In the past, we have had the participation of prominent South Asian authors such as Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Bapsi Sidwa, Moshin Hamid, Vijay Prasad, Meena Alexander, Nisha Ganatra, Sara Suleri, Shyam Selvadurai, Mira Kamdar, and Jonah Blank among many others. To read about the previous SALF, held in 2001, click here.

We hope that the festival will continue to serve as a platform for dialogue and discussion on South Asian identity as it has done so in the past. However this year, we will also have panel topics on issues important to writers and readers of non-fiction. An example of a non-fiction panel topic might include an anthropological view of fusion culture: Mexican-Punjabi fusion culture in California state, Indian American Youth Culture in NYC, and South Asians in Aix-En-ProvenceƒIs it all the same really?

In addition, the organizers of the upcoming festival are also committed to supporting a sustainable professional development tool for aspiring South Asian literary professionals. To that end, this year's festival will also have panel topics on how to get published, how to turn a novel into a screenplay and how to market screenplays.

Finally, this year's festival will also host theater performance by NETSAP's STAGE (South Asian Theater Arts Guild Experiment). To read about STAGE, their work and contribution to this yearÍs SALF, click here.

The First Words South Asian Literary Prize

This year's festival will serve as the inaugural event for the First Words South Asian Literary Prize, sponsored by the Society for the Support of The South Asian Literary Prize. A distinguished keyote speaker will inaugurate the prize along with five award winning authors who served as the 2003 judges for the prize: Indira Ganesan, Maniza Naqvi, Alan Cheuse, Richard Peabody, & William Tester. To read more about the prize, the judges and prize winners,click here.