INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair Shine Spotlight on South Asia Literature TORONTO,

INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair is a mass celebration of reading and writing poised to engage 50,000 fairgoers over three and a half days at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Working with Meenakshi Alimchandani, head of Toronto-based South Asian service agency Desi Resources, and in partnership with the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Fair will feature a series of literary events with a South Asian focus.

At “The State of the Publishing Industry Around the World” fairgoers will hear from a panel of speakers from the international publishing community. Neeta Gupta will speak on behalf of Indian publishing house Yatra Books, a multilingual press that aims to empower Indian readers and connect local and international voices. This discussion will take place on Saturday, November 15 at 11 a.m. in From the Four Corners, INSPIRE!’s dedicated international programming room.

Navtej Sarna, author of We Weren’t Lovers Like That and The Exile and India’s Ambassador to Israel, will be in the spotlight at “The Jaipur Literature Festival Presents: Navtej Sarna.” Travelling from India for this event at INSPIRE!, Sarna will appear on Saturday, November 15 at 12:30 p.m. in From the Four Corners.

Fairgoers can discover South Asian literature close to home at “The Jaipur Literature Festival Presents: Canadian Authors Published in India.” This showcase of South Asian-Canadian authors features Anirudh Bhattacharyya, Jasmine D’Costa, Anosh Irani and Manjushree Thapa and is moderated by poet, novelist and professor Priscila Uppal. This presentation will take place on Sunday, November 16 at 10 a.m on the Spark Stage, INSPIRE!’s go-to stage for the year’s most talked about books.

Mahtab Narsimhan, award-winning author of The Tiffin and an INSPIRE! Fair Ambassador, will host “Myth and Magic with Mahtab Narsimham” on Sunday November 16 at 3:30 p.m. on the TD Children’s Stage. Children should come prepared for fun and prizes at this introduction to fantastic magic, Hindu mythology and more in children’s fiction.

About INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair is Canada’s book exposition for all things print and digital, launching November 13-16, 2014. From literature to children’s books, from romance to mystery, from the science of business to the business of science, the book, in all its forms, will be the star of the Fair. In addition to the English-language market, INSPIRE! will provide for Toronto’s diverse language communities, hosting international, national, regional and local exhibitors. INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair is a place for readers to connect in the most immediate ways with those who write and with those who produce the books they love, a place Page 1 of 2where people can reconnect with the passion and enchantment of the world of reading. INSPIRE! is committed to supporting a healthy book business. Find INSPIRE! on Facebook at facebook.com/torontobookfair and on Twitter at @InspireTIBF or visit torontobookfair.ca.

Ticket Information INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair tickets are available now. Tickets are $15 per person, with re-entry on all three days included in the price of admission (visitors are required to pick up a re-admission pass). The Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 14 and 15 and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on November 16. Tickets are available online at torontobookfair.ca/tickets. Tickets for the INSPIRE! Lift-Off Opening Party (19+) on November 13 go on sale on September 12. Tickets are $25 and include general admission to the Fair.

INSPIRE! is very grateful to its supporters, partners and sponsors. Their support and generosity has made our inaugural year possible and we are proud to acknowledge their involvement with INSPIRE!

Government Partners: The Province of Ontario, The City of Toronto, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Ontario Arts Council, Governor General’s Awards and the Toronto Arts Council. Exclusive News Media Sponsor and Presenting Partner of INSPIRE! Lift-Off Opening Party: The Globe and Mail Exclusive Media Broadcast Sponsor: The CBC Major Program Sponsors: TD Bank Group, Piller’s Fine Foods, Next Issue Canada and Blurb Inc. Participating Sponsors: Neal Brothers Foods, Ontario Power Generation, Friesens Corporation, Metro News, Tourism Toronto, Inter Continental Toronto Centre Hotel, Three Events and Porter Airlines Media Partners: Toronto Life, L’Express de Toronto, Quill and Quire, Owl Kids and Zoomer Magazine. Programming Partners: The Jaipur Literature Festival, The Canadian Children’s Book Centre, CANSCAIP, CODE, First Book Canada, The Humber School for Writers, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Ontario Library Association, The Writers’ Union of Canada and Toronto Public Library. Media Contact Tatiana Read, Knot PR (416) 220-1466 tvr@knotpr.com knotpr.com

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