National Book Council announces new literary podcast to promote Maltese books

The National Book Council is launching a new literary podcast series as part of its strategy to promote Maltese publications to local audiences.

Markpaġna will be airing weekly in both audio and video formats.

Hosted by Luke Galea and Rachel Baldacchino, Markapaġna will feature interviews with authors and researchers to speak about a local publication they hold dear.

“The conversations that follow are at once an encounter with guest writers in their role as literary practitioners and also as readers. The series opens a space for in-depth discussions about Maltese books addressing the striking features of a chosen work, its literary influence or social significance, and the context that surrounds it,” the National Book Council said.

The 2022/23 season features 20 podcast episodes with as many different guests and plenty of worthy recommendations of contemporary and classical works of literature.

The first half of the season, presented by Galea, will be broadcast as lead-up to the Malta Book Festival from this September to mid-November.

Markapaġna is then scheduled to return for the remainder of the season between January and February 2023, with Baldacchino as the host.

Markapaġna airs every Tuesday at 6pm starting from 13 September and can be viewed on the National Book Council’s channel on YouTube as well as the Facebook pages and websites of both the National Book Council and MaltaToday.

This podcast series can also be listened to on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Markapaġna is being produced by the National Book Council in collaboration with MaltaToday.