Brought to book

The 2012 Shanghai International Literary Festival starts today at M on the Bund (7/F, 5 Zhongshandongyi Road). It will last until March 18 and during these three weeks, there will be nearly 70 writers from 15 countries appearing at various literary events, including lectures, readings, debates, discussions and workshops.

The first event is a literary lunch starting at 12 pm and presented by the American food writer, Harold McGee. He mainly writes about the chemistry of food and cooking and is the author of On Food and Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen. McGee will discuss interesting food facts such as why does popcorn pop and how does custard thicken.

Literary force

Founded in 2003, the festival is an annual event held in March every year and was initiated by the owner of M on the Bund, Michelle Garnaut.

Since it began, the festival has matured into a formidable literary force in Shanghai, attracting many award-winning foreign and Chinese writers.

One of the highlights of this year's event is the novelist Amy Tan, famous for chronicling the Chinese-American experience. Among her most famous works is The Joy Luck Club which was adapted into a film version.

Tan will give two literary talks: one at 12 pm on March 16 and the other at 1 pm on March 17.

Another highlight is Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, the longest-running comedy show in American television history. Groening will appear at 5 pm on March 17 and will discuss not only The Simpsons, but also Futurama and Springfield.

Deke Erh (Er Dongqiang) is a Shanghainese photographer, journalist and film-maker. His latest book, Deke Erh and 86 Shanghai American School Students and Teachers, 1937-1949 features first-person narratives of these people's lives during this period, supplemented by numerous photographs. Erh will appear at the festival at 12 pm on March 17.

Tina Kanagaratnam, co-organizer of the festival, told the Global Times that they have always invited writers from a host of different fields. And this year the festival will welcome writers specializing in history, finance, travel and food.

For history and travel lovers:

Wong How Man: Islamic Frontiers of China: People of the Silk Road (at 3 pm, March 3)

Time magazine called Wong How Man "China's most accomplished living explorer," leading six major expeditions for National Geographic. He is credited with the discovery of a new source for the Yangtze River.

Jeff Fuchs: The Ancient Tea Horse Trail: Travels with the Last of the Himalayan Muleteers (at 2 pm, March 11).

Fuchs is the first Westerner to have completed the entire Tea Horse Road, the ancient 6,000 kilometer trade route that runs through the Himalayas. His book, The Ancient Tea Horse Road details this eight-month, groundbreaking trip.

For sociology enthusiasts:

Ouyang Yu: On the Smell of an Oily Rag: Speaking English, thinking Chinese and living Australian (at 1 pm, March 10)

Originally from Hangzhou, Ouyang migrated to Australia in 1991 and has since published 55 books of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, literary translation and literary criticism in English and Chinese. He will talk about his life as a foreigner in Australia.

Mara Hvistendahl: Unnatural Selection (at 3 pm, March 18)

The impact of China's one child policy and the subsequent gender imbalance is the subject of Hvistendahl's hard-hitting book.

For children:

Sarah Brennan: The Tale of Pinyin Panda (at 10 am, March 3)

Brennan is the author of the best-selling Chinese Calendar Tales series, featuring stories about animals in the Chinese zodiac. Her mission is to bring Asian culture, history and landscapes to young English speakers everywhere through the medium of humor and verse, while at the same time giving children living in Asia stories that relate to their own heritage.

Mark Moffett: Adventures Among Ants: The Indiana Jones of Entomology (at 10 am, March 10)

Moffett is an international biologist and explorer. Among his many adventures, Moffett has climbed the world's tallest tree in search of ants, descended into sinkholes a quarter mile deep to find a new species of frog, and placed a scorpion on TV presenter Conan O'Brien's face.

For music lovers:

Jonathan Campbell: Red Rock: The Long, Strange March of Chinese Rock 'n' Roll (at 5 pm, March 10)

A native of Toronto, Campbell moved to Beijing in 2000 to study Chinese and within weeks began his immersion into the local rock world. Regarded a stalwart of the Chinese music scene, he has written for a range of publications on Chinese rock music.

Jonathan Berger and Cai Jindong: Cheesecake or Peacock Feathers - Why is Music such a Pervasive Human Activity? (at 1 pm, March 18)

Jonathan Berger is the founding director of the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts, with a list of works that includes orchestra, chamber, vocal, and electro-acoustic music. Berger was also the founding director of Yale University's Center for Studies in Music Technology.

Beijing-born Cai is the music director and conductor of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, the Stanford Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Stanford New Ensemble. He is the author, with Sheila Melvin, of Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese.