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JLF Houston Online Showcases 20+ Speakers Exploring Contemporary Topics

Asia Society at Home

We're bringing Asia Society directly to you! Learn, have fun, and explore as we continue to present and produce videos, family activities, interactive webcasts, and more.

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Presented in partnership with Teamwork Arts, Inprint, and the Consulate General of India in Houston, this year's JLF Houston Online featured more than 20 speakers across two days, embracing the digital space to further our tradition of showcasing rich conversations on contemporary topics across a wide international audience.

Our first digital edition of this annual Houston literary popup was livestreamed in November, and we're excited to make all the videos accessible on-demand!


Keynote Session: Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America

• W. Caleb McDaniel in conversation with Morgan Jenkins

 

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and academic William Caleb McDaniel's latest book, Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, is a stirring narrative of Henrietta Wood's journey from being a twice-enslaved woman to her fierce battle for justice and reparations. McDaniel has also written the award-winning book The Problem of Democracy in the Age of Slavery. In this session, he examines the unforgettable lessons of Woods' life and the value of the moral victory it represents.

 

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How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom

• Matt Ridley in conversation with Shruti Rajagopalan

How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley is a fascinating analysis of innovations across time and history. It argues that innovation is an incremental bottom-up and unpredictable process resulting from human exchange. The Fifth Viscount, Ridley is a hereditary peer who has been a member of the British Parliament and is also the author of The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge and The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. In conversation with scholar, economist, and columnist Shruti Rajagopalan, Ridley discusses the importance of collective and collaborative innovation and its significance in the shaping of the 21st century.

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Winners Take All

• Anand Giridharadas in conversation with Kanishk Tharoor

Political philosopher and provocateur Anand Giridharadas takes on the privileged classes in his scorching new book, the bestselling Winners Take All. It investigates the global elite's efforts to "change the world" except in ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. This searing critique of modern plutocrats who seek to do more good but never less harm is described as a call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike. A session that offers transformative perspectives to complex societal problems, this conversation is with author and critic Kanishk Tharoor.

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Bollywood: In Search of the Feminine Gaze

• Richa Chadda in conversation with Supriya Dravid

Bollywood, and the Indian film industry in general, is dominated by men and tends to have an innately masculine bias. However, recent trends have shown films centered around women actors and themes making their mark. The spirited and hugely popular actor Richa Chadda speaks of searching for the feminine sensibility and the important perspectives it represents. Chadda has a background in theater. Her major films include Masaan, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Sarabjit. She has won awards and accolades, received both critical and popular success as an actor, and consistently spoken up against patriarchy, misogyny, and injustice. In this session, she speaks of her career, films, and beliefs.

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Myth and Modernity

• Amish and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni in conversation with Vayu Naidu

Myth is the story that cannot be confined or constricted by time and place. The burgeoning myths that are being told and retold around the world have origins dating back thousands of years, stretching their limbs into the current time as their relevance is estimated and assessed. The speakers in their session are admirably poised to assess the cultural impact of myths in the current global setting. Amish, currently Director of the Nehru Center in London, is the bestselling author of the Shiva Trilogy, Rama Trilogy, and most recently, Legend of Suheldev. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's bestselling works include Mistress of Spices, Palace of Illusions, and Forest of Enchantments. In conversation with author and performance storytelling Vayu Naidu, the session will examine the interplay of modernity and ancient myth.

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Akbar: The Great Mughal

• Ira Mukhoty in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy

Akbar was the most admired of all the Mughals, and one of only two Indian rulers to be widely known as "The Great." But before Ira Mukhoty's writings, he has been without a modern biography. Here, Mukhoty talks to Sanjoy K. Roy about her groundbreaking study that led to her latest book, Akbhar: The Great Mughal.

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Each of Us Writers: Diaspora and Displacement

• Jenny Bhatt and Mimi Lok in conversation with Neelanjana Banerjee
• Presented by Indiaspora

Identities morph and change with borders and geographies. How do diasporic writers address displacement-driven themes of rootlessness, marginalization, fragmentation, alienation, isolation, nostalgia, assimilation, acculturation, adaptation, multiculturalism, and more in their fiction? How do they choose whose stories to tell? How do they navigate their own quests to belong, given their cultural loyalties? As diasporic writers in the U.S., Jenny Bhatt and Mimi Lok will speak to Neelanjana Banerjee on how displacement, whether physical or cultural or both, has shaped their storytelling and their own identities as writers.

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The End of October

• Lawrence Wright in conversation with Omar El Akkad

The End of October by celebrated journalist and writer Lawrence Wright is an eerily timed novel on the catastrophic impact of a mysterious virus that ravages the world. Wright is also the author of books such as God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Looming Tower: Al-Quaeda and the Road to 9/11. In a conversation with writer Omar El Akkad, he discusses a world which seems no stranger than our reality and the history of viral diseases and their impact on global institutions.

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I Can't Breathe

• Homi K. Bhabha in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy

A crucial session exploring the deep-rooted changes sending waves through the social fabric of the United States of America and the aftereffects felt across the world. In the midst of a global pandemic, this year has seen massive Black Lives Matter protests coming to the forefront right before a national election. This sociocultural and political upheaval has led the the questioning of a plethora of issues ranging from the present gun laws to the existing healthcare situation of minority communities in the country. Scholar and critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha is the Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. His work explores postcolonial theory, cultural change, and power. In a conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, he discusses a wide range of interconnected issues that arise from human unpreparedness and the steps forward to a more inclusive world.

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Asia Society hosts today's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect Asia Society views.


About Teamwork Arts

For over 30 years, Teamwork Arts has taken India to the world and brought the world to India, presenting the finest of Indian performers, writers and visual artists in the cultural and art space in India and abroad.

Every year, Teamwork Arts produces over 25 performing, visual arts and literary festivals in several countries including Australia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the UK and USA as well as many eclectic festivals across India. They produce the world's largest literary gathering: the annual Jaipur Literature Festival; JLF international now travels to the US, UK, Canada, Qatar and Australia and have recently launched a digital series - JLF Brave New World. Teamwork Arts’ musical extravaganza, Bollywood Love Story - A Musical, continues to tour the world with sold-out shows everywhere it is held. More information at: www.teamworkarts.com


About Inprint

Inprint, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 with the mission of inspiring readers and writers, has helped to transform Houston into a diverse and thriving literary metropolis. Inprint directly serves more than 15,000 Houstonians annually with low-cost or free literary performances for adults and children featuring leading writers; writers workshops for the general public, senior citizens, K-12 teachers, veterans, healthcare providers, the incarcerated, and more; and support for some of the world’s top emerging creative writers, in the form of fellowships and prizes - more than $4 million, to date. 


About Asia Society at Home

We are dedicated to continuing our mission of building cross-cultural understanding and uplifting human connectivity. Using digital tools, we bring you content for all ages and conversations that matter, in order to spark curiosity about Asia and to foster empathy.


About Asia Society Texas Center 

With 13 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the rest of the world. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach. 


Major support for Performing Arts programs comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Ellen Gritz and Milton Rosenau, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment, The Hearst Foundation Inc., The Brown Foundation Inc., Mary Lawrence Porter, and the Anchorage Foundation of Texas. Generous funding also provided by AARP, The Clayton Fund, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Miller Theatre Advisory Board.  Additional support provided by the Wortham Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, United Airlines, The Southmore, and through contributions from the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming and exhibitions to Asia Society Texas Center. Jaipur Literature Festival is produced by Teamwork Arts in partnership with Asia Society Texas Center and Inprint.

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Asia Society At Home

  • Spotlight Asiatown

    Celebrate Houston's vibrant and diverse Asian and Asian American communities through Asia Society Texas' project highlighting concentrated areas of AAPI-owned businesses as well as the city's rich history and offerings.
  • Houston's Asian American Journeys

    Produced in partnership with the University of St. Thomas MAX Studios and Yetter Coleman LLP, Asia Society Texas' video series 'Houston's Asian American Journeys' illuminates the voices of Asian Americans and Houston's rich diversity.
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    Join us for virtual field trips, online classes for adults, and at-home adventures and resources for students!
  • Encore Series

    Revisit highlights from the very best of our in-person programs — in bite-size form.
  • COVID-19 Series

    Explore insights and conversations that contextualize information around the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Webcasts

    Join us for broad-ranging webcast conversations with speakers and artists to inform, educate, and uplift.
  • Staff Picks

    Stay entertained indoors with the Asia Society Texas Center team's favorite books, shows, games, podcasts, and more!
  • Visit from Home

    Enjoy a closer look at the art and architecture of Asia Society Texas Center.
  • Around the World

    Dive into a curated variety of videos, articles, webcasts, and more from around the web.
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