When Tom Stoppard was quoted in The New York Times as saying that he had writer's block because there were just too many problems in the world, it may have come to some as a surprise to see that he made this declaration from the Paraty Book Festival in Brazil.

The five year old festival wants to rival with the established big names such Hay-on-Wye, Adelaide, Toronto’s Harbourfront, the Berlin Festival, Edinburgh and Mantua by attracting a roster of prestigious names. And it does succeed. Among the guests this year, Richard Price, David Sedaris, Misha Glenny, Pierre Bayard, Tom Stoppard, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie -- who we can be certain enjoyed the intimacy of the little coastal and historical town.

Which leads me to the London Lit Plus which describes itself as an "Open Festival" started in 2007 by a loose coalition of literary types with the simple aim of creating a non-commercial festival without an agenda, programmed by the people involved, to showcase the myriad of literary events that happen every week in London, but are frequently overlooked.

If you've attended any Podcamp or Barcamp, you know how fun these new collaborative conferences can be. A mix of individual agendas, market driven presentations, popularity contests and creative extravaganza they are -- simply put -- real people Wikis and the 1.0 version of what the new collaborative world will be like. People generated, people organized, people lead and people followed they are part of what is most exciting about the changes that the internet is bringing on. So if you are in London right now, you've got 4 more days to check it out -- go for it, and let us know what you think.