Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message From the President
Friday, November 06, 2009
Miami Book Fair International begins this weekend
The 26th edition of Miami Book Fair International kicks off this weekend, bringing eight days of cultural and educational activities to Wolfson Campus and the surrounding area. The festivities begin on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m., with a discussion with President Obama's inaugural poet, Elizabeth Alexander (Chapman Center, Room 3210), and continue through Sunday, Nov. 15.
The Fairgoer's Guide, which includes complete programming for this year's Book Fair, is available here. As part of the College’s ongoing environmental-sustainability and cost-containment efforts, we have printed a limited number of guides. Please consult the online guide to build your Fair itinerary.
Highlights
More than 350 renowned authors, including Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Jeannette Walls, Richard Powers, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Olen Butler, Mary Karr, Al Gore, Jonathan Lethem, Orhan Pamuk, Ruth Reichl, Isabella Rossellini, Ralph Nader, Wally Lamb and Melvin Van Peebles, will present their works during the 2009 Evenings With series and the Festival of Authors.
Confirmed Spanish-language authors include Roberto Ampuero, Carmen Posadas, Alvaro Vargas-Llosa, Boris Izaguirre, Angela Becerra, Juanita Castro, Edmundo Paz-Soldán, Jorge Ramos and Fabiola Santiago.
Comix Galaxy is back this year, with a school of comics on Friday and a new section just for kids and teens, as well as presentations over the weekend by renowned graphic novelists and illustrators. We've also brought back Twilight Tastings, six evenings of delicious food and drink, overlooking downtown Miami and the bay.
Changes
Like most organizations, the Fair has been affected by the economic downturn. For 25 years, tickets for the Evenings With series have been free of charge. This year, Evenings With tickets are $10. This support is vital to sustaining the Fair and we appreciate your understanding. The opening event with poet Elizabeth Alexander is free of charge, as are a number of additional events that occur during the week. Please check the Fairgoer’s Guide for dates and times.
Admission to the Street Fair (Nov. 13 - Nov. 15) is still free to all College employees and students with a valid MDC ID card. Faculty, staff and students may access the fairgrounds on Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15 through the Red "Credentials" Entrance on N.E. 5th St. and 2nd Ave.
Thanks are due to the staff of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, especially executive director Alina Interián, Book Fair director Delia López, and the hundreds of Book Fair volunteers at the College and throughout the community who make this unparalleled literary event possible. Volunteers are still needed, so if you have not already signed up, you may do so at http://www.miamibookfair.com/membership/volunteers.aspx.
I know you share my pride in hosting the finest literary event in the nation.
See you at the Fair.
Eduardo