Doha, Qatar: Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) made a remarkable impact at this year’s Doha International Book Fair, where the publishing house hosted significant community-focused events including book signing sessions, a collaboration with educational and entertainment television series “Siraj,” and interactive workshops.
The HBKU Press booth notably welcomed several distinguished guests, including visitors from Majlis Al-Shura, the Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Education and Higher Education and H E Lolwah Al-Khater,.
“We’re delighted that HBKU Press enjoyed a particularly dynamic presence at the Doha Book Fair this year,” said Bachar Chebaro, Executive Director of HBKU Press.
“It was an honour to welcome such distinguished guests while continuing to serve the local community through literature that educates, inspires, and contributes to the cultural development of Qatar.”
HBKU Press celebrated the release of 100 new books this year, with over 20 launched at the fair through scheduled book signings with their respective authors.
Readers had the opportunity to meet their favourite writers and have their books signed at the booth, where new releases spanned a variety of genres, from illustrated children’s books and young adult novels to critical academic and literary works.
Previously published titles were also honoured at the fair’s first awards ceremony, with Qatari author Faisal Al-Ansari winning the Creativity Award in the authors’ category for his novel “Fires of Toubkal.”
Notably, the publisher also collaborated with Qatar Foundation’s “Siraj” to release its first illustrated children’s book, Yassin’s Kite by Qatari author Shaikha Al-Zeyara.
This poignant story tells the tale of Yassin, a young Palestinian boy who tries to send a letter to his grandparents by paper kite, only to discover that they have been displaced by occupation. Published in bilingual format, this book makes the Palestinian struggle accessible to younger readers, representing the cause through impactful and relevant literature.
The book drew great interest and activity at the fair, where it was launched with a book reading and signing by the author. The initiative was particularly timely, with Palestine welcomed as this year’s Guest of Honour.
Finally, HBKU Press reinforced its commitment to the community through interactive writing and publishing workshops open to the public.
The first workshop, “Editorial Practices and AI” by Dr. Amr Abdelmonem explored proofreading and natural language processing techniques amid AI usage.
The second workshop, “Writing Techniques,” was led by Qatari author Muneera Al-Romaihi and took participants through the process of writing and publishing books for children.
