Gerakbudaya PJ will hold a special weekend sale with discounts of up to 50% on books by and about women (Photo: Gerakbudaya)
Besides International Women's Day on the 8th, this month also offers opportunities to appreciate literary works. Bibliophiles will be glad to know that a number of events dedicated to World Book Day (March 5) and World Poetry Day (March 21) have popped up within the Klang Valley. From book sales and fairs to author meet and greets and talks, here are four literary events to look out for.
International Women’s Day Book Sale
In recognition of the courage and achievements of women around the world, Gerakbudaya PJ will hold a special weekend sale with discounts of up to 50% on books by and about women, comprising fiction, non-fiction, memoirs and children’s titles, including forgotten Malaysian leaders such as Shamsiah Fakeh and P.G. Lim. The publisher and book distributor hopes to highlight and support the call for gender equality and women’s rights.
Gerakbudaya, 2 Jalan Bukit 11/2, Seksyen 11, PJ. March 7 & 8, 10am. For more info, see here.
World Poetry Day
To celebrate World Poetry Day, cultural activist, poet and singer-songwriter Kulleh Grasi, Penang-born writer, journalist and founding editor of independent publishing house Obscura Malaysia Hafiz Hamzah, and Syrian poet, performer and engineer Mwaffaq Al-Hajjar will present an afternoon of poetry translated from Iban, Bahasa Malaysia and Arabic into English. Besides reading a few of their poems, they will also speak about their works and books. PUSAKA creative director Pauline Fan, who translated Kulleh Grasi’s collection of poems, Tell Me, Kenyalang, will join as guest.
Lit Books, P-01-11 Tropicana Avenue, 12 Persiaran Tropicana, Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, PJ. March 21, 4-6pm. For more info, see here.
Book exchange session
The KL Book Exchange has been held every fourth Sunday of the month for the last few years. It was started by a group of book lovers who wanted to share the joys of reading. The rules are simple: Just bring a book or a few, and exchange it for another. You can also buy a book at RM5 each.
Wisma TM open car park, Taman Desa, KL. March 22, 8.45-10.45am. For more info, see here.
Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair
The annual book fair organised by the Ministry of Education and National Book Council of Malaysia returns. It is particularly significant this year as Kuala Lumpur has been named Unesco World Book Capital 2020. More than 700 vendors will be taking part and activities include talks and dialogues, a read-and-share competition and best book cover award. There will also be a rest-and-read area on level 4.
Putra World Trade Centre, 41 Jalan Tun Ismail, Chow Kit, KL. March 27 to April 5,10am-10pm daily. For more info, see here.
This article first appeared on Mar 2, 2020 in The Edge Malaysia.
