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Highlights at this year’s Blue Met

Blue Metropolis launches its 13th edition this week (it runs until May 1), the first under the guidance of new director William St-Hilaire, who took over from founder Linda Leith. This year, the festival moves from the Delta to the Holiday Inn Select (99 Viger W.—all events take place here unless otherwise noted), where international and local literary stars will convene to talk shop and read from their latest works.

Local author Dimitri Nasrallah launches his second book Niko, which follows the six-year-old title character as he leaves his civil war-torn country for a new home across international bor­ders. (Thursday, April 28, 5 p.m.)

Next up, Governor General Award-winner Kate Pullinger talks The Future of Fiction: Historical to Digital. (855 Sherbrooke W., #232, today, April 28, 5:30 p.m., free)

Fans of Sea of Poppies, shortlisted for the Man Booker in ’08, should head to Voices From India and the Diaspora to see author Amitav Ghosh in conversation with fellow contemporary stars Bharati Mukherjee and Koyamparambath Satchidanandan (today, 6 p.m., $10), or catch Ghosh one-on-one with Noah Richler later in the week. (Saturday, April 30, 8 p.m. $10)

Poetry lovers can check out new voices at the DC book launch to hear the latest from Larissa Andrusyshyn, Greg Santos, Kenneth Radu, Louis Bak and Robert Armstrong. (Friday, April 29, 5 p.m., free)

War Games author and journalist Linda Polman discusses aid, corruption and international conflicts (Saturday, April 30, 1 p.m., $10), while Josip Novakovich, Anna Porter and Daniel Allen Cox talk about their struggles to capture the new Eastern Europe. (Saturday, April 30, 3 p.m., free)

Finally, catch Montreal author and Giller Prize-winner Johanna Skibsrud being interviewed by fellow Giller-winner Linden MacIntyre. (Saturday, April 30, 6 p.m. $25) ■

SEE BLUEMETROPOLIS.ORG FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE AND DETAILS

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