South Asian book festival returns for eighth year

Filmaker Jassa Ahluwalia and former policewoman Nusrit Mehtab are among the line-up for this year's DESIblitz Literature Festival

A book festival featuring writers of South Asian heritage is returning for its eighth year.

The DESIblitz Literature Festival is taking place in venues across Birmingham between 19 October and 2 November.

The two-week programme will feature a range of author talks, discussions and workshops, as well as music and poetry performances.

Authors in the line-up for this year's event include Peaky Blinders actor and filmmaker Jassa Ahluwalia, writer and activist Amrit Wilson, former police woman Nusrit Mehtab, and lawyer Abda Khan.

Artist Osman Yousefzada from Birmingham will discuss his memoir The Go-Between

The annual festival spotlights a number of established writers and new talent from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan backgrounds.

A number of writers and speakers, such as Brown Girl Like Me and BBC Sounds podcast host Jaspreet Kaur and author Anika Hussain, will also be taking part in issue-led panel discussions and poetry performances.

Birmingham-born artist and designer Osman Yousefzada, who has dressed the likes of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, also features.

The full programme of events scheduled to take place throughout the festival is available online.

All events are free but ticketed, with tickets available through the website.

Indi Deol, festival director and founder of lifestyle website DESIblitz, added the event was committed to "inspiring and uniting through the power of storytelling".

"We aim to use the power of words to spark inspiration and create lasting connections and opportunities," he said.