FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ananke Women in Literature Festival Evolves into Ananke Literature Festival for its 7th Edition
Global South — April 22, 2026 — Ananke, India’s celebrated literature platform, announces its 7th annual festival, now rebranded as Ananke Literature Festival. The festival will take place fully online later this year, and continues its commitment to creating meaningful literary conversations while expanding its reach beyond women writers to include allies, voices from South Asia, the Middle East, and the wider Global South.
The theme for this year is Fault Lines: An Unmasking, exploring the visible and invisible fractures that shape lives across nations, communities, and the self. The festival will reflect on historical, structural, and personal divisions, ranging from borders, migration, and inequality to identity, belief, and resilience, while creating a space for literature to illuminate and foster understanding.
The festival will feature conversations and sessions that bring the theme to life, with titles such as “Between Borders: Stories of Migration and Belonging,” “Unmasking History: Hidden Voices of the Global South,” and “The Public and Private Self: Identity in a Digital Age.” These sessions promise to explore the intersections of identity, resilience, and storytelling across nations and communities. Further details will be shared soon.
Sabin Muzaffar, Founder and Executive Editor of Ananke, leads the festival. With over 20 years of experience in print and digital media, Sabin has contributed to international outlets including Gulf News, Khaleej Times, Glassbreakers, and BBVA OPENMIND. She has been recognized by UN Women’s Empower Women initiative, World Pulse, and the Cherie Blair Foundation as a mentor and changemaker, and has collaborated with organizations such as the Meera Kaul Foundation, TAP Africa, WomenInTechPk, and CircleWomen.org. Since launching Ananke in 2014, Sabin has spearheaded the organization’s flagship digital internship program, mentoring more than 40 women and girls worldwide and championing conversations on inclusion in the digital realm.
The festival is organized under the direction of Namrata, who has served as Festival Director for the past three years, shaping programming, curating sessions, and ensuring a seamless and engaging online experience for writers and audiences alike.
Over the years, Ananke has benefitted from the guidance of esteemed publishing and literary figures including Arpita Das (Yoda Press), Naveen Kishore (Seagull), Urvashi Butalia (Zubaan), Mehr F Husain (Zuka Books), and Dipankar Mukherjee (Readomania), among others. Their support has helped shape Ananke into a space that nurtures literary voices and builds a vibrant, global literary community.
The festival’s 7th edition marks both an evolution in name and scope, signaling a broader engagement with literature that transcends boundaries, celebrates diverse perspectives, and amplifies voices across the Global South.
More updates will be shared soon.
