Miami Book Fair 2014

MIAMI BOOK FAIR INTERNATIONAL

Buy Cronica del CORAZON at the FAIR at Downtown Book Center (booth ) 

Mas Info: DASSMiami.com

BOOKS BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

Raul Guerrero

For a week Downtown becomes a paradise for book lovers, as Borges envisioned paradise: an infinite library. Books are found everywhere. Novels, biographies, history, comics, cookbooks (with demonstrations at the Miami Culinary Institute), and books for children, poetry, philosophy, photography; new books, used and rare. For a week the magic of letters irradiates on over Downtown, the original city of  Miami.

 And we need it. Downtown has no bookstores, other than the Gift Shops at the History and PAMM Museums, with limited offerings on art and architecture, and Miami Dade College has a bookstore, mostly texts. Books & Books, the venerable local chain, has a newsstand in the Financial Plaza with a dozen titles decorating two walls. That statistic might soon be changing. Books & Books plans to open a bookstore and café next to the Opera House.

 The Miami Book Fair International

The Miami Book Fair International turns 31. Not an insignificant feat considering the many voices predicting the imminent extinction of books. Thirty one years, and growing—if coverage is an indication. PBS will join CSPAN now in covering the Fair.

 As usual, Spanish-language luminaries abound. The great Elena Poniatowska, winner of the Cervantes Award, delighted attendees with her inauguration presentation. And coming next Saturday is one of my favorite novelists, Julia Navarro, author of DIME QUIEN SOY. English-language participants include Dan Barry, Anne Rice, Joyce Carol Oates, Nicholas D. Kristof.

 Don’t miss the opportunity

Take a break from the construction madness, traffic... For a few moments forget the madness of progress and head over to the to the Swamp, a pop-up lounge at the Book Fair, and, having a glass of whiskey, wine or locally brewed beer, enjoy the company of E.E. Cummings (since feeling is first / who pays any attention / to the syntax of things / will never wholly kiss you;) or flirt hiding behind a pile of first editions.