Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Among the attractions at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 (SIBF) will be Hollywood star Will Smith, who is scheduled to make a special appearance at the event, which runs from November 5 to 16 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The Oscar-winning actor and rapper will appear as a guest speaker on November 14, where he is expected to share his personal reflections on life and creativity.
A regular visitor to the UAE, Smith has frequently expressed his admiration for the country’s culture and hospitality. He has skydived over Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah and celebrated his wedding anniversary in the city with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
This year’s SIBF promises an exciting blend of new features and events. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme “Between You and a Book,” this 44th edition has an expansive cultural and literary agenda designed to deepen visitor engagement.
Among the new highlights is the introduction of the “Pop-Up Academy,” an interactive platform featuring numerous sessions led by influencers and specialists in literature, media, art, and technology.
Another addition is the UK’s renowned “Poetry Pharmacy,” an inventive concept that offers visitors personalised prescriptions of poetry, delivered in bilingual Arabic and English bottles that transform poetry into a playful and therapeutic experience.
For the first time, the SIBF will also host a dedicated “Podcast Station”, capturing the region’s growing digital audio culture. Visitors can engage with popular Arabic podcast programmes like “Asmar”, “Jolan”, “Karakpodcast”, “Kirsi Al Ithnayn”, “Takhayyal”, and “Arab Cast”.
This station provides live recording opportunities and interactions with podcast hosts, blending traditional literary formats with contemporary media trends.
The cultural programme further celebrates creative writing through the “Poetry Corner,” which will host a series of “Poetry Nights,” showcasing multi-lingual voices in Arabic, English, Urdu, Punjabi, Tagalog, Malayalam, as well as the new additions of Greek and Russian.
The SBA Community Book Club Sessions debuting at the SIBF will feature readers in lively, in-person dialogues with acclaimed authors Banu Mushtaq, the 2025 International Booker Prize-winning writer of “Heart Lamp”, and Jeffrey Mason, the founder and bestselling author behind “Hear Your Story”, advocating for personal storytelling.
SIBF will also host the 4th edition of the “Thriller Festival” from November 8 to 11, in collaboration with Thriller Festival New York; and a highlight will be “Murder at the Majlis”, an interactive murder mystery play scheduled for November 8.
