The Hay Festival Forum Dallas returns this month with its biggest lineup yet.
For the first time since its inception in 2018, the literary forum focused on contributions from Latin America will take place over three days at several Oak Cliff venues. Among the dozens of featured guests will be writers, translators and musicians.
An offshoot of the annual Hay Festival in Wales, the Dallas edition began with one day of programming at The Wild Detectives to test the waters, said the bookstore’s co-owner and local coordinator, Javier García del Moral. A strong turnout prompted organizers to expand to a two-day festival in 2019, he added, and last year’s event attracted some 600 attendees.
A goal of the festival is to bridge gaps in cultural understanding, García del Moral said, noting that it may expose people to new perspectives.
“What we’re trying to do with the festival is embracing differences,” he added. “The differences could enrich us, more than separate us, if you approach them in a respectful way.”
The festival kicks off Oct. 11 with a conversation featuring novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, whose book The Sympathizer was recently adapted into an HBO series.
On Day 2 at the Texas Theatre, the Mexican thriller Amores perros will be screened, followed by a discussion with the film’s writer Guillermo Arriaga. British guitarist Phil Manzanera will also perform at the theater. The day concludes with an Afro-Latin dance party at The Wild Detectives.
On Day 3, Katrice Hardy, the executive editor of The Dallas Morning News, will moderate a panel on racial justice with Toluse Olorunnipa and Robert Samuels, who co-wrote His Name Is George Floyd. Journalists from The News will also be on a panel discussing the local impact of the fentanyl crisis.
Details
Oct. 11-13. For tickets and the full lineup, visit hayfestival.com/forum/dallas/programme.
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