Eleventh edition of literary festival: One for the books
08 September 2023
On World Literacy Day, Cape Town is hosting the 11th annual Open Book Festival at various venues across the metropole, from 8 - 10 September 2023. The City of Cape Town is continuing its decade-long partnership with the festival.
Established in 2011, the Open Book Festival is one of the most popular events on the literary calendar for authors, publishers and readers gathering for three days of meaningful conversations.
The festival's celebration of books, reading and stories takes place from 8 – 10 September at several venues including the Homecoming Centre in District Six.
The City's Library and Information Services continues its longstanding relationship with the Open Book Festival and was involved in piloting the first ever Youth Fest earlier this year.
Hosted at several City libraries, in June 2023, the Open Book Youth Fest saw a number of young readers and writers attend story time sessions, writing, and storytelling workshops as well as open mic sessions for aspiring poets.
'Reading and writing are fundamental to how we learn about the world, connect with others and share opinions and ideas. We are thrilled to strengthen our relationship with the Open Book Festival and look forward to joining efforts to continue promoting a reading culture and encourage the love of books among young people and families in our communities,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia Van der Ross.
This year's programme consists of a remarkable combination of established and debut writers.
It includes workshops, story time sessions, discussions and talks by some of the country's best authors touching on topics of collaborative writing, creative responses to conflict, explorations into heritage, identity and much more.
In addition, the City's Library and Information Services are hosting an activation at the Open Book Festival Marketplace showcasing the various e-learning resources offered by libraries, as well as a membership drive.
Furthermore, the City is marketing its 1000 Stories Before School reading campaign targeting parents and children under six.
'The City of Cape Town is a proud supporter of the Open Book Festival and we understand the importance of creating an enabling environment for writers, storytellers, poets and literature lovers of all ages to have meaningful conversations and connect through the lens of books. We remain committed to supporting events that centralise the role of literacy in building inclusive communities,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
For a detailed programme of events, visit https://openbookfestival.co.za/obf_programme_2023_sept/OBF2023-Sept_Prog.html
Tickets start from R50 for content sessions and panel discussions, while other sessions showcasing self-published writers and reading sessions are FREE.
Tickets are available at Webtickets.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
