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
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Miami Book Fair International Kicks Off on Sunday
The 28th edition of the nation’s finest and largest literary gathering, Miami Book Fair International, begins this Sunday, bringing eight days of cultural and educational activities to Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus. The official inauguration will take place on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. in the Auditorium (Building 1, Second Floor) with remarks from Fair organizers, local dignitaries and representatives of this year’s featured country, China. Immediately following the inauguration, the Chinese Pavilion will host an opening reception. Book Fair festivities will continue through Sunday, Nov. 20.
The Fairgoer's Guide, which includes complete programming for this year's Book Fair, is available now, along with a new mobile version (http://m.miamibookfair.com) that allows you to view Book Fair program information and updates, and to build your own schedule via your mobile device. A limited number of print guides will be available onsite, so please consult the online guide or mobile guide to build your Fair itinerary.
Book Fair volunteers are still needed; so, if you have not already signed up, you may do so at http://www.miamibookfair.com/membership/volunteers.aspx.
Highlights
The Fair will once again treat book lovers to more than a week of cultural and educational activities, including the beloved Evenings With…series, the IberoAmerican Authors program, Student Literary Encounters, Children’s Alley and the Weekend Festival of Authors, including comics and graphic novel panels, author presentations for tweens and teens, and much more. The always-popular Street Fair runs Friday through Sunday, November 18-20, with more than 200 exhibitors from around the country selling books in a festive atmosphere.
The Miami Writers Institute, a spring program of The Center, will debut a fall edition this year during Book Fair week with creative writing workshops taught by authors Ana Menendez and Robert Pinsky, among others. Events also new to this year’s Fair include cooking demos by cookbook authors and chefs at Miami Culinary Institute, the Literary Death Match (an Idol-style reading event that pits authors against each other), and a “date night” twist to one of Friday’s Evenings With...events. Fairgoers will also enjoy the return of Twilight Tastings — five happy hours prior to the weekday evening programs.
Top Confirmed Authors
Each year, the Fair raises the bar of excellence by offering a fine roster of writers from the U.S. and abroad, and this year will be no exception. Confirmed authors include singer, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte, singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash, Chinese novelist Yu Hua, Senator Bob Graham, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, New York Times columnist and author David Brooks, graphic novelist Dan Clowes, NPR Radio host Bob Edwards, anthropologist and physician Dr. Paul Farmer, journalist Jim Lehrer, critically acclaimed debut novelist Téa Obreht, novelist and essayist Colson Whitehead, novelist Michael Ondaatje, children’s author Megan McDonald, Native American writer Leslie Marmon Silko, and filmmaker John Sayles, to name a few.
The IberoAmerican program will present an array of Spanish-speaking literary voices from around the world, including author and Spanish TV personality Jaime Bayly (Peru), novelist and literary scholar Edmundo Paz Soldán (U.S./Bolivia), novelist Esmeralda Santiago (U.S./Puerto Rico), novelist Javier Sierra (Spain), among others. In addition, the Fair always welcomes writers from Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and more.
Tickets
Admission to the Street Fair is free to all College employees and students with a valid MDC ID card. Faculty, staff and students may access the fairgrounds on Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20, through the Red "Credentials" Entrance on N.E. 5th St. and 2nd Ave.
Evenings With...tickets are $10 this year. This support is vital to sustaining the Book Fair and we appreciate your understanding. There will be several free events during the week. Please check the Fairgoer's Guide for dates and times.
I would like to thank the staff of The Center @ MDC, especially executive director Alina Interiàn, Book Fair director Delia López, and the hundreds of Book Fair volunteers at the College and throughout the community who make the Book Fair the best literary event in the country.
See you at the Fair.
Eduardo