Government

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in collaboration with City Centre Mirdif, is set to mark the 10th edition of its annual Reading Box initiative from 28 October to 5 November 2025. The event celebrates a decade of promoting reading as a daily habit, fostering creativity, and building a culture of knowledge and lifelong learning across the UAE.

Aligned with Dubai’s Quality of Life Strategy, this year’s edition will feature more than 66 sessions, including reading events, panel discussions, and creative workshops. The diverse programme aims to create dialogue between authors, educators, and readers, highlighting the UAE’s multicultural literary landscape.

Designed as a family-friendly event, Reading Box encourages creativity, cultural exploration, and critical thinking for all age groups. Among the English-language highlights is You Lied First on October 28, featuring award-winning author Annabel Kantaria in conversation with moderator Mustafa Alrawi about her psychological thriller The Truth Is, Everyone Lies. On 30 October, Painting Inspired by Nature will offer a hands-on session on drawing and colouring techniques, guiding participants from initial sketches to completed artwork.

Arabic-language sessions will also feature prominently. On 1 November, Yallah Emirati Arabic will explore Shuaa Zainal’s creative process and the role of the Emirati dialect in storytelling and education. The same day, Mostafa Allam will present The Young Man and the Sea, an adventure-fantasy novel followed by a discussion and signing session.

Other notable sessions include Finding Calm in the Storm on 3 November, offering practical wellness guidance for women navigating peri- to post-menopause, and Elements of Leadership, which presents a modern leadership framework focused on community impact. Emirati poet Shamma Al Bastaki will also present House to House, a poetry collection chronicling life along Dubai Creek.

Visitors can enjoy book-signing sessions and launches of new Arabic and English titles, including Osama and Naya at the Zoo by Noor Arab, The Bird and the Snake by Abu Bakr Bukhari, Memory in Olive Oil by Nadine Bakhis, Chromosome by Dr. Fatima Mohammed, My Father and the Box of Happiness by Dr. Reem Al Gurg, and Zahbah of Fujairah by Sougheh Al Ketbi, Fatima Al Jabri, and Khalid Al Handasi.

Other featured works include Mohammed Khalifa bin Hadher Al Muhairi: Poet of Freedom and Life by Ibrahim Al Hashmi, Westernization Through the Pen of the Crow by Dr. Fatima Al Breiki, and You Lied First by Annabel Kantaria.

Through initiatives such as Reading Box, Dubai Culture continues to position the emirate as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent—supporting the UAE’s vision for sustainable cultural development and lifelong learning.

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