March issue 2009

Boutique publishers, Still Waters Publishing, launched Faraz Maqsood Hamidi’s debut anthology of English poems, entitled Skin, on February 22. The Commune Artist Colony was decked in sumptuous design and decor, courtesy WOW Factor, for the audience, which included the literati and the glitterati.

The event commenced with a performance by the Readers Theatre in Pakistan: nine artists and eminent media personalities recited Hamidi’s poems, including Leon Menezes, Imran Aslam, Tanya Shafi, and the author himself. The duo Zeb & Haniya sang one of the poems to a catchy tune that had the audience instantly taken in by the mood.

In collaboration, Montblanc added to the razzle and dazzle of the grand ceremony. Hamidi was presented a limited edition Montblanc F. Scott Fitzgerald fountain pen. Montblanc also had gifts for the other readers.

At the close of the ceremony, Imran Aslam dedicated the evening’s venture to the girls in Swat who are deprived of education today, even as the privileged promote literature in other parts of the country. The recital was followed by a book signing.