Jaipur Literature Festival -- Nonfiction

JLF at Boulder

September 15-17, 2017

“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” -- Maya Angelou.

One need not be 'young' and trying to gain a sense of themself in the world. I think we all experience days when our sense of self has abandoned us. We wake up and look at the same day ahead of us that we lived through yesterday and the day before -- the same responsibilities, the same dishes to wash, the same route to work, the same "how are you," and the same "fine," when we're not so sure we're fine at all. 

That's when Maya Angelou is right all over again. Literature, whatever our choice, takes us out of ourself. Helps us see the world from a different perspective, offers us alternatives, requires nothing more from us than we are willing to give. It gives us a soft place to land when we need one.

And there is a whole world of literature out there.

The Jaipur Free Literature Festival, the world's largest free literature festival, began in Jaipur, India in 2006. In 2014 it expanded to London. And this will be its third year in Boulder, Colorado. Mark September 15 through 17 on your calendar and come to Colorado.

The primary venue will be the Boulder Public Library which stands at the foot of the Flat Iron Mountains.

Admission is free, but you do need to preregister. If you'd rather stay in Denver, Boulder is less than an hour away along a scenic drive complete with wildlife.

Food at the festival is reasonably priced and easily available -- not to mention that there's a Lucile's Creole Cafe in Boulder open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (8 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.)

My favorite place in the library to meet friends

The library is spacious and beautiful with plenty of venues for the various panels. There is ample opportunity to ask questions following the panel discussions and the presenters, who are from all over the world, are gracious and accessible between sessions.

A major concept that I came away with from one of last year's panels was the difference between immigrants and refugees. The panel was especially focused on the Vietnam War and featured Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer last year's Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction. And Andrew Lam, a PBS correspondent and Vietnamese refugee.

It was from them that I came to understand that an immigrant to this country, or indeed to whatever country, planned to come here. They did research. They sold whatever they had in their old country and saved their money to invest in their new country. They dreamed of the possibilities. They chose to come.

A refugee, on the other hand, ended up wherever they ended up because they could no longer expect to survive in their old country. They very often were not allowed to bring anything with them, other than what they might sneak out of their old country. There would be little or no preparation, no dreams, just get out as best they could to whatever country would let them in. They truly have to "depend on the kindness of strangers."

Come to the Jaipur Literature Festival in Boulder, touch the world, and let the world touch you through its many and varied literary traditions.