Jasper Hope and Afra Atiq are with us to discuss the ‘For the Love of Words’ event taking place at the Dubai Opera on March 6th 2018. They talk about the lineup which includes some of the best poets from the UK and the UAE. The event is being held in collaboration with the British Council so be sure to listen in to find out all of the details!

This week’s young reviewer Phoebe joins us to discuss Wave Me Goodbye by wildly popular children’s writer, Jacqueline Wilson. Wave Me Goodbye tells the story of 10 year old Shirley who is sent away from her family to live in safety during the Second World War in England. Make sure to listen to hear all that Phoebe has to say about this entertaining and emotionally touching tale of strength and perseverance.

We’re joined for a quick chat by award winning video game writer Rhianna Pratchett for this week’s The Big Question where we get the inside scoop on what it’s actually like to be a video game writer. Pratchett is the creative force behind many of the most popular video game narratives today including The Tomb Raider, Heavenly Sword, and Mirror’s Edge.

Maan Jalal, Omar Sharif, co-founder of Geeky Lizard, and Saeed Arjumand, illustrator and owner of Comicstop are with us for a special Graphic Novel of the Week segment where we delve into a discussion about Locke and Key by Joe Hill.

Maan Jalal from Khaleej Times, co-host and author Rachel Hamilton and host Annabelle chat about Strange Weather – Joe Hill’s hot-off-the-press collection of four short novels.

Maan Jalal is with us for our Arab World segment where we discuss Letters to a Young Muslim by the UAE’s current ambassador to France, Omar SaifGhobash. We’ll also be taking an in depth look at Digital Diplomacy by British diplomat Thomas Fletcher.

For our Castaway segment we have special treat planned for our listeners! Publisher Charlie Scott of Motivate, one of the largest and most established publishing firms in the region is here to share the three books he would take with him to a desert island. Scott certainly knows a thing or two about good books so we’re sure you’ll want to jot down his picks!

On this week’s Talking of Books our young reviewer Mishka joins us on the show to talk about the wildly popular Maze Runner series by 2018 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature author James Dashner. We indulge our nostalgia and revisit the very first installment of the series.

Founder of award-winning parenting blog The Mothership Dxb and avid reader, Helen Farmer joins us on the show to give reviews of Lion by Saroo Brierly as well as Nobody's Child by Kate Adie, both 2018 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature authors.

Ranya Abdel Rahman is on air to tell us about the selection of Arab World authors who will be attending the 2018 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Mohammed Hasan Alwan, Ibrahim Nasrallah, and Khaled Khalifa are just a few other the authors who have confirmed their attendance!