Entertainment 
What is the Book Fair?
By Sergio Candido
“It’s a celebration of the written word,” this is how Alina Interián, executive director of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College, defined the Miami Book Fair International.
Founded by MDC in 1984 and previously called Books by the Bay, the Book Fair has morphed over the years as attendance grew steadily.
By the 1990s, the renamed Miami Book Fair International had become the largest literary festival in the country.
Interián says that the Book Fair owes these changes to the work of dedicated individuals like MDC President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón and independent bookseller Mitchell Kaplan, who have brought the very best in contemporary literature to South Florida.
“When it was founded back in 1984, Miami was not a town of book lovers…26 years later we have proved them differently; hundreds of thousands of people attend every year,” Interián said.
On its 26th edition, this mecca for writers and readers will provide an array of different cultural and educational activities for all ages.
This year, the fair introduces the “Twilight Tastings,” a sampling of food and beverages every night from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
As well as the Kids’ Comic Con, a series of workshops for children and teens to teach them how to create their own comics and how to illustrate the stories they write as part of the Comix Galaxy program.
“You will be exposed to a lot of thoughts and ideas and will discover fascinating books that you will want to read,” Interián said.
“Students should definitely take advantage of this wonderful opportunity of enrichment.”
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