Expo City Dubai launches Connecting Minds Book Club
Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri will launch Expo City Dubai’s Connecting Minds Book Club on 1 June at Terra Auditorium, leading a movement that celebrates the power of books to raise awareness and action on climate change and sustainable development.
The book club, in collaboration with the Emirates Literary Trust, will connect the community of readers with stories that matter and give everyone the opportunity to engage with some of the world’s most thought-provoking authors. The series will begin with the publication of Okri’s The Work of the Tiger, a combination of fiction, essays and poetry inspired by environmental activism and a powerful personal call to fix the climate.
Ben Okri said: “Climate change is the most important issue of our time and I feel a great responsibility to draw attention to it through the tremendous power of literature. Presenting The Work of the Tiger to the world at Expo City Dubai, an innovative city committed to promoting sustainable development, gives this event even greater significance. It’s very important to have these conversations in the lead-up to COP28 to lay a solid foundation.”
The Connecting Minds Book Club will be home to some of the greatest storytellers from around the world, with regular talks, autograph sessions and children’s workshops. More information on upcoming events and outstanding writers will be available soon.
It will kick off on 31 May with a series of events in which Okri, in conjunction with the Expo School programme, will hold a workshop for school children in the UAE, talking about the magic of nature and talking about his children’s book ” Every Leaf a Hallelujah” which will be published in 2021. It will culminate on June 1 at 7pm when the Nigerian-British author will present his book ‘The Work of the Tiger’ during a discussion moderated by Ahlam Boluki, director general of Emirates Literature Foundation.
Nadia Vergie, executive director, Expo Dubai Group, Expo City Dubai, said: “Connecting Minds Book Club brings together a community of book lovers committed to harnessing the power of stories to inform, inspire and stimulate action on our changing climate. I can think of no better author than Ben Okri to raise the curtain on this exciting new cultural series.” As Expo 2020 Dubai has shown, there is a large community of people making a difference every day in the UAE. Expo City Dubai looks forward to bringing them together to participate in a wide range of programmes and events at COP28 and beyond.”
To register for the event and become a member of the Connecting Minds Book Club, visit the Expo City Dubai website.
Source: Dubai Media Office
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