That’s your challenge, finish it however you want.

This year’s Opening Night Gala brings together some of the sharpest and most surprising voices to complete that sentence, however they need to: through comedy, poetry, confession or sheer literary chaos.

It’s a night of noise, joy, truth, and release.

In a loud world, every voice finds its own volume.

Hosted by Sami Shah, the speakers are Sara Haddad, Hasib Hourani, Ratih Kumala, Cheng Lei, Sashi Perera, Dr Samah Sabawi, Grace Yee,