2012 Fairgoer's Guide

Miami Book International: 29 years and counting!

This is our 29th Fair, and we have much to celebrate — books on many topics and in a multiplicity of languages, children learning to read or going to a reading by a favorite author (Lemony Snicket!), chefs and their delicious concoctions, Paraguayan culture and the beginning of the countdown toward our “pearl” anniversary — 30 years of great books!

Many of you know the story of Book Fair’s beginning as Books by the Bay—and while much has changed, as I look toward our 30th Fair, I am reflecting on what has stayed the same, and the ways in which those things have been key to the Fair’s continued growth and success. The support of our college administration and staff has always been unwavering. President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, who is one of our founders, Wolfson Campus President Madeline Pumariega, and the employees from all eight campuses who work extra hours and volunteer their time.

And it is mostly a volunteer effort that makes the Fair happen. From the gentlemen and ladies who erect our iconic, colorful, exhibitor booths, to those who help with art projects in Children’s Alley, to the ones who open the doors of Chapman and a dozen other venues, so that our community can have access to Nobel prize winners and emerging comics artists, celebrity memoirists, GLBTQ activists, and political commentators — all of them are volunteers from throughout the College. Last year, 1700 folks volunteered at the Fair. This year the number will be similar, and I wish I had the room to print their names, all of them. But though I don’t, I want to at least say THANK YOU here and now. And I encourage all of you to thank them too, when you see them at the Fair.

And you will see many of them, because there is so much to do this year! Discover Paraguay and enjoy its literature and arts, bring your kids to Children’s Alley for fun literacy and learning activities, or check out who is in The Kitchen — the Fair’s new program highlighting cookbooks, and featuring chefs dishing up deliciousness in the Wine Theatre at MDC’s Culinary Institute. There’s lots more to do! And the guide in your hands has all the details.

See you at the Fair!

Alina Interián
Executive Director, MDC Cultural Affairs

Event Highlights