Initial launch of Beirut39

19 March 2009

The Beirut39 project was initially launched at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (17–22 March 2009), attended by judge Abdo Wazen as well as director of the project Cristina Fuentes la Roche and Peter Florence, director of Hay Festival.

Beirut launch of Beirut39

1 May 2009

The Beirut39 project was fully launched in Beirut, and nominations for the project, of writers of Arab origin aged 39 and under, were solicited.

Announcement of Beirut39 list

16 October 2009

The announcement of the writers selected for Beirut39 was announced in a dedicated event taking place at Frankfurt Book Fair on 16 October 2009.

Friday 16 October 2009 at 1.30pm
Venue: Frankfurt Book Fair, Press Centre, Hall 6.2

Promoting the writers

October 2009–March 2010

The 39 selected participants in Beirut39 are promoted in the media (including interviews, articles and extracts from their work) and through exhibitions.

Beirut39 Festival

15–18 April 2010

The 39 writers selected to participate in Beirut39 are invited to Beirut for four days, and around 50 events are organized all over the city, in libraries, bookshops, cafés, universities and schools etc. The events are structured around literary topics and take the form of panel debates between three and five writers with a chairperson. All events are followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The events are free and entry is open to the general public; the Festival hopes to attract a diverse audience, reflecting the power of writing to stimulate social cohesion and cultural understanding.