May 6, 2024
The sixth Chicago 2024 Book Fair was held with the participation of UNAM Chicago as the organizing institution. With the goal of promoting Spanish-language literature written in the United States, this sixth edition of the Fair brought together a large and diverse group of independent writers and publishers in a celebration of Spanish-language literature, whose presence and importance is growing every day throughout the United States. The event also gathered an important presence of diplomats. Spanish is very much alive in the United States; in fact, the country has become the fourth most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. It is widely spoken in the public and private spheres, and not only by the Latino community. With more than 42 million speakers, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States.
For three days, a large group of academics, professionals and general public gathered at the University of Chicago, one of the organizing institution along with El BeiSmAn, an important Spanish-language publishing house in Chicago, as " a demonstration of resistance similar to the very own act of writing in Spanish," explained its enthusiastic organizers, Carolina Herrera, writer and academic, and Maya Piña, also a writer and cultural promoter.
During the ceremony, the Director of UNAM Chicago, Guillermo Pulido, underscored the importance of the event in which “72 renowned writers will guide us in 17 panels through the vast and vibrant literary tapestry being woven in the heart of our communities and towns.” He emphasized that this Book Fair is a convergence of cultures, ideas and passion with great transcendence and identity because every piece of work presented offers a unique, powerful and invaluable perspective.
The director of El BeiSmAn, Carolina Herrera, a writer of two novels herself, said she was delighted to see "a rain of stars" of writers who exalt and represent the best of Spanish-language literature. The director of the Book Fair, Maya Piña, a pioneer in the promotion of culture, especially literature, alluded to the presence of Spanish as an act of faith not only in institutions but also in the plazas and markets, and of its transcendence as a bond, a symbol of creation and a bridge between all Latin American immigrants to recognize the otherness that has kept them united. Maya thanked the writers, editors and literary analysts for their presence, and in particular UNAM for the enormous support, for the work they have done and for the presence of Hernán Lara Zavala, writer and professor of the UNAM's Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, who participated as a panelist during the event.
The book edited by UNAM Chicago, Narrar lo Propio, was also presented, which gathers the testimonies of those who decided to migrate looking for a better life, and who captured them thanks to a literary workshop organized by UNAM Chicago and the Department of Literature at UNAM.
