Miami Book Fair International
The Miami Book Fair is an annual street fair and literary festival organized by Miami Dade College. It features pavilions for comics, children, and young adults, among others. More than 300 national and international authors attend the week-long gathering every year.
== History ==
Miami Book Fair International, originally known as Books by the Bay, was founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College President Eduardo J. Padrón, Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan, Craig Pollock of BookWorks, and other local bookstore owners in cooperation with the Miami-Dade Public Library System. The two primary organizers of the inaugural 1984 Book Fair from the Miami-Dade Public Library System were Head of Community Relations Margarita Cano and Wolfsonian campus librarian Juanita Johnson.
In 2020, the book fair added virtual content.
== Community Partners and Sponsors ==
=== Florida Center for the Literary Arts (FCLA) ===
The Florida Center for the Literary Arts is the parent organization of the Miami Book Fair International. The literary center was conceived to advance the college's literary traditions. A permanent endowment was established with a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Full programming began in January 2002.
As a department of Miami Dade College, FCLA generates programs to support authors and writing, journalism, play and screen writing, reading and literacy, as well as the Miami Book Fair International. Outreach consist of reading campaigns and book discussions, writing workshops, author presentations, panel discussions, and master classes. The Center collaborates with a number of Florida-based cultural institutions and other partners in order to advance literary initiatives. 
== Events ==
=== Festival of Authors ===
Typically more than 300 authors from around the world take part in the Fair's international Festival of Authors. Writers come from all over the United States, and in previous years, the Fair has welcomed authors from countries like Argentina, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, England, France, Finland, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, Israel, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Trinidad, and other nations.
=== Evenings With...Series ===
The Evenings With… series features readings by world-renowned writers every evening for six consecutive festival days. In past years, guest authors have included recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Casa de las Americas Prize, Pushcart Prize, O'Henry Award, National Magazine Award, Commonwealth Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, and Edgar Award.
=== Street Fair ===
The three-day outdoor festival gathers hundreds of booksellers and exhibitors from major publishing houses, small presses, scholarly imprints, and foreign publishers. Sellers of used books – including signed first editions, original manuscripts, and other collectibles – also have booths. Millions of books in multiple languages can be found, along with book signings and musical entertainment, during the weekend Fair activity.
=== Comix Galaxy ===Comic Galaxy is a Fair program offering information on graphic novels and the comics world, and celebrates their place in United States literary life, as well as their recent rise in popularity and integration into mainstream literature, culture, and even education. A prominent part of Comic Galaxy, The School of Comics is a day-long program that includes six sessions for teachers, librarians, parents, and others who are interested in the format. There also exists training for creators of the genre.
=== Children's Alley ===
Children's Alley, tailored for young readers, features storytelling, puppets, theatrical performances, educational games, and hands-on activities. Generation Genius is a program hosting thousands of school-aged children each year. As a part of Generation Genius programming, Miami Book Fair International also offers workshops and presentations to local teachers, librarians, and educators. Programs are provided in cooperation with Miami Art Museum, HistoryMiami, Miami Children's Museum, Miami Science Museum, Early Learning Coalition of Miami Dade/Monroe, and Florida Blue.
=== Ibero-American Authors ===Ibero-American Authors is Miami Book Fair International's Spanish Language author program that is presented solely in Spanish or Portuguese. More than 50 authors from various Latin American countries are featured during the eight-days of the Fair. Readings take place every evening during the week and all day during the weekend.
=== Twilight Tastings and the Kitchen ===
Miami Book Fair International also includes as part of its list of events hors d'oeuvre, complimentary cocktails, and nightly entertainment before the weeknight author presentations. The Kitchen combines cooking demonstrations and author readings by featured cookbook authors and chefs in an intimate, culinary setting as they recreate recipes from their books.
=== LGBTQIA+ Topics ===
Authors writing on LGBTQIA+ topics are represented throughout the festival with titles in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and erotica. Many who appear are Lambda Award winners or finalists.
=== Miami Writer's Institute ===
Center for Literature and Theatre faculty, authors, and agents provide workshops pertaining to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and publishing. The Center offers one and three-day workshops, with several taking place in Spanish as well.
== Recent-Year Highlights ==
=== 2014 ===
In 2014, the Miami Book Fair International partnered with the National Book Foundation to provide programming centered around 2014 National Book Award nominees and winners. A sampling of additional authors appearing at Miami Book Fair International 2014 follows:Robert Baer – The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins
Richard Blanco – The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood
John Cleese – So Anyway...
Andy Cohen – The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look At A Shallow Year
Michael DeForge – Ant Colony
Angela DiTerlizzi – Some Bugs
Tony DiTerlizzi – Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
Sheila E – The Beat of My Own Drum: A Memoir
Grace Ellis – Lumberjanes
Annabelle Gurwitch – See You Made An Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50
James W. Hall – The Big Finish: A Thorn Novel
Ben Hatke – The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
Kazu Kibuishi – Amulet#6
Nicholas Kristof – A Path Appears
Norman Lear – Even This I Get To Experience
Brad Meltzer – I Am Rosa Parks
Lauren Miller – Free to Fall
Susan Minot – Thirty Girls: A Novel
George O'Connor – If I Had A Raptor
Lauren Oliver – Rooms: A Novel
Ann Patchett – This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Ed Piskor – Hip Hop Family Tree Vol 2: 1981-1983
Valerie Plame – Burned
Questlove – The World According to Questlove
Anne Rice – Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles
Tavis Smiley – Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year
Raina Telgemeier – Sisters
John Waters – Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America
Cornel West – Black Prophetic Fire
Eveline Pierre The Secret to Winning Big
=== 2013 ===To commemorate 500 years since Juan Ponce de León first landed in Florida, the 30th edition of the Fair celebrated the culture and literature of Spain. Spanish writers and artists shared the language, culture and literature of Spain. A sampling of authors who appeared at Miami Book Fair International 2013 follows: Jeff Abbott – Downfall
Mitch Albom – The First Phone Call from Heaven: A Novel
Reza Aslan – Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Paul Auster – Report From the Interior
Holly Black – Doll Bones
Stanley Crouch – Kansas City Lighting: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker
Kwame Dawes – Duppy Conqueror: New and Selected Poems
Delia Ephron – Sister Mother Husband Dog: Etc.
Ana Fuentes – From the Dragon's Mouth: Ten True Stories That Reveal the True China
Nikki Giovanni – Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid
Doris Kearns Goodwin – The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
Dr. Carl Hart – High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society
John Heilemann – Double Down: Game Change 2012
Anjelica Huston – A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York
Andrew Kaufman – I'm in Miami, Bitch!: The Disappearing Street Art of Wynwood
Gordon Korman – The Hypnotists: Book 1
Diane Ladd – A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake: A Collection of Ten Short Stories
Wally Lamb – We Are Water: A Novel
Adam Mansbach – The Dead Run
Chris Matthews – Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked
D.T. Max – Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace
Terry McMillan – Who Asked You?
Brad Meltzer – History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time
David N. Meyer – The Bee Gees: The Biography
Jacquelyn Mitchard – What We Saw at Night
=== 2012 ===
The featured country of 2012's Miami Book Fair International was Paraguay. Paraguayan culture was displayed through film, dance, and fine and folkloric arts.
A sampling of authors who appeared at Miami Book Fair International 2012 follows:Martin Amis – Lionel Asbo: State of England
Nate Berkus – The Things That Matter
Justin Cronin – The Twelve
Aline Crumb – Drawn Together: The Collected Works of Aline & R. Crumb
Andre Debus III – Townie: A Memoir
Junot Diaz – This is How You Lose Her
Emma Donoghue – Room
Tim Dorsey – Pineapple Grenade
Carolina Garcia-Aguilera – Magnolia
Chris Hayes – Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy
Mark Helprin – In Sunlight and In Shadow
Jamal Joseph – Panther Baby: A Life of Rebellion & Reinvention
Daniel Kirk – Library Mouse: A Museum Adventure
Anne Lamott – Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
Jessica Martinez – The Space Between Us
Diana McCaulay – Huracan
Andrew McCarthy – The Longest Way Home
Christopher Pike – Witch World
Bill O'Reilly – Killing Kennedy
Lemony Snicket – A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jake Tapper – The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor
Jeffrey Toobin – The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court
Irvine Welsh – Skagboys
Sherri Winston – President of the Whole Fifth Grade
Tom Wolfe – Back to Blood
=== 2011 ===Miami Book Fair International 2011 included demonstrations of Chinese culture and art and discussions of social issues facing contemporary China. An international symposium on Chinese language, culture, and communication was held.
A sampling of authors who participated in Miami Book Fair International 2011 follows: Dr. Arthur Agatston – The South Beach Wake-Up Call
Tom Angleberger – Darth Paper Strikes Back
David Brooks – The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
Dan Clowes – The Death-Ray
John Connolly – The Infernals
Bob Edwards – My Life in Radio
Jeffrey Eugenides – The Marriage Plot
Cristina García – Dreams of Significant Girls
Dr. Paul George – Florida's 11th Circuit Court
Lev Grossman – The Magician King
Sandra Gutierrez – The New Southern-Latino Table
Ellen Hopkins – Perfect
Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Megan McDonald – Judy Moody, Girl Detective
Michael Moore – Here Comes Trouble
Elizabeth Nunez – Boundaries
Susan Orlean – Rin Tin Tin
Chuck Palahniuk – Damned
Christopher Paolini – Inheritance
Karen Russell – Swamplandia!
Esmeralda Santiago – Conquistadora
Jon Scieszka – SPHDZ Book 3
Touré – Post Blackness
Calvin Trillin – Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin
Belle Yang – Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale
=== 2010 ===
For the first time this year, the fair dedicated its international space to one country, Mexico, in celebration of the bicentennial of the Central American nation's independence and the centennial of its 1910 revolution. Featured were literary feasts served as fiestas, with author presentations and roundtables on subjects such as Mexican boleros. Ballet performances, art and photography exhibitions, a movie series, and theater performances also honored the country of Mexico.
The following is a sampling of authors who participated in Miami Book Fair International 2010 activities: Maha Akhtar – La Nieta de la Maharaní
Kim Anthony – Unfavorable Odds
Dan Archer – The Honduran Coup: A Graphic History
Ann Beattie – The New Yorker Stories
Susanna Daniel – Stiltsville
Edwidge Danticat – Create Dangerously: Immigrant Artists at Work
Kate DiCamillo – Bink & Gollie
Tony DiTerlizzi – The Search for Wondla
Dave Eggers – Zeitoun
Jonathan Franzen – Freedom
Willie Geist – American Freak Show: The Completely Fabricated Stories of Our New National Treasures
James W. Hall – Silencer
Vicki Hendricks – Florida Gothic Stories
Sebastian Junger – War
Chip Kidd – Shazam!
Hari Kunzru – Writing on the Edge: Great Contemporary Writers on the Frontline of Crisis
Meghan McCain – Dirty Sexy Politics
Ben Mezrich – The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook
Walter Mosley – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Beatriz Rivera – When a Tree Falls
Scott Turow – Innocent
Lisa Unger – Fragile
Judith Viorst – Lulu and the Brontosaurus
Scott Westerfeld – Behemoth
Simon Winchester – The Atlantic: Biography of an Ocean
=== 2009 ===
Environmental issues were in the forefront of Miami Book Fair International 2009, from author presentations to green activities to making ecologically sound choices in Fair logistics. The college used native plants on stages as well as entrances. These native plants were then planted in the community to help offset the carbon emissions of the book fair. Miami Book Fair International and MDC's Earth Ethics Institute procured the plants from local nursery. Bike Valet parking service was available to each cyclist, and numerous rethink, reduce, reuse, and, recycle educational programs were promoted.
The following is a sampling of authors who appeared at Miami Book Fair International 2009:Lidia Bastianich – Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy
Edna Buchanan – The Corpse Had a Familiar Face
Meg Cabot – Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls
Susie Essman – What Would Susie Say?
Dan Goldman – 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail
Al Gore – Our Choice
Senator Bob Graham – America: The Owner's Manual
Heather Graham – Unhallowed Ground
James Grippando – Intent to Kill
Dr. Sanjay Gupta – Cheating Death
John Hodgman – More Information Than You Require
Gwen Ifill – The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama
Sid Jacobson – Che: A Graphic Biography
Wally Lamb – Wishin' and Hopin'
Peter Lerangis – The 39 Clues
Jonathan Lethem – Chronic City
Tao Lin – Shoplifting from American Apparel
Jeff Lindsay – Dexter By Design
Ralph Nader – Only the Super Rich Can Save Us
Joyce Carol Oates – Little Bird of Heaven
Iggy Pop – The Stooges: An Authorized and Illustrated Story
Sherman Alexie – War Dances
Luis Alberto Urrea – Into the Beautiful North: A Novel
Larry Wilmore – I'd Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts
Florida literature
Books in the United States

== External links ==Official website
The Center for Literature and Theatre @ Miami Dade College Tumblr Page
Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College YouTube Page
Miami Book Fair International History on C-SPAN 2 Book TV
Major Book Fairs in the US
New York Times Article A Book Fair That Grew, Propelling the Arts in Miami