The UK’s leading book festival celebrating British South Asian writing will today announce the line up for the 2023 edition of the festival.
Now in its 7th year the DESIblitz Literature Festival 2023, will take place across venues in Birmingham including from 20th – 29th October and will feature some of the biggest names in British South Asian writing, fiction, poetry, storytelling, music, film, TV and publishing as well as exciting up and coming talent.
Festival Director Indi Deol:
“Our mission at the DESIblitz Literature Festival is to continue bringing together diverse audiences, transcending boundaries and celebrating the richness of cultures. With 90% of our festival events free to attend, we open doors to all, fostering inclusivity and accessibility. At the heart of our festival, we champion new and emerging voices, amplifying their stories and perspectives.
“We believe in nurturing talent and providing a platform for aspiring writers to shine. We invite you to explore the vibrant tapestry of storytelling, where renowned authors, thought-provoking panel discussions, interactive workshops, and mesmerising performances await. Mark your calendars and join us for a transformative experience that will leave you inspired, enlightened, and connected.”
Showcasing the real breadth of talent and creativity in British South Asian literature today, themed events will feature crime fiction, children’s fiction, historical fiction, poetry readings, and memoir, as well as discussions about diversity in British publishing, with a variety of music from Bangla to Punjabi Folk Music being performed. The UK’s biggest festival for South Asian culture was established by the beating heart of British South Asian news and media – DESIblitz.com an award-winning news and entertainment platform that showcases and celebrates all things British South Asian with a big focus on arts, culture and books.
The headline event at the 2023 DESIblitz Literature Festival will be a 25th Anniversary panel with the cast of Goodness Gracious Me. Actors including Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia will be joined by original script writer Sanjeev Kholi to discuss why GGM was a watershed moment for actors from the British South Asian Community, and the legacy of the show 25 years later.
The original Goodness Gracious Me sketch show, which is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer, memorably lampooned British Asian stereotypes, in sketches such as the famous “Going for an English” send-up, and Sanjeev Bhaskar’s recurring character “Mr Everything Comes from India”. Goodness Gracious Me was the first of its kind, featuring an ensemble of British Asian actors, including his future wife, Meera Syal, and by 1998 it had moved from Radio 4 to primetime TV, as part of an explosion of British Asian culture in the 1990s.
The show’s four stars Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia have gone on to win multiple awards for their acting including two Emmy Awards for The Kumars at No. 42 starring Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal. Nina Wadia OBE has won several comedy awards for her acting in EastEnders, Citizen Khan was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. Kulvinder Ghir went on to star in several Hollywood films including Blinded by The Light alongside Rob Brydon.
Tickets to the 25th Anniversary Reunion of Goodness Gracious Me as part of the 2023 DESIblitz Literature Festival will be £10 and will go on sale today, Tuesday 18th July. The event will take place in Birmingham’s B Music (formerly Symphony Hall).
Also at this year’s event highlights include broadcaster and Journalist Saima Mir, talking about her critically acclaimed Muslim female-led crime novel The Khan with the theatre director and crime writer Ajay Chowdhury will discuss his latest crime novel The Detective published by Penguin Vintage in April. Historical fiction novelist Melissa Addey has written several historical fiction series covering histories in Morocco, Ancient Greece and India and will discuss her latest release.
Inspiration for children will come from established authors Bali Rai and Jasbinder Bilan. Bali Rai’s popular children’s book Rani & Sukh described as a “true mash-up of Shakespeare, Bollywood and Punjabi folk tales”, was published in 2004 and later became a GCSE set-text, his latest novel A Sudden Storm comes out in October, while Jasbinder Bilan is the Costa Award winning children’s author of Asha and the Spirit Bird. In her writing, she loves creating magical worlds inspired by her love of nature and wild places.
Poetry is a big theme of this year’s festival, poets reading their work at the festival include Angela Rideau, Abda Khan, Charnjit Gill, Jaag Collective, Rupinder Kaur, Shamim Azad, Sharena Lee Satti, Sumera Farman, Anisa Butt and Suna Afshan.
Music will come from Channi Singh OBE the “godfather” of Bhangra in the West, Punjabi Music Composer Harbans Singh Jandhu, Kulwant Singh Bhamrah from the traditional Bhangra street band Apna Sangeet, up and-coming Punjabi folk singers the Grewal Twins as well as the master of bhangra dancing Sukhi Bart.
For full details on the 2023 DESIblitz Literature Festival as well as ticket details please visit https://www.desiblitz.com/literaturefestival/
