Malaysia’s leading celebration of stories returns for its 15th edition! This year’s George Town Literary Festival explores Urban Myths and Memories through panels, readings, performances, and workshops featuring 37 writers and artists from 13 countries.

George Town Literary Festival 2025 

Malaysia’s leading celebration of stories returns for its 15th edition! This year’s George Town Literary Festival explores Urban Myths and Memories through panels, readings, performances, and workshops featuring 37 writers and artists from 13 countries.

Join us in Penang’s heritage heart for three days of conversation, creativity, and discovery. Admission is free with a Festival Pass, except for workshops and select events.

Explore the full programme breakdown on the official George Town Literary Festival website.

Programme at a glance:

28 November

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Panel: Living Memories, Silenced Histories

Location

UAB Hall

Literature has the power to confront and reframe how nations remember themselves. This panel explores the ways memory, inherited identity, and silenced histories—including those passed down through family—are represented in writing, especially in postcolonial and transnational contexts. Together, these writers reflect on how storytelling can both reclaim the past and reshape the imagination of nationhood.

Speakers: Reggie Baay, Ratih Kumala, Ramayda Akmal
Moderator/Host: Bernice Chauly