whose novels include the much talked-about 'Alarabizi Waljadeh Wardeh'
DJ	Taylor	British	History/ Biography/ Memoir/ Sport	Novelist, critic and biographer, author of the Whitbread-winning 'Orwell: The Life' and 'The Windsor Faction'
Nadine	Touma	Lebanese	Children/ YA/ Artists/ Publishing	Lebanese artist, author and founder of publishing house Dar Onboz; her  books include the popular 'Doodles'
Morgen	Witzel	British	Business/ Economy	Internationally-known writer, lecturer and thinker, whose books on management include 'Management from the Masters' and 'The Dragon and the Lotus'
Dave	Wood	Australian	Calligraphy	Australian calligrapher and designer
Rewa	Zeinati	Lebanese-American	Poetry	Author of 'Nietzsche's Camel Must Die' and founding editor of Sukoon Magazine
	Zep	Swiss	Comic Book	Artist and cartoonist, creator of Titeuf and 2004 recipient of the Angoulême Grand Prize