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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2019 7 CULTURE LITERATURE THE 2019 Malta Book Fes- tival, the foremost book cel- ebration of the year, opens for the public on Wednesday 6 November with a conference on sci-fi and fantasy literature titled 'Strange New Worlds', organised by the National Book Council. Led by translator and writer of the Maltese language epic It-Tawmaturgu: Il-Ħmura ta' Filgħaxija, Mark-Anthony Fenech, the conference will bring together Loranne Vella (Malta), Jon Courtenay Grim- wood (UK), Kali Wallace (US) and Dave Rudden (Ireland), four writers who have all cre- ated new and strange immer- sive worlds in their literature. The conference will be provid- ing a space in which the panel of authors reflect on the con- cerns and contexts that give rise to their works. The conference will address one of the original tropes of fantasy and science-fiction literature, the creation of contemporary myths and al- ternative futures, improbable playgrounds in which actions bring about palpably real con- sequences. These are the genres of the great "what if?" thought ex- periments in literature, often reflecting the angst of the cur- rent age through a myriad of (un)familiar worlds. In the midst of a longstand- ing and ongoing debate, the question of literariness and genre fiction will also be ex- plored. Few still subscribe to the unambiguous division of the high art of literary fiction and escapist genre fiction. Along this spectrum, many works inhabit a vast middle ground and yet the latter's outsider status continues to define reader's expectations. Following these lines of in- quiry, the conference aims for a wider discussion on the unlikely ways in which the creation of imaginary and fan- tastical worlds keep providing a means for authors and read- ers to come to terms with real world matters. At the end of the discussion, the partici- pants will take questions and comments from the public. Dave Rudden is the award- winning author of the Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, as well as the Doctor Who an- thology Twelve Angels Weep- ing. He has been lauded as the 'next J.K. Rowling' and has spoken in over 500 schools and libraries over three conti- nents on the road towards be- coming a writer and overcom- ing bullying. Jon Courtenay Grimwood was born in Malta and grew up in the Far East, Britain and Scandinavia. He has written for leading UK newspapers and magazines. Felaheen, the third novel in the 'Arabesk' trilogy, won the British Science Fiction Association Award (BFSA). His novels have been shortlisted for numerous other awards including the Arthur C Clarke Award, the British Fan- tasy Award and the John W Campbell Memorial Award. His works have been translat- ed in over ten languages. Loranne Vella is a Maltese writer, translator and per- former. Between 2007–2009 she co- wrote the three vol- umes of the Fiddien Trilogy with Simon Bartolo - each of which won the National Book Prize. Rokit, her first novel for adults, was published to critical and public acclaim in March 2017, and won the National Book Prize in 2018. She lives in Brussels, where she directs the interdiscipli- nary performance art group Barumbara Collective. Their latest performance - Verbi: mill-bieb 'il ġewwa - was based on Vella's collection of short stories mill-bieb 'il ġewwa, due for publication in November 2019 by Ede Books. Kali Wallace studied ge- ology and earned a PhD in geophysics before she real- ised she enjoyed inventing imaginary worlds more than she liked researching the real one. She is the author of the young adult novels Shal- low Graves and The Memory Trees and the middle-grade fantasy City of Islands. Her first novel for adults, the sci-fi horror-thriller Salvation Day, has been published earlier in 2019. Her short fiction has ap- peared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Tor.com and other speculative fiction magazines. She lives in southern Califor- nia. The conference 'Strange New Worlds' will be held on Wednesday 6 November at 7pm at the Theatre Hall, Med- iterranean Conference Centre. This year's festival will take place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, starting from Wednesday 6 November and going on till Sunday 10 November. The programme of events will be delivered in printed form to all households in Mal- ta and Gozo in the next fort- night. Download or view the full programme of events on www.ktieb.org.mt. 'Strange New Worlds' Sci-fi and fantasy to feature in opening conference of the 2019 Malta Book Festival The second edition of the International Kite and Wind Festival will be held in Gharb, Gozo, between 18 and 20 October, and it is being organised by the Gharb Local Council and sponsored by the Gozo Ministry. 20 countries, including Malta and Gozo, will be participating in the festival which is being held at the limits of San Dimitru in Gharb International Kite and Wind Festival in Gozo