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
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Miami Book Fair International Begins on Sunday
The 29th 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. 11, at 4 p.m., with remarks from fair organizers, local dignitaries and representatives of this year’s featured country, Paraguay. Tom Wolfe will open the Evenings With...series at 6 p.m. with a presentation of his latest work, Back to Blood: A Novel. Book Fair festivities will continue through Sunday, Nov. 18.
The Fairgoer's Guide, which includes complete programming for this year's Book Fair, is available now, along with a mobile version (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. This is also a good time to sign up to become a Friend of the Fair and receive numerous benefits, including preferential seating at major venues.
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 16-18, with more than 200 exhibitors from around the country selling books in a festive atmosphere.
Children’s literacy is very much at the heart of the Fair’s mission. Among the many events for the under-18 crowd this year, is a very special appearance by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events; All the Wrong Questions: Who Could That Be at This Hour?) on Monday, Nov. 12. Fair organizers are also proud to host bestselling author James Patterson on Sunday, Nov. 18, for a rally for literacy.
New to the Fair this year are The Kitchen — a unique gastro-literary experience where cookbook authors will discuss their culinary philosophies and demonstrate their recipes at demos in the Culinary Institute’s state-of-the-art Wine Theatre; Act Now Theatre!, featuring children's theatre performances in English and Spanish; and Teacher’s Fun Day!, a full day of programming for teachers, librarians and educators. Fairgoers will also enjoy the return of Twilight Tastings — happy hours prior to the evening programs on Monday-Wednesday.
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. Among the list of more than 400 confirmed authors are Junot Diaz (This Is How You Lose Her), Sandra Cisneros (Have You Seen Marie?), Robert Caro (The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson), Adam Gopnik (The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food), Bill O’Reilly (Killing Kennedy), Camille Paglia (Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art From Egypt to Star Wars) and Anne Lamott (Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers).
The IberoAmerican program will present an array of Spanish-speaking literary voices from around the world, including poets Néstor Díaz de Villegas and Carlos Pintado (Cuba-USA), and bestselling and renowned authors Nélida Piñón (Brazil), Homero Aridjis (Mexico), Antonio Orejudo (Spain), Mempo Giardinelli (Argentina), Roberto Ampuero (Chile), Abilio Estévez (Cuba/Spain) and Mayra Santos Febres (Puerto Rico), 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. 17, and Sunday, Nov. 18, 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 of Cultural Affairs Alina Interián, 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