Bradford's literature festival is full of Eastern promise as several Asian artists are performing at the seven-week extravaganza.

Organisers of Reading the City, sponsored by the Telegraph & Argus, said they have reflected the district's multi-cultural population in its range of events.

Hafeez Johar, festival organiser and Bradford Central Library's Asian languages officer, said: "We have tried to represent the different communities that we have in Bradford and show the rich range of cultures here in the district.

"The festival is about language and literature so it's only right that we show the different languages of Bradford."

Celebrated singer Syed Parvez Haider will perform the Ghazal - Urdu love poetry - at The Platform at Central Library tomorrow at 7.30pm.

The musical event will see Haider sing the classic poetic form, that is on a par with the Sonnet, to the traditional accompaniment of tabla and harmonium.

Mr Johar said this event was a follow-on from an earlier lecture about the Ghazal.

"It was a successful and very interesting talk but we thought it would be so much better to see it as it should be performed - to music," he added.

Bengali writer Debjani Chatterjee will be talking about her work when she tours some of the city's schools this month.

The award-winning poet, who has edited the Redbeck Press's Anthology of British South Asian Poetry, will also perform at The Platform, Central Library, on Tuesday, May 8, 7.30pm.

Novelist Quaisra Shahraz from Manchester will launch her new book The Holy Woman when she appears at Waterstone's bookshop on Tuesday, May 22, 7.30pm.

Her romantic novel looks at the pressures and conflicts of modern life and tradition within a Moslem community.

Festival organiser Tom Palmer said: "One of the aims of the festival is to get people interested in reading and literature and there's so much available this year there's bound to be something for everyone."

l Tickets for The Ghazal in Song and Debjani Chatterjee in Performance cost £3 (£2) and can be booked on (01274) 753600.

Tickets for Quaisra Shahraz cost £1 and can be reserved on (01274) 753600.