Houstonia’s The Must List tells you about something going on in Houston that you absolutely cannot miss.

The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) hails itself as “the world’s grandest celebration of books and ideas.” While, yes, this is marketing speak, the annual event—now in its 18th year—comes about the superlative honestly. Hundreds of thousands of people attend to listen to world-class authors speak and read, while also enjoying live music and shopping for books and book-related gifts from global vendors. JLF has expanded so much since its 2006 founding by Indian author and editor Namita Gokhale and Scottish historian William Dalrymple, it’s now being held beyond Jaipur’s borders—beyond the entire Indian subcontinent’s borders, even.

Along with Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Seattle, Washington, Houston is one of the five American and two European cities offering the prestigious gathering an international home. The Asia Society Texas Center serves as the hub for JLF’s presence in the city for its eighth year, with satellite events also planned at Rothko Chapel, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), and the Eternal Gandhi Museum. Held from September 5 through 7, visitors will be treated to a Q&A with Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur; a book launch for Indian author Achyuta Samanta’s treatise on the philosophy of generosity, The Art of Giving; poetry readings; and panels on AI, identity and power structures, climate justice, social isolation, and other prescient topics, plus live music and food vendors from across South Asia.  It promises a weekend full of stimulating debates and discussions on fiction, nonfiction, and poetry alike, courtesy of a few notable locals who shot their shot and offered to bring JLF to Houston.

Suraj Dhingra, senior vice president at Teamwork Arts, the organization behind JLF, says he received emails from both the Asia Society and University of Houston creative writing professor Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni regarding the expansion of the festival in Houston. They both said the same thing: “If you're looking at another home in the US, [Houston’s] here and so happy to support it,” he says. (This year, Divakaruni will host a workshop on how to create magical worlds.)

Today, JLF’s Houston attracts anywhere from 400 to 700 people annually. According to Michael Buening, the director of performing arts and culture at Asia Society, the programming is always tailored to local interests, such as the medical and energy industries, environmental concerns, and immigration. Many Houstonians are not exactly up on contemporary Indian political and cultural developments. Conversely, many Indians might not be as familiar with every facet of life in Houston. The expansion of JLF into other parts of the world helps facilitate a broader understanding of points of difference, of commonality, and of compromise.

“[Teamwork Arts] brings this great spirit to the festival in Jaipur, of community and celebrating the arts and…accessible intellectual thought. [We’re] really happy with their approach to the festival,” Buening says. “It’s been very much a concerted effort to bring different authors and thinkers over from India, who we might not normally hear from, to bring their books. They sell their books. They sign their books, but also connect with Houston authors, Texas authors.”

This year, Dhingra, Buening, and their teams have also planned programming aimed at getting kids excited about both literature and Indian culture. Divakaruni’s world-building workshop is intended for all ages, and Inprint’s deputy director Krupa Parikh will converse with local young adult author Liara Tamani. Buening describes JLF as serious, yet “joyous,” with the more lighthearted offerings serving as an entry point for parents to discuss the ideas they’ve encountered during the event with their children.

JLF Houston will also be posted to the YouTube channel for anyone whose schedule couldn’t accommodate the events. Around 29 million people tune in to the online iterations of the respective festivals. Between the more kid-friendly options and ways to catch up with favorite authors and topics online, JLF is ensuring that as many audiences as possible can discover potentially life-changing literature and ideas. 

“What we try to do is create a journey. We discuss the journey behind the book, not necessarily what is in the book,” Dhingra says. “That makes it much more interesting.”