We provide advice and guidance to the overseas offices of the British Council on a wide range of types of literature activity including writers' visits and tours. These activities take many forms, including: festivals, conferences, seminars, workshops, writing residencies, online creative writing schemes, favouring a reader-centred approach through Reader Development initiatives. We aim to cover all types of writing; from the novel to popular science writing, from storytelling to literary translation.

Beriut39
Various dates until March 2010
The British Council is partnering with the Hay Festival for Beirut 39 - an initiative to select and celebrate 39 of the best Arab writers (fiction and poetry) aged 39 and under as part of our activities supporting Beirut World Book Capital 2009.  The writers will be promoted in a series of events in bookshops, schools, libraries and during a festival in March 2010.  The 39 writers will also be translated and published in an anthology which will be promoted internationally and serve as a legacy to increase the access to and reach of contemporary Arabic literature around the world.  The British Council is supporting this initiative through our networks and links in education as part of our commitment to intercultural dialogue and the belief that through access to contemporary ideas and creativity we can gain a greater understanding of our own and other cultures around the world.  For more information - and to nominate a writer before July 15 - click here.

India 09: Through Fresh Eyes
Various dates in April 2009
'Through Fresh Eyes' was the British Council’s exciting new literature programme which highlighted the India Market Focus at London Book Fair 2009 through participation in a series of literature festivals, workshops and readings in India and the UK. Indian and UK luminaries took part in many events. Click here for more information.

Abu Dhabi International Festival of Literature
17 - 22 March 2009
As part of its commitment to Reader Development in the region, the British Council invited specialist David Kendall to take part in a series of workshops designed to encourage reading amongst young people. Taking place in the Children’s Corner of the Book Fair, David gave 14 workshops to both students and teachers.

With titles including ‘Batteries not Included’ and ‘What would we choose if we let them?’ the workshops looked at the importance of reading as a skill and resource to unlock creativity,  ways in which families as a whole can engage in reading and how we can enable young people to make choices about what they read.

Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature Fringe
Dubai, UAE 26 February - 1 March 2009
As part of its activity with the Voices project, literature department arranged a series of workshops Literature in Education’ &‘Writing and Performing for Young People to take place at the Fringe of this year’s EAIFL, the first literature festival of its kind in the region.  UK Storyteller Alec Williams and performance poet Val Bloom performed Poetry and Storytelling to young people and families who came to see the UK artists.  

More than 150 participants, Poets, Storytellers, Teachers of Literature and Teachers of English attended the various workshops with topics including Poetry in Performance, Poetry in the Classroom, Storytelling in the classroom and Storytelling techniques.

During the trip Alec and Val visited two schools in Dubai and performed to the students there. The visit was followed by a roundtable discussion with other delegates from the region, (UAE, KSA, Qatar and Yemen) to assess and explore areas of future development and collaboration.

Animating Literature: East Asia Performance poetry workshop: Words and Beyond
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 17 - 20 February 2009
Following on from the British Council’s successful three-year Animating Literature project in East Asia, this seminar explored the relevance of understanding visual literacy and themes of interculturality at a primary level. Participants from across East Asia included English language teaching (ELT) specialists, teacher trainers and representatives of various ministries of education. UK speakers included the popular writer and illustrator Oliver Jeffers, plus literacy and educational expert Janet Evans and ELT specialist and storytelling pro Carol Read. Click here for more details on the current project. You can also click here for the full three-year project listing.

Cairo International Book Fair
22 January – 2 February 2009
In celebration of the UK being guest of honour at the 2009 Cairo Book Fair, the British Council arranged an exciting programme of events focusing on developing links between the UK and Arab World publishing industries. This included seminars, breakfast briefings and networking events, as well as sessions with writers such as Ben Okri, Margaret Drabble, Ahdaf Soueif and many more. Click here for more information.

Hay Festival in Cartagena, Columbia
29 January  – 1 February 2009
As part of the UK presence at the international literary festival in Cartagena, the British Council sponsored author Martin Amis to deliver the British Council lecture in conversation with Hay festival founder Peter Florence.  Also in attendance was Benjamin Zephaniah who delivered a poetry reading and author Isabel Fonseca who spoke with Juan Villoro about her debut novel ‘Attachment.’

Athens Children’s and Young Persons’ Book Fair 2009
23 - 26 January 2009
This year the British Council arranged a series of talks, workshops and performances aimed at engaging young people in reading.

Walberberg Seminar of Contemporary Literature
22 - 25 January 2009
This year's seminar, the 24th, was held at Akademie Schmockwitz, Berlin on the theme ‘Changing Literary Climates'. Click here for more information on the Seminar from British Council Germany.

Jaipur Literature Festival
21 – 25 January 2009
The British Council had a significant presence at this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival as part of the wider cultural programme ‘India 09: Through Fresh Eyes’.