LibGuides: HS CIC: Local Connections

Upcoming Events

Local Book Sellers

Blaft Publications
Blaft Publications was founded in 2007 in Chennai, India.

Our list includes translations of Tamil Pulp fiction into English, bestselling Indian and Pakistani crime novels, Nigerian soyayya fiction, experimental writing, pulp art, folktales, science fiction, speculative fiction, graphic novels, and picture books about young women who are in love with monsters.
Karadi Tales
Karadi Tales is an independent children’s publishing house based in Chennai, India focusing primarily on picture books and audiobooks. It was started in 1996 with an intent to create a space for Indian culture in the world of children’s publishing, by a group of writers, educators and musicians.
Odyssey
Welcome to the Online store of ODYSSEY, the Book and Leisure Store Chain with presence in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. ODYSSEY is a 26 year old bookstore brand and we wish to give the same wide range, good quality and nice experience on this online store that we have given to lakhs of customers till now in our physical stores. Apart from books, we sell toys, gifts, stationery, etc.
Tara Books
Tara Books is an independent publishing house started in 1994 by Gita Wolf. Over the years, she was joined by other creative friends who have helped Tara grow organically and in many directions.
Tulika Books
Tulika's imaginatively created children's books pioneered a fresh wave in Indian publishing in 1996. An independent publishing house based in Chennai, our focus is on picture books for children in English and other Indian languages- Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujariti, Bengali--so that more children can access books in a language familiar to them.

Literature Festivals

Chennai Book Fair
The Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) has been organizing the Chennai Book Fair ever since it was started in the year 1976. BAPASI has conducted 36 editions of the Chennai Book Fair so far successfully and is all set to launch the 38th edition of the book fair.
Chennai Queer LitFest
India's First Literary Festival dedicated to highlight LGBTQIA+ Literature and art. Normally held in September.
Jaipur Literature Festival
Described as the ‘greatest literary show on Earth’, the Jaipur Literature Festival is a sumptuous feast of ideas. The past decade has seen it transform into a global literary phenomenon having hosted nearly 2000 speakers and welcoming over a million book lovers from across India and the globe. Every year, the Festival brings together a diverse mix of the world’s greatest writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, business leaders, sports people and entertainers on one stage to champion the freedom to express and engage in thoughtful debate and dialogue. Normally held at the end of January.
Lit for Life
The Hindu's literary festival, Lit For Life, celebrates free speech and expression by bringing together leading writers, speakers and thinkers from India and across the world. The idea is to connect literature to the masses by exploring fiction, non-fiction, politics, history, the arts, cinema, regional literature, children's writing — in fact, all genres that celebrate ideas. Normally held in January.
Neev Literature Festival
Begun in 2017, the Neev Literature Festival aims to find and showcase great children’s books from and about Indian lives. Children’s books that are Mirrors, Windows and Doors to the Indian identity.

South Asia Book Awards

"In recent years an increasing number of high-quality children's and young adult books are published that portray South Asia or South Asians living abroad. To encourage and commend authors and publishers who produce such books, and to provide librarians and teachers with recommendations for educational use, the South Asia National Outreach Consortium (SANOC) will offer a yearly book award to call attention to outstanding works on South Asia."

2023 Winner

American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna
ISBN: 9781950994502
Publication Date: 2022-08-16
WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE USA Today Best books of August Christian Science Monitor Ten Best Books of August The Millions Most Anticipated Books of 2022 Harper's Bazaar Must-Read Books of August 2022 Debuts of the Season by Vogue India Bustle Most Anticipated Books of August 2022 "A funny and affecting novel...a wonderful new spin on the coming-of-age story. A smart, charming debut." (Kirkus, starred review) "A fascinating mix of immigrant tale, coming-of-age narrative, and cultural exposition...tackling some of the big migration questions of home and identity." (Booklist)"Dur E Aziz Amna has written an extraordinary coming-of-age story showcasing the experiences of a Pakistani Muslim girl coming to America. The novel uses brilliant storytelling to immerse readers and sheds light on the realities of what it is like being a foreigner living in a rural American town and the harsh emotional tension it entails."--From the citation for the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature "This is a fearless, exacting, essential work, and marks the debut of a thrilling new global voice."--Peter Ho Davies, author of The Welsh Girl On a year-long exchange program in rural Oregon, a Pakistani student, sixteen-year-old Hira, must swap Kashmiri chai for volleyball practice and try to understand why everyone around her seems to dislike Obama. A skeptically witty narrator, Hira finds herself stuck between worlds. The experience is memorable for reasons both good and bad; a first kiss, new friends, racism, Islamophobia, homesickness. Along the way Hira starts to feel increasingly unwell until she begins coughing up blood, and receives a diagnosis of tuberculosis, pushing her into quarantine and turning her newly established home away from home upside down. American Fever is a compelling and laugh-out-loud funny novel about adolescence, family, otherness, religion, the push-and-pull of home. It marks the entrance on the international literary scene of the brilliant fresh voice of Dur e Aziz Amna.

Neev Book Award

The Neev Book Award for distinguished children’s literature aims to recognize outstanding writing that leads to a fuller understanding of India, Indian lives, and Indian stories. This award aims to promote and encourage high-quality children’s literature from India. In 2018, the Neev Literature Festival extended its vision to promote and encourage high-quality children’s literature from India.

2022 Winner

Rain Must Fall by Nandita Basu
Call Number: F MAK
ISBN: 9780143454090
Publication Date: 2022-04-15
Rumi is not too enthusiastic about accompanying Baba to the sleepy village of Shankerpur, where he is planning to convert their ancestral home into a bed and breakfast. But Rumi is happy to be away from school and friends who have problems understanding Rumi's identity. In the middle of one night, Rumi encounters a ghost--Rain, who does not remember his own story or why he is compelled to be a ghost. And it is in trying to help Rain find his peace, that sets Rumi on a journey of love, friendship and acceptance. This is a tale of love and loss, of rejection and affirmation, and above all, the healing and illuminating power of friendship.