Itanagar: The third edition of the `White Owl Literature Festival and Book Fair' will be back in Nagaland from February 5. The festival will provide a vibrant stage to commemorate the rich literature and storytelling heritage of the Northeast. “The Literature Festival will bring together the voice of the Northeast, its oral storytelling traditions, as well as its writing culture.”
The three-day-long event, titled ‘Celebrating Stories, Inspiring Minds’, is being organised by Penguin Random House India in collaboration with the literature institute, The White Owl. The meet will take place at Zone Niathu by The Park in Chümoukedima, and the last day of the meet will come to a close on the 7th of February, 2026.
The literary fest is expected to identify and showcase the major contributions made by the Northeast to the Indian literary domain. The event this year will include a number of speakers, such as renowned author Daribha Lyndem, Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award winner Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, actor Merenla Imsong, who was part of the popular series Paatal Lok Season 2, and the renowned Naga singer Alobo Naga.
According to Viketuno Rio, the festival director, “This event has gradually become a platform that is very much anchored in the Northeast, yet also connects with a broader national and international perspective.” With the next edition, said Rio, “It's the strongest possible reflection, yet that has resulted in the identity that the festival has shaped in all these years.”
"The programme will span a very broad spectrum of subjects in order to reflect the fluid way in which storytelling is now being told and received. Topics will include children’s reading practices, fiction and non-fiction writing, translation, identity, mental health, podcasting, social media economies, media literacy and fake news, entrepreneurship, and legacy in the age of AI."
One of the key highlights of the festival will be the flagship writing mentoring programme of Penguin called The Perfect Pitch. The writing initiative invites unpublished authors from across the country to pen a piece of fiction based on the Northeast, the last date for which is January 10, 2026.
"This is perhaps one of the most carefully constructed literary festivals in the region, bringing together storytellers, translators, podcast producers, academics, illustrators, and entrepreneurs,” said Deepthi Talwar, Programme Director, who is also the Executive Editor, Penguin Random House, India.
Tickets for attending the festival are available online. However, school and college students are provided free entry upon producing their identity cards, thus encouraging young enthusiasts of reading and writing to take an active interest in literature.