Help put together the 1st Crime Writers Fest in India!

The Crime Writers Festival is the first ever literary festival in India focusing on crime writing in all its forms.  Speakers from across the world will assemble at the Amphitheater and the Experimental Art Gallery at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Workshops will be put up at the Oxford book store, Connaught Place. Registration is free and open to all through www.crimewritersfestival.com. The sessions will be held on 17th - 18th January, 2015 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.  Despite its growth, crime fiction is often dismissed as ‘popular’ and ‘lowbrow’, and it rarely features in conversations about literature. Crime fiction is accessible, entertaining literature that can bring to the forefront uncomfortable truths about society. It is unafraid to raise questions about race, violence, class, corruption and morality. In crime fiction, cities have a central role, with the rarely-seen dysfunctional elements of urban spaces intentionally drawn out to drive the story. Cities must be explored and depicted in all their variety: murkiness, glamour, danger and excitement. Crime fiction relies on revealing dark underbellies and difficult realities in ways other fiction does not need to. If crime fiction can contribute to further developing a rich, diverse and dynamic literature from within our country, surely the only thing left to ask is: whodunit? We need you! Mounting an operation of this magnitude comes with more than its fair share of expenses. Since it is not created where it is executed, the expenses are significantly higher. This being the first festival to delve into crime writing makes it all the more difficult. With a total budget of about 30 lakhs, we’re leaving no stone unturned to generate funds for the festival. The money raised will help take care of: Travel, stay and hospitality for the speakers and performers Printing of promotional material Logistics for staging the event We are a non-profit organization and all of the money goes directly into the festival funds. Help us make this festival better than the best, please contribute as much or as little as you want. We have some exciting perks lined up for our supporters including limited edition festival T-shirts, invites to special gatherings like murder mystery dinners which will have all the panelists in attendance and signed copies of some bestselling crime fiction books. Please do add your email ID for us to be able to contact you.  Who are we? The Crime Writers Festival is an initiative of the Crime Writer's Forum of South Asia and is being produced by Siyahi, a leading literary agency in India. You can know more about us at www.siyahi.in. Siyahi is actively involved in conceptualizing, programming and organizing everything from intimate readings to literature festivals. Some of our past ventures include: Mountain Echoes literary festival, Bhutan (2010-2014), Patna Literature Festival (2012-2013), Lit for Life: Delhi & Chennai (2011 and 2013), Commonwealth Writers' Prize (2010). Our upcoming festivals include India's first Crime Writers Festival to be held in January 2015, in Delhi, the third edition of the Patna Literature Festival, also in January 2015  and the sixth edition of Mountain Echoes literary festival to be held in August 2015.  Registration for all our events is free and open to all because we believe that these exchanges will help change the face of Indian literature. The problem is that not charging for registrations means we miss out on a lot of crucial and easy-to-come-by money. Help us make up for it. Help make this festival reach all those who are interested in it. Other Ways You Can Help Us: It isn't just about the money, we'd love your help in spreading the word. Blog about us, tweet about our campaign (@crimewriterfest), tell your facebook friends about us, show us some instagram love. #CWF2015 Share our page with someone you know, who might be interested in being a part of this. Want to feature us in your publication? Write to us at [email protected] for more information. Best of all, make a trip to Delhi and join us for the festival!