This year’s Miami International Book Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever
For one week every November Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Wolfson Campus is transformed into a literary agora. Authors from all over the world are invited to speak about their works. Vendors, booksellers, writers, and residents buzz around campus, sharing books, exploring new titles, and celebrating the written word at the Miami Book Fair.
Founded in 1984 by influential Miami bibliophiles – former MDC Wolfson Campus President Eduardo J. Padrón, Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan, and Craig Pollock of BookWorks –the fair was established to grow the city’s literary scene and provide a platform for international authors in the U.S. Over the years it’s become one of the largest literary fairs in the nation.
This year, from November 17 to 24, MDC will continue the tradition, hosting author talks and fireside chats at the Downtown campus until the weekend hits. That’s when the street fair portion of the event begins, during which artisans, authors, and food vendors take over five streets surrounding the campus. Admission is free on the first Friday and $12 for adults on the following two days. This year, organizers estimate that more than 150,000 tickets will be sold.
Some 600 authors from more than 25 countries will attend the fair, a mix of new and veteran writers. Some highlighted works are “We Will Be Jaguars,” a memoir of Nemonte Nenquimo’s childhood in the Waorani tribe in Ecuador; “Children of Anguish and Anarchy” by Nigerian Tomi Adeyemi and “Latinoland: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority,” by Peruvian-American Marie Arana.
According to Lisette Mendez, executive director of the book fair, invitees are selected by various MDC committees for relevancy, representation, and, of course, general interest. “We want to make sure the works will resonate with people in the community,” says Mendez. For Mendez and MDC, this means selecting works that reflect and celebrate Miami’s rich diversity.
The fair also hosts specific programs that showcase authors from various regions. For instance, READ CARIBBEAN features events and talks highlighting Haiti and the Caribbean; READING EAST explores authors writing about the Middle East and South Asia; and IBEROAMERICAN AUTHORS is a Spanish-speaking program that presents Hispanic storytellers. In addition to Spanish and English, the fair will offer programs in French, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese.
Mendez says part of what makes the Miami Book Fair unique is its commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and the representation of voices once overlooked by the publishing industry. “Maybe 40 years ago, the publishing industry wasn’t publishing as many black or Latino authors, or different kinds of narratives like the LGBTQ narrative,” she says. “Now we have the chance to celebrate that.”
The fair also features books and events for readers of all ages. The Children’s Alley will host live readings, hands-on experiments, and arts and crafts, and this year will see the debut of the Reading Garden, where attendees of all ages can enjoy their new books amidst the atmosphere of the fair. Mendez’ emphasizes that the fair’s mission remains steadfast: to cultivate Miami’s literary scene in a way that is exciting, international –and accessible to all community members.
