Town Hall Seattle and Washin Kai present
David Spafford with Paul Atkins
Binging Shogun: Can Historical Fiction Be Good for History?
Town Hall Seattle and JLF present
Celebrating a Festival of Books, Ideas, Debate, and Discussion
A limited number of Forum Program single day tickets will be available for walk-up purchase each festival day.

The second edition of Jaipur Literature Festival Seattle will take place at Seattle Asian Art Museum and Town Hall Seattle from September 19-21, 2025. JLF Seattle celebrates the beauty of the seaport city of Seattle, which lies amid water bodies, mountain ranges, and stunning parklands, known for its seven hills, vibrant trade and technology industries, genre-defining musical history, and pervasive university culture. JLF’s hallmark camaraderie, caravan of ideas, and the enchanting flow of conversations will make it a truly unparalleled literary festival.
View the schedule below.
Note: Speakers and sessions are subject to change. Click here for the latest information on the festival lineup.
Saturday, September 20, 2025 – Town Hall Seattle
10:00 – 10:45 AM – Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity – Marcus du Sautoy in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy
11:00 –11:45 AM – To Save and To Destroy: Writing as an Other – Viet Thanh Nguyen in conversation with Shawn Wong
12:00 –12:45 PM – Clima Incognita: Planning For An Unknown Climate – John Vaillant and David B. Williams and in conversation with Brinda Sarathy
1:00 – 1:45 PM – The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny – Kiran Desai in conversation with Kimberly A.C. Wilson
2:00 – 2:45 PM – The Knowing – Tanya Talaga
3:00 – 3:45 PM – Culinary Crossing: India Reimagined – Vikram Vij in conversation with Archana Verma
4:00 – 4:45 PM – The Gallery of Audacious Women – Arundhathi Subramaniam in conversation with Nalini Iyer
5:00 – 5:45 PM – The Golden Road – William Dalrymple
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Sunday, September 21, 2025 – Town Hall Seattle
10:00–10:45 AM – Morning Music – Srivani Jade
11:00–11:45 AM – A Dangerous Idea: The History of Free Speech – Fara Dabhoiwala in conversation with William Dalrymple
12:00–12:45 PM – God: A Human History – Reza Aslan in conversation with Arundhathi Subramaniam
1:00–1:45 PM – Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company – Patrick McGee in conversation with Akhtar Badshah
2:00–2:45 PM – Too Good To Be True – Prajakta Koli in conversation with Neha Krishna
Town Hall Seattle and Washin Kai present
Binging Shogun: Can Historical Fiction Be Good for History?
Man Up: The New Misogyny
One Must Imagine Medusa Happy