Molly Crabapple, Arundhati Roy and other highlights of this year’s Indian Summer Festival

Now in its seventh year, the Indian Summer Festival is a showcase for diversity, and for programming that its website description calls “rigorous and quirky with an appetite for experimentation, deep thinking, and curiosity.”

This year, guests include author Arundhati Roy, political cartoonist/graphic novelist Joe Sacco and more. Here are some highlights from the festival, which takes place (mostly) July 6-15, at various venues.

Arundhati Roy: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness—The author reads from her new work, her first novel since The God of Small Things (1997). (June 26 at 9 p.m., St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church, 1022 Nelson St.)

A Cultural Walking Tour—Take a trip through the urban twilight zone that is Vancouver’s Chinatown and Punjabi Market. (July 8 from 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., SFU Woodward’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts)

Here is Where We Meet—Violinist Dr. L Subramaniam, who is revered in India as the “Emperor of Sound,” performs with Grammy Award-winning saxophonoist Ernie Watts. They’re accompanied by a roster of musicians from two continents. (July 8 at 8 p.m. Orpheum Theatre, 601 Smithe St.)

Graphically Speaking—Molly Crabapple and Joe Sacco are both graphic novelists/journalists (although only one is a former Suicide Girl). They’ll talk about their work in the frontlines of political cartooning in Graphically Speaking. (July 14 9:30 p.m., SFU Woodward’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 W Hastings St.)

Constellations—Legendary tabla player/producer Talvin Singh headlines this concert, which also features indigenous hip-hop duo Mob Bounce, Vancouver composer/spoken word poet/beatboxer Rup Sidhu and vocalist Tiffany Moses. (July 15 at 9:30 p.m. Vogue Theatre 918 Granville St.)

For more info visit indiansummerfest.ca.