Click here for details on Festival venues -- Programme details subject to change.

From 25 February through 14 March, coffee-table books from leading Asian publishers will be available for reading and browsing at selecting pacific Coffee shops. Click here for details.

Monday 8th March
Everyday	The Economist Gallery, Fringe Club	OUTLOUD Poetry A multi-media poetry exhibition from Hong Kong's poetry group, OUTLOUD.
6:30 - 7:30	FCC	FCC Literary Soiree Far Eastern Economic Review Michael Vatikiotis discusses his new novel The Spice garden, which is receiving its HK launch at the Festival.
7:30 - 9:00pm	The Fringe Club	Five New Scorchers - Hot off the Press! Performances of work from five leading Hong Kong poets -- Mani Rao, Timothy Kaiser, Kavita Jindal, Gillian Bickley and Martin Alexander -- with recently published collections. State of the art and stimulating! Presented with the support of OUTLOUD. [ more information ]
Tuesday 9th March
5:30 - 7:30pm	Hong Kong University	Is the Author Really Dead? Lecture by Prof John Carey, Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford University until 2001, followed by reception.
6:30 - 8:00pm	FCC	An Evening with Maxine Hong Kingston: A unique chance to encounter Maxine Hong Kingston in an intimate setting. Join Maxine for a drink as she discusses, The Fifth Book of Peace, her first work in a decade.
6:30 - 8:00pm	The Helena May	The Royal Geographical Society presents: The Last Secrets of the Silk Road: Alexandra Tolstoy presents her 7000km trek across China and Central Asia by camel and horseback.
7:30 - 9:00pm	Hong Kong Central Library	Co-hosted by the Young Post (SCMP): Just for Kids: In a special session for children aged 7-15 and families, the Festival's award-winning children's authors Gillian Cross, Paul Yee and Colin Thompson talk about their books. CHILDREN'S SESSION [ more information ]
Wednesday 10th March
Weds & Fri afternoons	The Fringe Club	The Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators special offer: Publishing Isn't Just Kids' Stuff!: Attend both In Print! - An Introduction to Publishing and The Nuts & Bolts of Children's Books for a single low price! [ more information ]
4:00 - 6:00pm	The Fringe Club	In Print! - An Introduction to Publishing A workshop and panel discussion for writers covering the industry today in Asia and worldwide with publishers, lawyers, editors and other local and international industry experts. Featuring Peter Gordon (publisher, Chameleon Press), Eric Oey (publisher, Periplus), Mark Hanusz (publisher, Equinox), Winnie Yeung (Baker McKenzie), Michelle de Kretser (writer, editor) and others. PROFESSIONAL SESSION [ more information ]
5:30 - 7:30	Fringe ground floor bar	Chameleon Press and Equinox Book Launch: Join two of Asia's leading independent publishers and their authors for a drink as they announce their new books.
7:00 - 8:30pm	British Council, 3rd floor	The Best of All Possible Worlds: Utopias in Thought and Fiction: In a session co-hosted by the British Council, John Carey, Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford University till 2001, Chairman of the Man Booker Prize panel, principal book reviewer for the Sunday Times and editor of The Faber Book of Utopia will ask the question 'What sort of world would you plan if you had a free hand?' and will discuss some crazy and not-so-crazy ideas that people come up with. Moderated by Nury Vittachi. [ more information ]
7.30- 9:00pm	Hong Kong Central Library	The South China Morning Post presents: Chinese Characters: Writers from the Chinese Diaspora. Maxine Hong Kingston, Gish Jen and Qiu Xiaolong in conversation with Alister McMillan (Books Editor, SCMP).
6.30 - 8:30pm	FCC	The Women in Publishing Society (WiPS) present: Gaijin Eye: Dreams, Lust and Reality in the Crucible of Modern Japan. WiPS co-sponsored writers Cynthia Gralla and David Mitchell discuss Japan and their writing. Light buffet and complimentary drink are included. For more information contact Rachel Wright on 2584-8543 or rachelwright@ctimail3.com
Thursday 11th March
12:30 - 2:00pm	FCC Dining Room	Literary Lunch Join Pulitzer Prize Winner Ian Johnson to celebrate the pre-launch of his book Wild Grass.
3:30 - 5:30pm	The Helena May	Meet the Authors: For Book Clubs Only!: A chance for local book clubs to meet the authors they've been reading and discussing, featuring Anita Rau Badami and Kerri Sakamoto. Includes afternoon tea. Contact info@festival.org.hk for details on special deals for bookclubs on these books.
5:00 - 6:30pm	FCC	Literati Soiree: Mishra & Mitchell A discussion over drinks with Booker-shortlisted David Mitchell and Pankaj Mishra, moderated by Charles Foran. A Friends of the Festival event.
Friday 12 March
Weds & Fri afternoons	The Fringe Club	The Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators special offer: Publishing Isn't Just Kids' Stuff!: Attend both In Print! - An Introduction to Publishing and The Nuts & Bolts of Children's Books for a single low price! [ more information ]
4:15 - 6:00pm	The Fringe Club	The Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators presents: The Nuts & Bolts of Children's Books, a workshop and discussion featuring acclaimed Australian writer Colin Thompson and local writers Roseanne Thong, Robert Favole, Karmel Schreyer and others. PROFESSIONAL SESSION [ more information ]
6:15pm - 8:00pm	The Helena May	Asia Society presents: Vietnam Behind the Lines Le Thi Diem Thuy will discuss The Gangster We Are All Looking For and her solo performances Red Fiery Summer and the bodies between us; all three works deals with themes of war, refugees, memory, and identity. Reception and lecture. [ more information ]
7:00 - 9:00pm	The Fringe Club	AustCham presents: Views from the South: Michelle de Kretser and Nicholas Jose join fellow Australian and author Stan Grant for an evening showcasing the best in contemporary Australian writing, including a pre-theatre tapas dinner and drink. [ more information ]
6:30 - 8:00pm	Mandarin Oriental	MAN INVESTMENTS PRESENTS Asia and English Literature: Enjoy a glass of a champagne to accompany a sparkling literary discussion with Oxford Professor and Man Booker Prize Chairman John Carey and Festival stars Maxine Hong Kingston, Pankaj Mishra, David Mitchell and Gish Jen. [ more information ]
Saturday 13 March
9:00am - 12:00pm	The Fringe Club	A Fictional Morning: Attend both Into the Heart of China and The Art of Time Travel for a single low price!
9:00 - 10:15am	The Fringe Club	Into the Heart of China: Novelists Qiu Xiaolong and Nicholas Jose join Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ian Johnson for a writers' view of China, its past and its future. Moderated by Mark Clifford.
10:45am - 12:00pm	The Fringe Club	The Art of Time Travel: Journey from 19th-century France to pre-partition India as Michelle de Kretser, Meira Chand and Manju Kapur share the art of writing historical fiction with Hong Kong historian Jason Wordie.
9:15am - 12:15pm	The Fringe Club	A Memorable Morning: Attend both Fruits of the Family Tree and Journey to the Interior for a single low price!
9:15 - 10:30am	The Fringe Club	Fruits of the Family Tree: What happens when the stories of our lives become the story between the pages. Le Thi Diem Thuy and Janet de Neefe share their courageous and inspiring personal narratives, and thoughts on being the family writer and writing family with Stan Grant, author of the memoir Tears of a Stranger.
11:00 - 12:15am	The Fringe Club	Journey to the Interior: From the Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge, to the Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia and the ancient Silk Road, Francois Bizot, Nicholas Jose and Alexandra Tolstoy share with Magnus Bartlett three very different but amazing journeys.
12:30 - 2:00pm	M at the Fringe	Tales of the Bund. Join Nicholas Jose and Qiu Xiaolong for a literary lunch and a glass of wine at M at the Fringe.
12:30 - 2:00pm	Vong, Mandarin Oriental	A Taste of Asia - A culinary tour through Bali, Macau and Hong Kong. Join the spice trail with a Vong taster plate, a glass of homemade ginger ale, a cooking demonstration and a chance to explore the flavours of Asia with Janet de Neefe, Annabel Jacksonand Mandarin Oriental's Sally de Souza.
12:30 - 2:00pm	FCC	Lunch with Francois Bizot. Far Eastern Economic Review editor Michael Vatikiotis talks with Francois Bizot about his harrowing and courageous experiences as the only Westerner to survive imprisonment at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, detailed in his book The Gate.
2:15am - 5:15pm	The Fringe Club	Abroad at Home: Attend both The Promised Land and Culture Clash for a single low price!
2:15pm - 3:30pm	The Fringe Club	ALLIANZ PRESENTS The Promised Land: Hong Kong University's Maureen Sabine engages two leading Chinese-American writers: Maxine Hong Kingston and Gish Jen.
4:00pm - 5:15pm	The Fringe Club	Culture Clash: Perspectives on Culture and Identity. Pankaj Mishra, Kerri Sakamoto and Meira Chand talk to Charles Foran about identity in a multicultural world.
2:30pm - 3:45pm	The Fringe Club	Altar-ed States: Manju Kapur and Anita Rau Badami on writing women, marriage and multicultural families. Moderated by Rosie Milne.
4:15pm - 5:30pm	The Fringe Club	ALLIANZ PRESENTS In the Mother Tongue: Han Shaogong and Qiu Xiaolong discuss their work and current literary developments in China with Festival Director Elaine Leung. SESSION GIVEN IN MANDARIN
3:30 - 5:30pm	The China Tee Club	The Women in Publishing Society present: The Writer Abroad: Transforming autobiographical experience into fiction New writer Cynthia Gralla discusses the writing process and how she found a publisher for her first novel; how she selected major themes; shaping the book for a predominantly Western readership; the responsibilities of a Western writer to the foreign culture described; dealing with the fact/fiction ambiguities of her life and work. -- Includes afternoon tea.
4:00 - 5:30pm	Kubrick – bc: Shop H2, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon (next to Broadway Cinematheque)	Book Launch - US scholars Dr Karen Fang and Dr Andrew Schroeder, chat about their books,A Better Tomorrow and Zu: Warriors From the Magic Mountain, and their legendary directors, John Woo and Tsui Hark.
6:00 - 7:00pm	The Fringe Club	The Erotic in Literature: Dino Mahoney, international writer and critic, leads Berkeley University lecturer and author Cynthia Gralla (The Floating World) and Singaporean poet Cyril Wong in a discussion of the erotic in Asian fiction and poetry.
8:00 - 9:30pm	The Fringe Club	The Canadian Consulate-General and Canada Council present: A Canadian Cross-Roads. Canadian authors Anita Rau Badami, Paul Yee, Kerri Sakamoto and Timothy Kaiser provide an evening of Canadian literature moderated by Charles Foran. Followed by a reception in the Photo Gallery and Roof garden. [ more information ]
8:00 - 10:00pm	Fringe Bar	Outloud open mike / Singapore slam: On behalf of Hong Kong's community poetry group OUTLOUD, Alan Jefferies hosts an open session of poetry at its most dynamic. Chris Mooney-Singh brings Slam to Hong Kong.
Sunday 14 March
9:45am - 12:45pm	The Fringe Club	Writing for the World: Attend both Politics of the Word and China from A-Z for a single low price!
9:45 - 11:00am	The Fringe Club	Politics of the Word: Do writers have a responsibility to change the world? Far Eastern Economic Review editor Michael Vatikiotis leads a discussion on writing and politics with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ian Johnson, Pankaj Mishra and National Book Award winner and activist Maxine Hong Kingston.
11:30 - 12:45am	The Fringe Club	China from A-Z: Han Shaogong's award-winning innovative novel The Dictionary of Maqiao has been called 'The best novel of [2003]' by the San Francisco Chronicle and 'clever, sympathetic' by the Times Literary Supplement. He is joined on stage by fellow author and Professor of Chinese Literature Qiu Xiaolong and Asian Review of Books editor Peter Gordon in introducing his marvelous novel to English-speaking readers.
9:30am - 12:30pm	The Fringe Club	Literary Geography: Attend both And That's the Way It Is and Everything in Place for a single low price!
9:30 - 10:45am	The Fringe Club	And That's the Way It Is: Truth can be as enthralling and even more interesting than fiction. Valery Garrett, Janet de Neefe, Annabel Jackson and Lorette Roberts talk the history, culture, food and daily life of Hong Kong, Canton, Bali, Macau, Vietnam and other Asian places. Moderated by Rosemary Sayer.
11:15 - 12:30	The Fringe Club	Everything in Place: Cynthia Gralla, Michael Vatikiotis and Yong Shu Hoong discuss with Nury Vittachi how cities, places and cultures are central in their fiction and poetry.
2:15am - 5:15pm	The Fringe Club	Crime and Conflict: Attend both Writing Wrongs and The Plot Thickens for a single low price!
2:15 - 3:30pm	The Fringe Club	Writing Wrongs: Charles Foran discusses the writing of conflict with Canadian Kerri Sakamoto and Hong Kong resident Australian writer Shane Weaver.
4:00 - 5:15pm	The Fringe Club	The Plot Thickens: Visiting writer and Berkeley University lecturer Cynthia Gralla leads a discussion about crime in fiction with Michelle de Kretser (The Hamilton Case), Qiu Xiaolong (Death of a Red Heroine and A Loyal Character Dancer) and local bestseller and internationally-acclaimed Nury Vittachi (The Feng Shui Detective's Casebook).
2:30 - 3:45pm	The Fringe Club	To Be a Poet: Maxine Hong Kingston, Jane Bhandari, Le Thi Diem Thuy, Mani Rao and Felix Cheong bring poetry to the Fringe.
5:30 - 7:30pm	Fringe Gallery & Bar, Fringe Club	The Final Chapter: Join authors and Festival organisors. Cash bar.