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

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Performance: Ghost Bird

Location

UAB Salon

Ghost Bird is a haunting collaboration between award-winning poet-rapper Omar Musa and acclaimed cellist Mariel Roberts. Blending spoken word, rap, and experimental music, the performance conjures migration, memory, and ancestral spirits, evoking landscapes both lush and fractured. Together, Musa and Roberts create an unforgettable soundscape—lyrical, fierce, and fragile—that bridges tradition and innovation, the personal and the mythic.

Performers: Omar Musa, Mariel Roberts Musa
Moderator/Host: Gareth Richards