The first UK festival of east and south-east Asian writing will be held in September
A partnership between Foyles and a publishing network will launch a new festival focusing exclusively on writers from east and south-east Asia, thought to be the first in the UK.
On 23 September 2023, Foyles’ flagship store on Charing Cross Road in London will host the ESEA Lit Fest, which is organized by the ESEA Publishing Network, a group of publishing professionals.
Maria Garbutt-Lucero, publicity director at Hodder & Stoughton, and commissioning editor Joanna Lee, who works at independent publisher Atlantic Books, founded the group in 2022. Its goal is to promote east and south-east Asian writers in the UK publishing industry and amplify their voices.
Last month, the ESEA Publishing Network held a lunar new year celebration to bring publishing professionals and writers together. The publisher 4th Estate will host a debuts night on 16 February featuring Cecile Pin, Wiz Wharton and Nicola Dinan, as well as a preview of Yellowface by RF Kuang.