HIGHLIGHTS: ZEE JLF at Boulder returns for the third edition at the Boulder Public Library from September 15-17, 2017Over 70 authors from across the world feature at ZEE JLF at Boulder 2017 including Michael Rezendes from the Boston Globe’s famed ‘Spotlight’ team who exposed the Catholic church scandal; Suki Kim , the only reporter to have gone undercover in North Korea; author-columnist, diplomat, and current Indian Ambassador to the US NavtejSarna ; iconic poet Anne Waldman ; diplomat and author VikasSwarup of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame; Christina Lamb author of “The Africa House” and “I Am Malala”, co-authored with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai; Emmy Award-winning writer KayhanIrani and Alberto Ruy-Sánchez , fiction and non-fiction writer, poet and essayist from Mexico City.
With a tradition of setting literary discussions against a cultural backdrop, ZEE JLF at Boulder features an exhibition by awardees of the Ojas Art Award 2017 and musical performances to begin and end the daily program of the Festival.
In its long standing partnership with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Festival also presents a session titled “ Patriot Games: Contextualizing Nationalism” on September 10 at MoMA in New York.
Mumbai, September 12, 2017 : The US edition of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival returns for the third year at the Boulder Public Library from September 15 – 17, 2017 with a promise to Get High on Literature!
A festival of literature from all over the world, ZEE JLF at Boulder, Colorado is an event unlike any other. Free and accessible to everyone, rich with words and ideas, it is a bite sized platter for US audiences to experience ‘the greatest literary show on Earth’ as ZEE JLF has been often called. The Festival examines the human experience through the reflections and imaginations of distinguished contemporary authors from across the globe.
ZEE JLF at Boulder kicks off on Friday, September 15th at the Boulder Public Library, featuring more than 70 authors from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe in provocative conversations about life and society, economics and the arts, equity, freedom, and the care of our planet. The program includes over 40 sessions spread over three days covering themes that include migration and cultural appropriation, 100 years of the Russian Revolution, feminism across cultures, journalism and reportage, nature and the environment, U.S. gun culture, Native American rights, yoga and meditation, constitutions, LGBT, Latino, African American and Native American voices.
Much like the flagship ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival in India, ZEE JLF at Boulder features art and cultural showcases including an exhibition from the awardees of the Ojas Art Award 2017 for traditional Bheel Art from one of the many tribal communities from India. Audiences can look forward to spell-binding musical performances including Sacred Chanting by the GadenShartse Monks on Friday, September 15; Morning Music by Deborah Marshall & Nan Shannon on Saturday, September 16 and Songs of Mirabai by VinataGangolli accompanied by Arvind Sathe and recitations by Andrew Schelling on the morning Sunday, September 17. Lisa Marie Simmons’ NoteSpeak Project with special guest Miles Simmons will perform at the Evening Music on Saturday, September 16.
ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, in its long standing partnership with The Museum of Modern Art, also features a session at MoMA in New York on Sunday, September 10. Presented through MoMA’s post presents series of talks devoted to the cross-geographical consideration of modern and contemporary art, the session features Urvashi Butalia, BouchraKhalili, Bruce Robbins, and EyalWeizman in conversation with Marie Brenner on “Patriot Games: Contextualizing Nationalism” . The accelerating changes and unrelenting disruptions of globalization have led to a severe backlash and regression into simplistic racial, tribal and national identities. The panel examines the psychology of the nation state, as well as the vision of the human species as inhabitants of a shared planet.
FROM ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LIMITED:
Sunil Buch, CEO – ZEE LIVE & ZEE Talent | Head – Corporate Brand & Communications
It is our firm belief that television is all about great writing and we pride ourselves on creating quality content, driven by strong storylines and iconic characters. As the world goes increasingly digital, we find that it is becoming all the more important to keep the love for the written word alive. Today’s youth are less likely to spare time to actually sit down and read a book even if it’s in the form of a Kindle Edition or an audio podcast. In this digital age, it is initiatives like the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival that are helping to revive the passion for the written word amongst the youth and to nurture the spirit of love towards literature.
ZEE takes great pride in this property and after successfully partnering with the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival in India for over four years, we have now extended our association to the international editions – Boulder in the U.S. and British Library in the U.K. which perfectly matches our endeavour of opening channels of dialogue between authors, poets and thinkers from around the world. The first two editions of ZEE JLF at Boulder have been immensely successful and we are confident that the Festival will reach new heights this year with attendees engaging in relevant, provocative debates and conversations around the core theme of ‘Freedom to Dream’ that will enlighten audiences on how to make the world a better place to live in.
FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTORS
NamitaGokhale
ZEE JLF at Boulder returns in its third edition. At a time of bewilderment and flux, the Festival represents the values of diversity, resilience, and intellectual rigor. Writers from far and near exchange thoughts and ideas, sharing their stories and experiences.
We are each other’s stories, and our human narratives converge and collide and reformulate as we struggle to understand our turning world. From the ancient learnings of India and Tibet and the songs of Milarepa to the tidings of new technology, from the wellsprings of the First Nations to the complexities of colonialism, globalization, and nationalism, the struggle for authenticity, the entanglement of cultural appropriation, the labyrinth for politics, and the call for truth, we bring a range of sessions, panels, and talks that give voice to our ever-changing times. Literature and poetry, drama and music, bring us the consolation of the timeless pursuit of the arts.
ZEE JLF at Boulder is a rooted, local festival. An essential, grounded sense of community combines with a deep cosmopolitanism, reaching across oceans and continents and cultures, bridging Jaipur and Boulder.
Join us for a weekend brimming with ideas and excitement, and a unique journey of the mind and spirit. From the Steps to the Brook, Sky scapes, and the Canyon Theater for perspectives on the world, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
William Dalrymple
The ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival is a unique celebration of writing that has grown into something bigger and more wonderful than anything we could ever have hoped for when we first conceived this festival nearly a decade ago. From only fourteen guests turning up in 2005, most of whom were tourists who took the wrong turn, we had a big enough crowd in 2006 to nearly fill the Diggi Durbar Hall. About 400 people came in 2007. This year, we had more than 350,000 footfalls, and the success of Jaipur has inspired a whole galaxy of nearly 60 other literary festivals, not only in India, but in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. We are as surprised as we are proud of this. All events are completely free; there are no reserved spaces for grandees; our authors mingle with the crowds and eat with them on a first-come, first-served basis. People also know that when they come here, they will have a lot of fun. But the scale and reach of the Festival is something that still takes us all aback. When we ask an author to come to Jaipur, they very rarely say no, and this year we are proud to present a galaxy of Booker, Pulitzer, and Commonwealth nominees. Jaipur has now become synonymous with the greatest writers on the planet.
For the third time, we present at Boulder a mini taster platter—a sort of pocket-sized Jaipur—transplanted from the Aravallis to the Rockies. We can’t wait to once again show the United States a little taster of the energy and colorful literary brilliance that has made Jaipur the most happening literary festival in the world.
FROM THE FESTIVAL PRODUCER
Sanjoy K. Roy
In today’s polarized world, it is the arts which have the power to be a window to varied cultures; they bridge philosophies, cross over differences. Art and literature are not bound by political boundaries; they have a universality that allows the reader to absorb an idea, explore its differences, and appreciate its inherent diversity. In these divisive times, we need to create more platforms that allow the exchange and flow of ideas, knowledge, and traditional wisdom.
This confluence of East and West continues to bring to you new voices from across the world, highlights contrasts, recognizes similarities, engenders empathy, and acknowledges the very essence of the freedom to dream. It is this dream that brings forth the creative force, creates a new order, and celebrates humanity!
I hope you enjoy ZEE JLF at Boulder as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and ADVISOR
Jessie Friedman
Jules Levinson
Literature festivals are burgeoning throughout the United States and all over the world. We’ve marveled at the magnetism that creates intensely fierce passion for and dedication to this phenomenon, one that has taken many by surprise. It would seem that people do indeed yearn to engage in deep intelligence and in meaningful human connection, and to immerse themselves in the utmost potential of the human mind and heart. It appears that there is genuine and widespread passion for people of diverse backgrounds coming together in community and reflecting on the critical issues of our times, in conversation with great thinkers and writers who’ve delved deeply into such matters. And, it turns out that there is incredible passion for the exquisite art of language. We’ve seen veils lifted and the lights go on in people’s eyes innumerable times as they experience firsthand the unexpected magic of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, something utterly un imagined yet deeply fulfilling. We are thrilled and grateful that this passion and magic has brought us all the third edition of ZEE JLF at Boulder. Thank you for joining us in this festival of the mind.
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)
