Shillong, Sep 28: The cherry blossoms are set to turn Shillong into a city of stories again as the 6th Shillong Literary Festival returns from November 12 to 14 at Ward’s Lake.
Supported by the Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, the festival has grown into one of India’s most distinctive cultural platforms, bringing national and global literary voices to the hill capital while placing Meghalaya’s own Khasi, Jaintia and Garo storytelling traditions centre-stage.
This edition will carry a new discovery. The festival has introduced ‘First Bloom: Discovering New Writing from the Northeast’, a hunt for emerging fiction and narrative non-fiction writers from across the region, offering Rs 50,000 to the winner and Rs 25,000 to the runner-up.
In the run-up to the festival, two exclusive workshops on careers in literature will be held on October 26 at the State Convention Centre. Literary agent Kanishka Gupta will lead the morning session from 10:30 am to 12 pm, while acclaimed writers Mitra Phukan and Lalnunsanga Ralte will lead the afternoon session from 3 pm to 5 pm, with 100 seats per session on a first-come first-served basis.
The announcement follows a high-profile prelude at Bikaner House in New Delhi earlier this year that featured veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, 2026 Pulitzer winner Suparna Sharma and veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta, expanding the festival’s footprint beyond Meghalaya.
Having hosted names like Vikram Seth, Banu Mushtaq, Shobhaa De, Shehan Karunatilaka and Francesc Miralles, the festival was described by De as the prettiest lit fest ever. Last year drew over 13,000 visitors.
This year, the literary calendar will be paired with evening live music from artists of the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Program and curated food stalls offering Meghalaya’s culinary flavours.
