“Reading the World: Food Culture. Future Living.”
— Hong Kong Book Fair 2025
ARPress has been actively participating in some of the world’s most prominent international book fairs, from the Bologna Book Fair and the London Book Fair to events in Miami, Beijing, and Sharjah. We’re excited to share that our journey doesn’t stop there. Our latest step forward: participation in the 35th Hong Kong Book Fair 2025. This expansion brings even more opportunities to connect with readers, authors, and publishers on a truly global scale, and we’re just getting started.
The 2025 Hong Kong Book Fair took place from July 16–22 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This year’s theme, “Food Culture · Future Living,” served up a rich menu of tastily themed programming. Culinary literature from around the world was showcased, offering insights into food’s role in traditions, health habits, and even the future of dining through tech innovations. The World of Art & Culture zone elevated the experience, blending interactive art, dynamic videos, music, and literary commentary. Eight artists and several embassy installations illustrated how a dining table can be a cultural microcosm.
One highlight was the collaboration with Macao’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, which brought a “Macao Craft Market” to the fair. Around 40 creative brands presented handmade crafts, fashion, and lifestyle pieces that reflect Macao’s unique local identity. Mainland China also had a strong showing, with over 40 publishers and nearly 20,000 titles, including a spotlight on Sichuan’s cultural offerings.
Beyond browsing shelves, visitors immersed themselves in interactive experiences: AR photo booths, needlework demonstrations (such as Sichuan embroidery), panda-themed installations, and a civic education exhibition featuring Cantonese opera, ballet, game booths, and photo corners aimed at promoting awareness.
Book signings and author talks drew enthusiastic crowds. Fans queued to meet popular voices such as Ghost Writer (孤泣) and more. Seminars covered a wide range of topics, featuring international voices like Rie Qudan, Lindsay Varty, and Osamu Okamura, alongside local and regional authors. The fair hosted eight themed lecture series, including future living, local history, youth reading, and mindfulness.
To commemorate its 35th edition, the fair introduced several clever ticketing promotions: free admission for visitors born in 1990, special packages allowing five people to enter for the price of three, and limited-edition tote bags and gifts for shoppers who spent over HK$500. The fair didn’t just showcase books it offered an immersive cultural feast, blending reading, dining, art, craft, tech, and performance. It was a testament to how a book fair can go beyond the printed page, feeding the mind, the heart, and yes, even future appetites.
Last June 16-22, 2025, “Hazardous Pay, Shirt Talk and Twenty-Four Other Stories” by Ivan Prashker was featured at the 2025 Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF). The 31st edition of the Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) unfolded as a vibrant tapestry of literary innovation, cultural exchange, and academic collaboration. Hosted at the China National Convention Center, this year’s fair showcased over 400,000 titles and introduced groundbreaking initiatives that highlighted the evolving landscape of global publishing.
Also, “Hazardous Pay, Shirt Talk and Twenty-Four Other Stories” by Ivan Prashker was displayed at the 2025 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (LATFOB) – Book Gallery. LATFOB 2025 emphasized accessibility and community involvement. General admission was free, with select programming requiring tickets. The festival’s partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs ensured that a wide range of activities were available to attendees of all ages and backgrounds, fostering a welcoming environment for literary enthusiasts and families alike.
Ivan Prashker’s “Hazardous Pay, Shirt Talk, and Twenty-Four Other Stories” is a powerful, eclectic collection of short stories that span time periods, geographies, and emotional landscapes. Through vivid, often haunting prose, Prashker explores the fragility of human relationships, the weight of history, and the intimate conflicts that define our inner lives.
Each story stands alone as a complete world, yet together they form a cohesive portrait of humanity’s ongoing struggle with identity, morality, grief, and survival. From the innocence of childhood to the trauma of war, the brutality of history, and the complexities of modern family life, this collection reveals Prashker’s incredible range and literary depth.
In stories like The Doll, Prashker masterfully captures the delicate emotions of children navigating loss and change. The Minyan explores the ripple effects of tragedy and the subtleties of friendship, guilt, and cultural identity. In Hazardous Pay, the title story, Prashker takes readers into the heart of military tension, merging bureaucratic absurdity with the psychological strain of combat service.
The tonal range shifts from poignant to satirical to philosophical, but each narrative is rich in character and emotional weight. These stories delve not only into personal struggles but also into larger social and historical themes, providing a compelling and multifaceted reading experience. Ivan Prashker’s collection is not just a book, it is an emotional odyssey through the peaks and valleys of human experience. It demands attention not through melodrama, but through its quiet, penetrating truths. Each story is a carefully crafted vignette that lingers long after the final line. For readers who value literary fiction that tackles real issues with depth and nuance, this collection is a treasure.