Recap: Feria Internacional del Libro

Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Children’s Book Press was able to attend this year’s Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) in Guadalajara, which took place in late November. The FIL is the second largest international book fair in the world, spanning 9 days and attracting both book industry professionals and the general public. When the fair started there were over 600,000 ticketed attendees, and the total attendance was expected to reach well over 1 million.

We were amazed at the level of energy at the fair, which showcased a vibrant Spanish-language publishing scene and an enthusiastic reading public. It seemed like the entire city of Guadalajara anticipated the arrival of the fair, and crowds lined up outside to get in each day.

Every year the fair designates a “Guest of Honor” and highlights books, authors, and publishers from that region. This year, the Guest of Honor was the city of Los Angeles. Children’s Book Press was included in the Los Angeles delegation along with other California-based nonprofit publishers: Heyday Books, Getty Publications, University of California Press, Tía Chucha Press, Red Hen, and the nonprofit distributor, Small Press Distribution. The NEA also sponsored many LA-based authors, poet, and filmmakers. The Los Angeles Pavilion included a display of low-rider cars and tricked-out bicycles, short films commissioned by Los Angeles filmmakers, as well as a bookstore pavilion where attendees could browse and purchase books brought to the fair by the publishers in attendance.

The FIL offered many more readings, panels, performances, and other activities than we can describe here, so we thought we’d share a little slice of our experience of it in the following photos and video. ¡Que los disfruten!