Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin is an acclaimed Sudanese novelist and short story writer, whose many Read More

Abdulsalam Haykal is the CEO of Haykal Group, which has been based in Abu Dhabi since 2013. The Read More

Afra Mahmood is an Emirati writer whose a short story collection White Bed was published in Read More

Ahlam Bolooki is the Director of the Emirates Festival of Literature – the Middle East’s Read More

Alia Al Shamsi is an Emirati-Italian author, poet and photographer. She has a Bachelor’s degree Read More

Allison K Williams is the author of Get Published in Literary Magazines and Seven Drafts: Read More

Amal Alsahlawi is an Emirati poet who studied Arabic literature at the University of Sharjah Read More

Ameera BuKadra is an Emirati author for children and young adults who holds a bachelor’s Read More

Amin Maalouf was born in Beirut. He studied economics and sociology and then worked as an Read More

Team coach and author Andy Fieldhouse is a man with a mission: to help people get teamwork Read More

Born and raised in the UAE, with roots in Oman and Zanzibar, Arqam is a young Emarati soul Read More

Arthur de Oliveira is a filmmaker, poet, theater practitioner, and artist from Limeira, São Read More

Originally from Scotland, Ashley Green now teaches in Dubai and has done for ten years. Read More

Since 1998, Asmaa Seddiq Al-Mutawa, from the United Arab Emirates, has dedicated her time to Read More

Avni Doshi was born in New Jersey and is currently based in Dubai. She won the Tibor Jones Read More

LitFest Launchpad author Bashayer Arif is an Emirati writer, and The Secret Life of Dubai’s Read More

Bolu Babalola is a London-based writer, and lover of love. In 2016, she was shortlisted in Read More

Autodidact artist born and raised in Amman, Jordan, Camil Karam started learning and developing Read More

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of four Sunday Times bestselling novels. Her Read More

Dana Dajani is an award-winning Palestinian writer, performer, and advocate. She lives and Read More

Danabelle Gutierrez is a writer, actress, and photographer. She is one of Illustrado’s Read More

Derek Owusu is a writer and poet from north London. He discovered his passion for literature at Read More

Dr Ali Bin Tamim has been the Secretary General of Sheikh Zayed Book Award since November 2011. Read More

Dr. Rafia Ghubash is the first qualified psychiatrist in the UAE. She conducted pioneering Read More

Ebtisam Al-Beiti is an early years professional who has had a passion for education since her Read More

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Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist. She writes in both Turkish and Read More

Fadi Zaghmout is a Jordanian author and gender activist. He holds an MA in Creative Writing and Read More

Fatima Albreiki is a writer, critic and researcher from the United Arab Emirates, and the Read More

Ghaith Hassan Alhosani is from Khorfakkan City, Sharjah, UAE, and graduated in public relations Read More

Hafsa Lodi is an American journalist who has been covering fashion in the Middle East for the Read More

Hamad Al Hammadi is an Emirati writer awarded the UAE Pioneers Award in 2016 as the first Read More

In April 2019, Her Excellency Hala Badri was appointed as the Director General of Dubai Culture Read More

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri was born in 1961 and serves as the Director General of Read More

HE Omar Saif Ghobash is an author, businessman, and diplomat, currently serving the United Arab Read More

Heather Grace writes poetry on the run, in between listening to her existentialist six-year-old Read More

Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi is the UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth since July 2020, where Read More

Hisham El Kheshen is an Egyptian civil engineer and novelist born in 1963 who holds an MBA from Read More

Houriya Al Taheri is an Emirati sportsperson, FIFA coach and instructor, and businesswoman. She Read More

Omani author Huda Hamed holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic literature from Aleppo University, Read More

Immanuel Kim is Korea Foundation and Kim-Renaud Associate Professor of Korean Literature and Read More

Isabel Thomas is a science writer and author of more than 150 books about science and nature Read More

Jay Jayamohan is a Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. Read More

Johannes Els is the head of the Herpetology and Freshwater Fish Department at the Breeding Read More

Jojo, Founder of Jojos Art House, is an artist and happiness guru with a passion for combining Read More

Julia Johnson has read stories on radio and TV, narrated stories for audio-book companies, run Read More

Kareem Maatouq is an Emirati poet. Formerly the president of the Emirates Writers Union in Abu Read More

Lemn Sissay is a BAFTA-nominated, award-winning writer and broadcaster. He has authored Read More

Maitha Al Khayat is an international children’s author and illustrator from the UAE. With 170 Read More

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist, student, UN Messenger of Peace and the youngest Read More

Mark’s first collection The Rainbow Factory was published by Templar Poetry in 2016 following Read More

Born in Botswana, Max Stanton – also known as Max of Arabia – spent his formative years Read More

LitFest Launchpad author Michael Lynes writes historical mysteries and has a particular Read More

Mimi Nicklin is the internationally bestselling author of Softening The Edge and the host of Read More

Mohamed Al Marzooqi is an Emirati writer interested in cultural and literary affairs. He has Read More

Mohammed Ahmad Mohammad Al Murr Al Falasi (born 1955 in Dubai) is a short-story writer from the Read More

Mounir El Hayek is a Lebanese novelist who has published three novels: Dubai Metro in Read More

Nafea Alyasi is a doctor and writer from the United Arab Emirates. He holds a BA in general Read More

Nasser Iraq is an Egyptian novelist and writer born in 1961. He has published ten novels since Read More

Syrian writer and director Obada Takla holds a bachelor’s in law from Damascus University and Read More

Oyinkan Braithwaite is a graduate of Creative Writing and Law from Kingston University. Read More

LitFest Launchpad speaker Padmini Sankar, a short-story writer and author, has lived in Dubai Read More

LitFest Launchpad speaker Priyanka Pradhan is a Dubai-based journalist with experience of 13 Read More

Ranganath Subramoney, aka Ranga, is a true global citizen. With his roots in a traditional Read More

Dr Rupy Aujla, MBBS,BSc, MRCGP, is an NHS GP working in Emergency Medicine and completing a Read More

LitFest Launchpad author Saba Karim Khan is an author, award-winning filmmaker and educator, Read More

Sam Copeland is an author, which has come as something of a shock to him. He is from Manchester Read More

Sarah Almehairi was born in Abu Dhabi in 1998, where she currently lives and works. She Read More

Satyarth Nayak is an author and screenwriter based in Mumbai. A former SAARC Award winning Read More

Selim Batti is a writer, translator and literary critic. His works include the novels I Will Read More

LitFest Launchpad author Shahana Raza is the granddaughter of Saeeda Bano, the first female Read More

Award-winning poet and artist Shamma Al Bastaki graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi with a double Read More

LitFest Launchpad author Shan Romeo Chauhan was born in the UK and has lived in Dubai since the Read More

Sherif Arafa is a self-development author, editorial cartoonist and public speaker. He holds an Read More

Stephanie Robert has a degree in psychology from the University of Ottawa, Canada.  She has a Read More

Sultan Al Ameemi is an Emirati writer, researcher and storyteller who has published twenty-two Read More

Talal Salim Alsaabri is an Emirati poet and journalist. He has participated in many poetry Read More

Taleb Alrefai is a Kuwaiti novelist, storyteller and cultural advisor to Kuwait’s National Read More

A Syrian writer living in UAE, Tamim Hnaidi has published a number of stories and articles in Read More

Thomas Erikson is a Swedish behavioural expert, lecturer, and bestselling author. He has Read More

Victoria R. Montgomery Brown is CEO and co-founder of Big Think, the knowledge company that Read More

Walaa Kamal is an Egyptian writer and translator born in the UK in 1984. During his university Read More

Zayed AlMarzooqi is an Emirati writer who published his first two Read More