SHARJAH – A total of 110 books by authors aged six to 18 were launched at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair on Nov 14.
The books, which included short stories, poetry and comics, were published through Learner Circle, a platform that pairs young writers with mentors. The mentors helped participants develop story ideas, edit manuscripts and prepare their work for publication.
Deepika, a Learner Circle representative, said some of the youngest participants were six years old and had already published more than one book. The platform launched more than 70 publications at the previous edition of the fair.
Writing contest winners honoured
The ceremony also honoured the winners of Learner Circle’s Writathon 15.0 competition. Layla Houchaimi took first prize for My Everything, a story about a mother and daughter. Jeanne Sara Joe and Dakshith Karthikeyan were named runners-up for The Correction and Anax, respectively.
Houchaimi said a friend had suggested she write a story about a mother and daughter. “I just tried this competition out since I’m a writer, and I am surprised but very happy that I won!” she said.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the fair ran from Nov 4 to 15 at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme “Made of Stories”, with Oman as the guest of honour. It brought together 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries and showcased more than 1.7 million titles.
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