For the seventh year in a row, the annual Jerusalem Writer’s Festival is taking place in Mishkenot Sha’ananim Culture Center from May 12 – 16. The center overlooks the Old City, and is in proximity to other cultural landmarks, hosting various events, such as The First Station and Tmol Shilshom Café.
An international mix of publishing professionals, authors, writers, journalists, film directors and more spent five days exploring and honoring the art of the written word. The festival includes lectures, workshops, music shows and screenings, including a tribute to Amos Oz, a beloved Israeli writer, poet and novelist who passed away December 2018. Oz is known as one of Israel’s most prolific writers and intellectuals, stated in the New York Times.
The esteemed Jerusalem Prize will be presented by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and is awarded to American author, Joyce Carol Oates. Since 1963, the Jerusalem Prize has been granted biennially to a writer whose work best expresses and promotes the idea of “freedom of the individual in society.” Oates recognizes the honor of the award and states “In a world in which individual freedoms are under assault, the autonomy of the individual and the role of art in our lives is of great concern.”
As in years past, the festival focuses on the arts as a central point of expression, and will bring tough topics to light, such as immigration, the #metoo movement, and more current events.
For the first time, the Jerusalem Writer’s Festival is collaborating with the Jerusalem International Book Forum, a longstanding organization dedicated to gathering professionals and intellectuals to serve as a meeting ground for “discussing challenges, exchanging ideas, and sharing insights and experience.”
