THE second edition of World of Words Kuala Lumpur (WoW-KL) brought together writers, thinkers, educators, cultural leaders and young voices to Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
Built around the “read, lead and heal” philosophy, the two-day WoW-KL positioned itself as a growing movement to revive purposeful reading and meaningful engagement with ideas.
Day One, themed “Read to Lead/Read to Inspire”, opened with storytelling and creative expression before moving into four forums at the Education Faculty auditorium.
In the first forum, “Stories Shape Us – How Reading Builds Imagination and Creativity”, speakers explored how stories shape imagination, creativity, language and cultural memory.
The second, “The Power of Words in Changing Society”, featured International Booker Prize-winning author Bhanu Mushtaq from India.
The third, “When Ideas Are Restricted – What Happens to a Society?”, discussed what society stood to lose when ideas were limited or silenced.
The final forum, “Can Reading Be Social Again?”, examined how book clubs, reading groups and communities could turn reading from a solitary activity into a sustainable social culture.
On the second day, the focus shifted towards leadership, national reading cultures and the next generation.
The fifth forum, “Read to Lead – How Reading Shapes Leader-ship and Society”, saw panellists exploring how reading could sharpen judgement, build clarity and strengthen leadership.
The sixth forum was on “Reading Without Borders – How Nations Build Reading Cultures”, while the final discussion “Voices of the Next Generation” saw young readers bring their perspectives on the future of reading, writing and storytelling.
The event culminated in WoW-KL Awards 2026 recognising contributions to Malaysia’s reading, writing, publishing, education and literary ecosystem.
Honorees included Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Samad Mohamed Said for Lifetime Contribution to Malaysian Literature, Dr Madihah Fuad (WoW-KL Luminary Award 2026), Ninot Aziz (Reading Culture Champion 2026) and Amir Ridzuan Bahari (Emerging Literary Talent 2026).
Other awardees were Amir Muhammad (Social Impact in Literature 2026), Thanbeer Kaur Sekhon (Outstanding Educator Promoting Reading) and Aneeta Sundararaj (Founder’s Recogni-tion Award).
BookXcess RexKL was recognised as top Reading Culture Bookshop, Gerakbudaya as Outstanding Local Publisher,
KL Reading Festival for Outstanding Reading Community and Cempaka International School as Reading Culture School of the Year.
In a press statement, WoW-KL said the awards formed an important part of its wider mission to give visibility to the people and communities actively keeping reading culture alive.
The ceremony also featured musical and theatrical performances, a look back at the year that was and a reading pledge/commitment moment.
WoW-KL founder and chief executive officer Sajeet Soudagar said the gathering was born from a simple concern, that “while we have never had greater access to information, we are increasingly reading less deeply, listening less carefully and engaging less meaningfully with ideas”.
“These two days showed us that the appetite for stories, books and intelligent conversation is very much alive.
“We are building a culture that we hope will live in schools, universities, homes, workplaces, book clubs and communities long after the festival ends.
“If we can inspire one more person to pick up a book, question an idea, discover a new perspective or find their own voice, then the movement has already begun,” said Sajeet.
