Miami Book Fair celebrates 34th anniversary
The 34th edition of our Miami Book Fair is well underway with an impressive lineup of exciting events and activities for book enthusiasts of all ages.
Running through Nov. 19, hundreds of authors and thousands of readers will converge at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus in Downtown Miami for our nation's premier literary festival. It truly is a festival of books, authors and the arts.
Founded at Miami Dade College more than three decades ago, the Fair has convened millions of book lovers from all over the world, and positioned our community as a champion for culture and literacy. This year, we are again very proud to continue this legacy, and appreciate the support of our entire MDC family to ensure the event is a success.
The Fair kicked off Sunday with A Conversation with Dan Rather, the award-winning journalist and news anchor with a storied career spanning more than six decades. Mr. Rather discussed his latest book, What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism.
Also on opening day, renowned Spanish author María Due?as discussed her latest novel, La Templanza, during a conversation with author and journalist Mirta Ojito. This event, part of the Fair's Iberoamerican Authors Program, was held in Spanish with simultaneous English translation.
The Fair's popular Evenings With series features several notable personalities, including award-winning musician Patti Smith, legendary novelist Isabel Allende, young people's literature superstar Kwame Alexander in conversation with Miami's own Edwidge Danticat , and others. Weeknight events come to a close on Friday with a stellar line-up of 26 authors -the nominees and winners of the prestigious National Book Awards.
Among the more than 500 notable authors presenting during the closing weekend are noted biographer Walter Isaacson, internationally renowned novelist Salman Rushdie, poets Robert Hass and Charles Simic, the most recent winner of the Man Booker Prize, George Saunders, bestselling historical novelists Lisa See, Elizabeth Kostova and Jennifer Egan, and star crime writers Carl Hiaasen and Scott Turow.
Other notable guests include former Vice President Joe Biden, who will share the story of losing his son Beau in Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose, and U.S. Senator Al Franken presenting his memoir, Giant of the Senate. Also joining us are Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, daughters of former President George W. Bush, who will present their book, Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life. Featured contemporary thinkers and commentators include Sharyl Attkisson, Leif Babin, Michael Eric Dyson, Van Jones, Chris Matthews, Ken Stern, Charles Sykes, Katy Tur and many others.
Book enthusiasts can also participate in multiple cultural and educational activities throughout the Fair. During our closing weekend, Nov. 17-19, the lively Street Fair complements author programs with hundreds of bookseller and publisher booths.
For our younger readers, the popular Children's Alley showcases a pop-up children's learning activities village with a live performance stage. Students will enjoy special author presentations as part of the Generation Genius program, including actor talks by Jason Segal on his novel Otherworld; and Gene Luen Yang , Library of Congress' Ambassador for Young People's Literature, discussing his literacy project Reading Without Walls.
Returning this year is the popular Kitchen Stadium, an outdoor pavilion equipped with a professional kitchen featuring culinary discussions and cooking demos by tog chefs, and The Porch, a place to relax while enjoying live music, literary performances and refreshments.
For a complete Miami Book Fair schedule and details about event times and locations, visit miamibookfair.com.
We'd love to see your photos and hear your thoughts about the Book Fair via social media. Share your most memorable moments from the nation's largest and finest literary gathering on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #MiamiReads and #MiamiBookFair2017.