The 10th annual ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival will take place Sept. 15–17 in Boulder, Colo., offering a lively program of conversations, readings and performances designed to connect audiences with prominent authors, thinkers and artists from around the world. Events will be held at the Main Boulder Public Library complex. Admission is free, but attendees must register in advance.
Across three days, the festival will present roughly 40 sessions spanning literature, history, performance and cultural discussion. Highlights include:
- The Beat Generation: Poets Anne Waldman and Andrew Schelling discuss the social and literary impact of the Beat movement, examining the work of figures such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg and how their writing shaped cultural and artistic revolutions.
- The Russian Revolution: Historians Barbara A. Engel and David Shneer explore the 1917 Russian Revolution, the rise of the Marxist state, the fall of the tsar and the long-term consequences of that transformational period.
- Ancestral Cultures: Legacy of the First Nations: Stephen Graham Jones and Janice Gould, with moderator Margaret Coel, consider the ways Native American writers preserve cultural identity and resist erasure through storytelling and literature.
- The Great Outdoors: Moderator Irene Vilar leads a conversation on the appeal of nature and exploration featuring writer-adventurer Odd Harald Hauge, polar explorer John Huston and environmental author David Baron, addressing how wilderness shapes narrative and thought.
- Odissi Dance: Swagata Banerjee, artistic director and founder of Moksha Academy of Odissi Dance, presents a demonstration and participatory workshop on this classical Indian dance form. The session is family-friendly and introduces participants to Odissi’s rhythms and movements.
- Flights of Fancy: Public Works Puppet Theater: Families are invited to a theatrical retelling of a friendship between a girl and a puffin, staged inside a biodome using masks, puppets and imaginative set design—an engaging performance for younger audiences.
- Narratives of the Self: Writers Darryl Pinckney, Jovan Mays, Ruth Ellen Kocher and Marcia Douglas read and discuss work that examines how race, history and memory shape personal and communal identity within African American culture.
The festival’s mix of panels, performances and workshops is intended to spark conversation across disciplines and ages. In addition to established names, the program includes emerging voices and local contributors, creating opportunities for discovery and dialogue. Attendees should register ahead of time to secure spots for limited-capacity events and family workshops.
Set against Boulder’s scenic backdrop, the festival aims to combine thoughtful literary programming with a community atmosphere. Sessions will offer both close readings of texts and broader discussions of cultural and historical themes, making the event relevant to readers, writers, students and anyone interested in ideas and storytelling.
Plan to arrive early for popular sessions, and check the festival schedule for any updates to times or venues within the Main Boulder Public Library complex. With no ticket fee, the event remains accessible to a wide audience while showcasing a diverse slate of programs that reflect global perspectives and local engagement.