Wayanad Literature Festival's third edition to be held from Dec 20 to 23

Wayanad (Kerala): The third edition of the Wayanad Literature Festival (WLF), organised in a rural setting, will be held at Dwaraka in Mananthavady here from December 20 to 23, organisers said on Friday. In a statement, the organisers said the biennial festival would bring together hundreds of writers, filmmakers, artists, academics and cultural figures from India and abroad.

The inaugural edition in 2022 featured more than 100 speakers and attracted around 20,000 visitors, while the second edition in 2024 hosted over 400 speakers and drew more than 1.1 lakh attendees. The organisers said the festival's online content reached nearly 70 million people following the 2024 edition. The list of speakers for this year's edition will be announced in the coming months, they said.

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WLF founder and director Dr Vinod K Jose said the festival's rural setting had helped it remain closely connected with the local community. "A literature festival in a remote agrarian landscape draws its strength from the community itself. It becomes a celebration of ordinary people, their resilience, expression and need for representation," he said.

Organisers highlight festival's growth

"It is heartening to see people from diverse backgrounds come together at WLF to discuss literature, culture, climate and community, creating a space for expression, new ideas and lasting memories," Jose added. Senior journalist and festival curator Leena Gita Reghunath said the response received by the festival over the past two editions reflected the strength of its programming and its independent character.

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Curator V H Nishad said WLF had evolved into a platform bringing together people from diverse communities, with initiatives such as heritage walks and campfire readings giving it a distinct identity. Besides literary sessions, the festival will host an international academic conference, a film festival, a book fair, a food fair, a farmers' market, heritage walks, a children's arena, masterclasses, a literary quiz and an arts and crafts fair, the statement said.

It has also instituted a Best College Magazine Award. The organisers said the early bird delegate pass is priced at Rs 799, while a one-day ticket for adults costs Rs 50. A committee comprising representatives from various sections of Wayanad forms the organising committee, while 260 public libraries across the district are community partners of the festival.