The Ministry of Culture announced the 26th edition of the Santo Domingo International Book Fair (FILSD 2024) will take place from 7 to 17 November 2024 on the grounds of the Juan Pablo Duarte Cultural Plaza. This year’s fair will honor Dominican writer Mateo Morrison, recipient of the 2010 National Literature Award.
Under the theme “Books Connect,” the event will feature New York City’s Washington Heights as its guest of honor, recognizing the largest Dominican community in the United States and reaffirming the country’s commitment to strengthening cultural and literary ties with Dominicans abroad.
Culture Minister Milagros Germán, along with Angela Hernández, director general of Books and Reading, made the announcement at a press conference on 17 September 2024.
The Dominican Republic’s most important literary event will host 61 international guests from 18 countries. Over ten days, attendees can enjoy a diverse program of over 500 activities, including a series of conferences and concerts organized by the Casa de la Música to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic international new song gathering “Seven Days with the People.”
242 representatives from national and international publishing houses have registered to participate. The fair will also feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, book presentations, poetry readings, exhibitions, theater performances, film screenings, and other cultural activities.
Confirmed authors include Spaniards Luis García Montero, Cristina Fernández, and Bernardo Atxaga; Mexicans David Toscana, Natalia Toledo, and Mario Bojórquez; Colombians Vera Grabe Loewenherz and Jorge Franco; Argentinian Ana María Shua; Italian Bruno Arpaia; and Puerto Rican Eduardo Lalo.
A new feature of FILSD 2024 will be the “Fair Outside the House,” a series of activities with national and international writers held outside the fairgrounds.
This year, 15 literary pavilions and spaces will be set up at the fairgrounds, offering a diverse program for all ages. Popular attractions from the previous edition, such as the Imagination Pavilion and the Comic Book Pavilion, will return.
Attendees can also visit the Publishers Pavilion, the Reading Promenade, the Washington Heights Pavilion, and the Mateo Morrison Pavilion. A dedicated Children’s Pavilion will offer special programming for young readers.
Traditional spaces like Dominican Authors, Literary Workshops, Government and Educational Institutions, the Literature Room, the Academies Room, and areas dedicated to film and literature will also be present.
A new Narrative Pavilion will host prominent poetry readings. Other highlights include the Identity and Citizenship Pavilion, the Pavilion for Encouraging Reading and Writing, the Meeting Room, and the popular Bono Libro space.
The complete program for the 2024 Santo Domingo International Book Fair will soon be available on the Ministry of Culture’s website at https://cultura.gob.do/
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Ministry of Culture
18 September 2024