The Diriyah Storytelling Festival featured a workshop titled Writing the Self on 26 November, led by Indian writer Banu Mushtaq at the Al-Bujairi venue. The session focused on using personal experiences, memories, and emotions as material for narrative writing, and on the role of self-reflection in shaping stories.
Mushtaq is a Kannada writer, lawyer and activist whose short-story collection Heart Lamp won the 2025 International Booker Prize. It is the first Kannada-language work and the first short-story collection to receive the award. Her writing frequently examines women’s lives, social inequality and questions of identity, subjects that align with the workshop’s theme.
The workshop formed part of the 2025 Diriyah Storytelling Festival, held from November 16 to 29 as part of Diriyah Season. The festival brings together writers, storytellers, artists and publishers across venues such as Al-Bujairi and Bab Samhan Hotel. Its program includes storytelling nights, writing and illustration workshops, book fairs, reading spaces and activities that connect traditional storytelling practices with contemporary narrative forms.
Organizers said Mushtaq’s participation added an international element to this year’s edition, offering attendees guidance on translating personal or cultural material into structured literary work.