Santa Maria Valley author/educator/poet Enedina Castañeda reports this week that LéaLA, touted as the inaugural Spanish-language book fair, will be held April 29, 30 and May 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Click here for a link to the Spanish-language website.
Click here for a story in Spanish about the book fair by El Universal
The book fair will feature more than 80 renowned authors from different Latin American countries, organizers reported in a media release. The free event is open to the public and expects to draw over 30,000 people.
Over three days LéaLA will bring together acclaimed authors from the literary and cultural worlds. The Mexican state of Jalisco is the honored special guest and in recognition of its rich culture will present the Ballet Folkorico from the University of Guadalajara in a special performance. Stars from the education and entertainment worlds will also take part to foster the Spanish language and to recognize the varied cultural spectrum and traditions of Latinos in this country. LéaLA is an initiative organized by the University of Guadalajara USA Foundation and supported by the Guadalajara International Book Fair, Feria Internacional del Libro, known worldwide as FIL; and the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
More than 100 publishing houses are ready to offer their best works by hundreds of authors from fiction to non-fiction, from history to anime, for everyone from book aficionados to children just learning to read. A selective and attractive literary and cultural program will complement the sale of books and give the public the opportunity to get close to the Spanish language in an entertaining way while also exploring the wonders of the written page, organizers reported.
The best publishing houses from Latin America, Spain, as well as the U.S. that publish books in Spanish, English and bilingually will showcase their tomes on the already sold out exhibit floor. University Presses and non-profit organizations will also participate. Further adding to the caliber of the featured activities are the participation of Mexico’s Department of Public Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública), Mexico’s National Autonomous University, (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), the Mexican National Chamber for the Publishing Industry (Cámara Nacional de la Industria Editorial Mexicana), and Mexico’s National Council for Culture and the Arts, (Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes).
Seminars and workshops about popular trends, current events, the vitality of Latino culture in the U.S. and Latin America, and the history and roots of Latin American countries, will fill the daily programs. Encounters between U.S. Latino authors and Latino authors from other latitudes will offer a wealth of information.
Celebrities will participate in different literary and cultural programs and activities and in particular read to children in the kids’ zone. Many activities and programs will be presented simultaneously in English and Spanish.
Confirmed participants include: The Director of the Royal Spanish Academy, Jose Manuel Blecua; as well as renown authors including Isabel Allende, Franciso Martin Moreno, Xavier Velasco Sealtiel Alatriste, Carmen Boullosa, Sanjuana Martinez, and Sandra Lorenzano, among others. Also participating will be former Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres; legendary singing superstar, Jose Jose and topping off each day will be evening concerts at the Nokia Theatre with top recording artists including, Lupillo Rivera and Banda El Limon, Pedro Fernandez, and Molotov and Kinky.
Admission is free. Event hours are: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Concourse Hall, 1201 South Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
For more information visit the LéaLA website at www.lea-la.com