Ubah Ali Farah (Italy/Somalia) | Carmen Camacho (Spain) | Omar N’Shea (Malta) | Simone Spiteri (Malta) |Kassia St Clair (United Kingdom) |Maud Vanhauwaert (Belgium) | Michael Zammit (Malta)
The 20th edition of the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, organised by Inizjamed, will take place from Saturday 2nd to Saturday 30th August 2025. Thanks to various collaborations, this year’s edition will be hosted across multiple venues, including Spazju Kreattiv, Vincent’s Eco Farm, the Malta Society of Arts, Cafè Riche, and Teatru Salesjan.
The Festival will welcome seven writers from six different countries: Ubah Ali Farah – an Italo-Somali novelist and poet; Carmen Camacho – a Spanish poet; Omar N’Shea – a Maltese essayist; Simone Spiteri – a Maltese playwright; Kassia St Clair – a British writer; Maud Vanhauwaert – a Belgian poet; and Michael Zammit – a Maltese poet.
Readings will be mostly in Maltese and English, but some short works will also be read in their original languages.
The Festival experience will also be enriched with live music — at times by Kym Pepe and Jimmy Bartolo, and at others by Franco Tartaglia. Books will be available for purchase at each event, including works by the participating authors
This edition, presented with a completely new look, marks the beginning of a three-year collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv, and thus a range of activities will be hosted at this unique venue. Inizjamed and Spazju Kreattiv will collaborate not only during the Festival itself but also through a series of events taking place throughout the year.
The 20th edition will be held in partnership with Arts Council Malta and the support of Verspolis. The Festival is also collaborating with Spazju Kreattiv, and is being supported by APS Bank, l-Għaqda tal-Malti – Università , the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di La Valletta, the National Book Council, and Teatru Salesjan.
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The Festival will also be reaching out to diverse communities. On Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 22 July, Simone Spiteri will lead writing workshops in Marsaskala and Ħaż-Żebbuġ, respectively. Then, on Friday 13 August, Clare Azzopardi will share excerpts from her works with elderly residents at St Vincent de Paul.
In September, two readings will be held — one at Dar Merħba Bik and another at a care home in Għajnsielem, Gozo.
Saturday 2 August: Open Mic
The first evening is a multilingual Open Mic at Victoria Central in Victoria, Gozo. The invited Maltese authors will be the special guests, and members of the public are warmly encouraged to share their work in the open mic spirit. The event is free of charge, with doors opening at 7:30pm.
Wednesday 20 August: Castillo
At 7:30pm, Castillo — Take//Two’s screen adaptation of the novel of the same title by Clare Azzopardi — will be screened at the Spazju Kreattiv Cinema. Following the screening, Teodor Reljić will moderate a lively panel discussion featuring Mark Camilleri, Carlos Debattista, and Simone Spiteri. The evening will conclude with a book signing by the author and refreshments.
Saturday 23 August: Bukkun, ktieb u buganvilla
The Maltese guests — Omar N’Shea, Simone Spiteri, and Michael Zammit — will offer a taste of their work at Café Riche in Vittoriosa at 1:00pm. Attendees are welcome to enjoy a light lunch and a refreshing drink during the event. Admission is free.
Monday 25 August: An Archaeology of Words: Literary Genres as Sites of Excavation
At 8pm at Vincent’s Eco Farm, a moderated discussion led by Glen Calleja will feature Carmen Camacho, Omar N’Shea and Michael Zammit. The conversation will be interwoven with readings from their original works, along with translations prepared specifically for this Festival. Attendees will receive a chapbook featuring Camacho’s poetry in both the original and translated versions — a result of Inizjamed’s collaboration with Versopolis. The event will also see the launch of a new poetry collection by Zammit, published by Inizjamed in partnership with Kotba Calleja. A musical interlude will be provided by Kym Pepe and Jimmy Bartolo.
Tuesday 26 August: All the Wor(l)d’s a Stage
At 8pm at Spazju Kreattiv Studio B, Belgian performer and poet Maud Vanhauwaert will appear alongside actress and playwright Simone Spiteri for an evening of words and performance. Vanhauwaert will present her poetry, accompanied by Clare Azzopardi, who translated her work into Maltese. Meanwhile, actors Kristjana Casha and Toni Attard will bring Spiteri’s writings to life on stage. Attendees will receive a free chapbook featuring Vanhauwaert’s poetry in both the original and translated versions — made possible through the ongoing partnership between Inizjamed and Versopolis. The event will be moderated by Keith Borg.
Friday, 29 August: In My Dream: An Encounter with Ubah Ali Farah accompanied by Franco Tartaglia
At 8pm at the Concert Hall of the Malta Society of Arts, Italo-Somali writer Ubah Ali Farah will be interviewed about her work and will also read original excerpts alongside Maltese translations by Leanne Ellul, prepared especially for the occasion. Musical interludes will be provided by Franco Tartaglia. The evening will conclude with refreshments.
Saturday, 30 August: Colourful Threads: A Night with Kassia St Clair
At 8pm at Teatru Salesjan, British author Kassia St Clair will be interviewed by Joseph Caruana and will read excerpts from her acclaimed historical and cultural writings. Visual artist Darren Tanti will add to the event with a live drawing session. Following the talk, St Clair’s books will be available for purchase, and she will be signing copies.
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The 20th edition of the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival, organised by Inizjamed, will take place from Saturday 2nd to Saturday 30th August 2025. Thanks to various collaborations, this year’s edition will be hosted across multiple venues, including Spazju Kreattiv, Vincent’s Eco Farm, the Malta Society of Arts, Cafè Riche, and Teatru Salesjan.
The Festival’s visual and promotional material has been designed by artist Naomi Gatt.
For more information, visit Inizjamed’s Instagram and Facebook pages or the official website, inizjamed.org. Tickets for all events are available at showshappening.com.
