Media Release
Margao, Nov 26: Goa-based Publishing Next in association with Goa Art and Literature Festival (GALF) is organizing a series of panel discussions on topics that concern the publishing industry in India.
Established in 2011, Publishing Next has over the years organized annual conferences that include panel discussions, workshops and master classes. It has been its effort to get the best practitioners in the Indian publishing industry to sit together and lay bare the problems and challenges faced by Indian publishers and allied service providers. This latest round of panel discussions, scheduled for December 7 at the International Centre, Goa is another step in that direction.
The two panel discussions focus on topics that have of late been on everyone's minds. The first, titled 'To Tell or Not To Tell: Dealing with the ‘difficult’ in books for young readers' will discuss if books published for children and young adults empower them with the knowledge that they are not alone in their battles and encourage them to develop an empathetic understanding of the world. In a complex society like ours, the panel will explore, how we should tell these stories and how we should deal with the consequent challenges of publishing and reaching the books to wider audiences. The panel, moderated by Radhika Menon (publisher, Tulika Books), will include authors Paro Anand and Jerry Pinto, Sayoni Basu (publisher, Duckbill Books) and Sujata Noronha (educator who directs the work of Bookworm Trust - a library based organisation in Goa).
The second panel titled 'Indian Language Literature at the Global Table' will explore whether recent successes like Ghachar Ghochar and One Part Woman suggest that the world is waking up to the riches of Indian literature or if there is still a missing piece that needs attention. The panel will discuss if Indian publishers are equipped to make the most of the opportunity that this interest in Indian literature presents and what if anything, it will take for other Indian language books in translation to find a larger acceptance globally and replicate these recent successes. Vinutha Mallya, presently assistant features editor at Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd, and an advisor to the Publishing Next conference will moderate the panel. The other members of the panel include Shruti Debi, a literary agent based in New Delhi; Maitreyi Karnoor, a poet and translator; Anurag Basnet, managing editor at Speaking Tiger Books and Vasudhendra, who runs his own publication house, Chanda Pustaka, which publishes and encourages new writing in Kannada.
The panel discussions, will be held on December 7 at 9.30 pm. The sessions, like most of the programme at the festival, are open to all. There is no entry fee.