Lahore Literary Festival in New York 2019: Morning Session

"Lahore Literary Festival – a safe place for dangerous ideas." —The Guardian

"Rarely has an event framed around books and ideas felt so urgent." —New York Review of Books

The Lahore Literary Festival (LLF), one of South Asia’s premier cultural events, returns to Asia Society New York for the fourth iteration of the festival in New York. LLF in New York will explore contemporary Pakistan, through artists, writers, and commentators. The festival will present American audience with a more nuanced view of Pakistan, with discussions on fiction and nonfiction writing, art, architecture, history and politics. 

This listing is for the morning sessions of Lahore Literary Festival. Purchase tickets for the afternoon sessions here:

Afternoon Session Tickets

Schedule:

11:00 a.m.: Opening Remarks
• Rachel Cooper, Director, Global Performing Arts and Cultural Programs, Asia Society
• Razi Ahmed, Founder and CEO, Lahore Literary Festival
• Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, New York

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Lahore, Art and Literary Icons
Poets, artists and activists have historically inspired a broader political and social consciousness in Lahore where freedom and the rights of citizens are integral to the written, spoken and visual forms. Amongst them are Faiz Ahmed Faiz, A R Chughtai, Manto, Patras Bokhari, Anna Molka, Mazhar Ali Khan and Asma Jahangir. Illustrating a historical sense of place, of Lahore, in shaping the artistic, literary and cultural traditions of Pakistan and South Asia.

• Salima Hashmi, artist, activist and author of The Eye Still Seeks: Pakistani Contemporary Art
• Khaled Ahmed, contributing editor Newsweek Pakistan, and author of Sleepwalking to Surrender: Dealing with Terrorism in Pakistan
• Iftikhar Dadi, Associate Professor, Cornell University
• Raza Rumi (moderator), Director, Park Center for Independent Media, Ithaca College; faculty Cornell Institute for Public Affairs; and Editor NayaDaur Media

12:15 – 1:00 p.m.: Writing Stories of Food
South Asian cities are known for their street food. Lahore’s fabled Lakshmi Chowk and Gowalmandi are epicenters of centuries-old Mughal recipes, which foster a sense of continuity with the past, while contemporary chefs and cookbook writers are simultaneously reinventing traditional recipes. Spotlighting South Asia’s great culinary talent, the panel will present food as part of the region’s invaluable intangible heritage.

• Madhur Jaffrey, actress, food and travel writer, author of James Beard Foundation Hall of Fame cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking
• Sameen Rushdie, author of Indian Cookery
• Sumayya Usmani, writer and author of Summers under the Tamarind Tree
• Ahmed Ali Akbar (moderator), freelance writer, podcaster, editor and video host

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.: US-Pakistan: Continuing Challenges
Pakistan and the U.S. were allies during Cold War. Post 9/11, the U.S. designated Pakistan a major non-NATO ally. In spite of the continuing challenges, Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of Fulbright scholarships and a significant community of Pakistanis lives in the U.S. contributing to the bilateral relationship through trade, services and travel; what are the opportunities and present challenges for the relationship to be rebooted?

• Richard G. Olson, United States ambassador to Pakistan, 2012- 2015 and the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2015- 2016
• Shuja Nawaz, former director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, and author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and recently, The Battle For Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighborhood
• Madiha Afzal, Visiting Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings Institute, and author of Pakistan Under Siege: Extremism, Society, and the State
• Jennifer Griffin (moderator), national security correspondent for FOX News Channel 

For tickets to the afternoon session, please click here