The City of Cape Town is putting its best book forward as a sponsor of the annual literary event, the Open Book Festival, which takes place at the Homecoming Centre and the Book Lounge, from 2 to 4 September.

'The City is proud to support the Open Book Festival as a prestigious event such as this helps local writers share their writings with a wider audience and provides local readers with the opportunity to read literary works produced by people from their communities,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

The first Open Book Festival was held in 2011 and the ninth event, in 2019, drew nearly 10 000 festival goers to more than 150 events.

This year the programme boasts 40 events and over 80 participants who are all South African based, as the organisers have prioritised channelling any funding to the literary sector which continues to feel the effects of the pandemic.

'The City is committed to not only promoting local authors, but also building a love of books and reading as evidenced by the huge number of programmes presented by our libraries. The festival gives authors and readers an opportunity to connect and engage around books, words and ideas,' said Alderman Smith.

All books on sale throughout the festival are written by the participants and signing sessions take place at the end of each event.

The programme includes panel discussions, one on one interviews and poetry performances.

For a detailed programme of the events, and to find out whether they are free or paid, please go to https://openbookfestival.co.za/festival-programme/#.

Source: City Of Cape Town