The 36th annual Miami Book Fair International kicks off November 17 with more than 450 authors on hand to speak, greet readers and sign some books. In addition to lectures, events and international programming, the Fair boasts a three-day street fair (Nov. 22-24) complete with a Festival of Authors, Children’s Alley and booths featuring antique and first-edition copies, graphic novels and comic offerings. Here are three events to hit up this season:
- Go local with Pinecrest resident James Grippando during “Masterful Mysteries and Thrillers: A Reading” on November 19. Grippando, winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, will disucss “The Girl in the Glass Box: A Jack Swyteck Novel” in which Miami attorney Jack Swyteck lands in the heart of the contentious immigration debate when he takes on the heart-wrenching case of an undocumented immigrant who fled to America to protect her daughter and save herself.
- Take a break on The Porch, a pop-up lounge showcasing an eclectic line up of established and emerging Miami-based talent, including DJ’s and live bands, literary events, and large scale art exhibitions. The Porch’s beer bar features brews by Miami’s own Biscayne Brewery and events include a teen poetry showcase, a community coloring wall from The Wynwood Coloring Book and outdoor photo exhibit of South Beach in the 70s as seen through the lens of American photographer Andy Sweet.
- Meet the best of the best when Miami Book Fair, in partnership with the National Book Foundation, welcomes the finalists and winners of the prestigious National Book Foundation’s National Book Awards. Previous winners of the Award—including William Carlos Williams, Joyce Carol Oates, and William Faulkner—comprise a who’s who of American literature. Following the awards ceremony in New York City on November 20, at which the winners will be announced, Winners and Finalists in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Translation, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature will travel to Miami for this remarkable gathering of literary talent.