The writers Cristina Rivera Garza, Socorro Venegas and Gabriela Wiener grace the list of writers of the 2023 New York City International Book Fair: from September 21 to 24, the fifth edition of this event focused on literature will be held in Hispanic language, at Columbia University, the Hispanic House and the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center of New York University (NYU KJCC Center).
“We believe that language is a vehicle that transcends borders and links the Hispanic community with its roots and culture. It is about dignifying and making visible the identities and the great diversity of Hispanics that inhabit the United States, through language,” says Dejanira Álvarez Cárdenas, general coordinator of FILNYC.
In a video conversation with Crónica, the coordinator explains that this Fair is organized by the Mexican Studies Institute of New York (MSI) with the mission of positioning the Spanish language through literature and culture .
In this sense, he considers that the FIL responds to several needs regarding the demand for books in Spanish, because despite the fact that it is the second most spoken language in the United States, there is not a sufficiently wide offer in bookstores.
“Bringing independent publishers is precisely to offer the public an offer of what they cannot find. There is little space for literature in Spanish and during these days they seek to offer it to people who are looking for literature in Spanish”.
5th EDITION.
“Last year we brought together more than 90 writers and we reflected on nuances of Spanish, all the Spaniards who come together in New York City. In this 5th edition the emphasis is on memory and resistance”, informs Dejanira Álvarez Cárdenas.
In addition to the aforementioned writers, the participation of many other contemporary Spanish and Latin American authors remains to be confirmed.
As in the first edition, held in 2019, the FIL is organized around four thematic axes: literary, bibliodiverse, humanist and academic. On the latter, the New York City FIL will have a new section called “Critical Thinking”, whose objective is to bring together the voices and thinkers of our language in the same space.
Among the events that coincide with this edition of the FIL, the 50th anniversary of the Chilean military coup stands out, for which some relevant discussion tables will be organized. Other reflections will address displacement in areas such as Nicaragua and the exiles of writers such as Gioconda Belli.
Another important thematic line this year is the evolution and role of audio as an instrument that is being revitalized, as a generator of innovation in literature and as a narrative genre.
Finally, as every year, the FIL will close with the emblematic Poetry Night, an event that is worth highlighting because current artists from New York come together, a city with a great tradition and representation of Latin American poets. “It is one of the most popular activities”
GROWTH.
The current public of FIL New York is of an academic profile, mainly students and professors in master’s and doctoral programs, which creates an interesting attraction for invited publishers, since they already know what type of public is going to buy certain books.
However, the General Coordinator of the FIL indicates that the intention of this long-term event is to link the Hispanic community not linked to the academic field.
“One of the intentions of the Fair is the inclusion of young audiences around literature in Spanish. For this reason, this year we will start with a strong children’s literature program, which is the most sold in the US, in statistical terms”, he adds.
He points out that it is a slow-burn project that will take a step each year to grow in infrastructure and economic terms.
Likewise, starting this year and under the title of “Invited Publisher”, FIL City of New York will recognize the effort, work and dedication of publishers that, inside and outside the United States, continue to bet on letters in Spanish: Vaso Roto is announced, a publishing house founded in 2005 by the poet, translator and editor Jeannette Clariond, which in addition to specializing in publishing poetry in Spanish, has a wide catalog of reissues and new translations of Spanish-speaking poets, narrators and essayists .
All FIL New York City events will be public and free, with prior registration.
