MIAMI–The celebration of Miami Book Fair International’s 25th Anniversary kicked off on Sept. 18, 2008 when the Book Fair Board of Directors and the leadership of Miami Dade College unveiled plans for the Fair, along with this year’s official poster, at Texas de Brazil restaurant in Miami Beach. The Florida Center for the Literary Arts at MDC, presenter of the Book Fair, also shared its season’s plans.
“The Book Fair is not only the premier cultural event of Miami Dade College, but I believe of the region,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College and co-founder of the Fair. “In 25 short years, it has grown into the nation’s most respected literary gathering.”
The 25th Miami Book Fair International will take place Nov. 9-16 at MDC’s Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Ave., in downtown Miami. The nation’s largest and finest literary gathering will again treat book lovers to more than a week of activities, including author readings, book signings, its beloved “Evenings with…” series, the IberoAmerican Authors program, the popular Street Fair, Nov. 14 – 16, Children’s Alley, the International Pavilions Village, and, for the first time, Comix Galaxy and the Cultural Fringes Festival.
The 2008 Book Fair poster artist is Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman. Widely considered one of the most important artists of our time, Spiegelman is the author of In the Shadow of No Towers, and the classics of American literature, Maus and Maus II. He is co-founder of the acclaimed avant-garde publication, RAW, and co-editor of The Little Lit series for children. His new book, Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!, will be published by Pantheon Books this October. A book for children, Jack and the Box, published by TOON Books, will also appear that month. Spiegelman lives in New York City with his wife, Francoise Mouly, the art editor of The New Yorker and editorial director of TOON Books. He will present Breakdowns and sign his poster for fans at the Fair in November.
Miami Book Fair International co-founders Dr. Padrón and Mitchell Kaplan announced the list of authors invited to celebrate the Fair’s 25th Anniversary. Russell Banks, Ishmael Beah, Richard Belzer, Rick Bragg, Sandra Cisneros, Billy Collins, Junot Diaz, Jorge Edwards, Nathan Englander, Connie May Fowler, Cristina Garcia, Nikki Giovanni, Tom Hayden, George Hamilton, Stetson Kennedy, Mark Kurlansky, Wally Lamb, Sheila Lukins, Sindiwe Magona, Peter Matthiessen, Jane Mayer, Honor Moore, Stewart O’Nan, Joseph O’Neill, Nelida Piñon Francine Prose, George Rodrigue, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Salman Rushdie, Esmeralda Santiago, Tavis Smiley, Amy Tan, Derek Walcott, Cornel West, Edmund White, Alan Zweibel, are just a few of the over 400 authors from the U.S. and abroad gathering at the Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami for the 25th Annual Miami Book Fair International, Sun., Nov. 9 through Sun., Nov. 16.
This year, Miami Book Fair International has partnered with Diamond Book Distributors to present a comprehensive program on graphic novels and the comics world that will celebrate their historical place in our country’s literary life, as well as their recent rise in popularity and integration into the mainstream via book stores, libraries and educational curricula all over the country.
With the participation of the format’s most respected and beloved figures, including Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd, as well as other established authors and creators and newer talent, including Jessica Abel, Frank Beddor, Christos Gage David Hajdu, David Heatley, Matt Madden, Jordan Mechner, Scott McCloud, Mike Perkins, Brian Reed, Ariel Shrag and Marvel editor, William Rosemann among others. This year, the Francophone Pavilion will celebrate comics and graphic novels too, with the presentation of creators from France, Haiti, Canada and Belgium, including Mohamed Aouamri, Alex Baladi, Regis Loisel, Yves Swolf and Ralph Penel Pierre. Miami Book Fair’s Comix Galaxy will also include an educational program for librarians, educators, and parents who want to teach using comic books and graphic novels Friday, November 14th. And during Street Fair don’t miss the booths of more than 20 publishers, including Marvel, Dark Horse, Udon, Hermes Press, Toon Books and many others.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary cultural institutions from all over South Florida will dedicate performances, exhibitions and other arts events to the Fair. This Cultural Fringes Festival will open on Saturday, Oct. 25 with a performance of the musical “1776” at the Actor’s Playhouse. From that day, until the closing of the Fair, more than 35 organizations will celebrate this milestone in the Fair’s history with concerts, literary readings, art exhibits, workshops, dance and theatrical performances and more.
The Festival of Authors begins on Saturday, Nov. 9 with the first “Evenings With….” presentation featuring major literary figures reading and discussing their books in English and Spanish.
From Friday afternoon through Sunday, Nov. 14-16, is the Street Fair and the Congress of Authors, where more than 400 authors from all over the world read and discuss their work in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Kreyol. At the Street Fair, more than 250 publishers & booksellers will exhibit and sell books in many languages. Attendees can visit the International Pavilions Village, showcasing the literature, fine arts and folkloric traditions of many nations. At Children’s Alley is a full slate of activities, including book-inspired theatre and arts-and-crafts, storytelling and readings by children’s book authors from around the world. The Antiquarian Annex showcases rare books, signed first editions, original manuscripts and other collectibles. This year for the first time the Fair will feature a full schedule of events just for tweens and teens in a venue dedicated to them. Authors Frank Beddor, THE LOOKING GLASS WARS, and Travis Nichols, PUNK ROCK ETIQUETTE, among others, will talk books. Storytelling and Shakespearean acting workshops, artists who will give back to teen comic book artists and a rock band will be just a few of the other offerings.
“As we mark a quarter of a century of celebrating literature, I am proud to see that the Fair continues to be a vibrant, important part of South Florida’s cultural landscape,” says Alina Interián, executive director of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College. “Our programs this year will reflect the preoccupations, as well as the joys of our community and our nation.”
Call 305-237-3258 or visit www.miamibookfair.com. (SOURCE, BUSINESS WIRE)
