Key Festival Topics

(N ot limited to the below)

Blur red Lines: On Science, Fiction and Fantasy

This session will discuss the fantastical appeal of science and advanced technology which many deem as ?indistinguishable from magic? . Can science, fiction and fantasy help us make sense of the world we live in? D o works of fantasy, science-fiction enable a free way to imagination and help us analyze and satirize our convoluted world? A nd lastly why do genres like fantasy, sci-fi and speculative fiction matter?

The Age of the Gr aphic Novel

This session will discuss the trajectory of visual storytelling from hieroglyphics to comics and the graphic novel.Q uestions set forth include what value does visual narratives provide readers and more importantly the masses? A nd if in fact it is a powerful tool that ?speaks to the masses?why has it not found its place in the canons of literature. Living in the age of the M etaverse, are we now truly entering the golden era of the graphic novel?