In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Kingdom, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) has organized the "Imagine" festival and exhibition for junior authors. The event included entertaining and educational programs to attract children interested in the art of writing stories and novels. The five-day festival concluded on Saturday at Bay La Sun District in KAEC. Open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., the festival included an exhibition of children's books, a historical display of items related to writing and a series of interactive workshops on story telling. "The festival is a part of KAEC's efforts to support the progress of knowledge and cultural development in Saudi society," said. Fahd Hamidaddin, chief marketing officer at KAEC. "Through ‘Imagine' we seek to provide a different and non-traditional model for raising the issue of the importance of books, reading and writing. To support our efforts we have involved publishing houses from different countries to enrich the children's experience. Their direct communication with renowned experts will contribute to developing their creativity and stimulating their desire for achievement." The core activity of the festival was a series of interactive workshops in which children can learn about the creative writing process. Workshop coaches guided children through perception and imagination to actually writing both fiction and non-fiction. The festival also had a drawing workshop in which the stories were transformed into graphics and animated versions. Visitors had the opportunity to meet representatives of the international publishing houses and authors and specialists in children's stories who have contributed to the event. The historical display included history books for children and writing instruments that conveyed the story of Arabia from 1800 CE to the present. This collection was curated by a number of professionals including Dr. Leonard Marcus, a historian renowned for his interest in children's literature. Dr. Marcus, with the support and assistance of researcher Maureen Raymond, personally supervised the global selection of books presented at the festival. The other supervisors were Issam Hourani and Fatima Sharaf El-Din, writer and translator of more than 120 children's books. "The festival and its activities constituted a part of the social responsibility and sustainable development programs which are a top priority of the KAEC," said Fahd Hamidaddin. — SG
