For 40 years, the Miami Book fair has been making waves with words, and this year should be no different. From November 12 through the 19th, authors, celebrities, book sellers and performers take over the downtown streets surrounding Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, with hundreds of events, book signings, panels, and more. (Note that the street fair only takes place over the weekend of November 18th and 19th.)
And if you’re someone who just likes being around books rather than nose-deep in them, there are also plenty of fun extras and activities, from live music to figure drawing to dance parties. Here are a few reasons we’re psyched for this year’s most page-turning festival.
Celebrity Authors Like Kerry Washington, Jada Pinkett Smith and “The Fonz”
Of the 500 authors coming into town, there are a few names that even non-readers will recognize. On Sunday, November 12, at 4pm, Kerry Washington will be discussing her new memoir, Thicker than Water, with Eva Longoria. The novel follows her trials and tribulations as an artist, advocate, entrepreneur, mother, daughter, wife, and Black woman. Also on Sunday, Jada Pinkett Smith revisits lessons learned through her own memoir, Worthy, with Lena Waith (creator of The Sly, Denise from Master of None) at 7pm. And for fans of Happy Days, Henry Winkler who played “the Fonz”, will be running through his recently released memoir on Friday, November 17.
So Many Florida (and Miami!) Man Stories
Where better to explore books about our great city and state than at the Miami Book Fair? This year’s Floridian fiction and non-fiction releases include a humorous and slightly depressing Miami elegy with The Miami Creation Myth author Andrew Otazo, where we’ll all get nostalgic about the things we’ll miss when Miami is gone due to sea level rise; a dive into the legacy of famed Miami architect KOBI KARP with Ian Holder, author of KOBI KARP: An Architectural Body of Work; a flashback to Miami’s thrashy music scene with the authors of Punk Under the Sun: ’80s Punk and New Wave in South Florida; and a Q&A with the authors behind a books that focus on the larger-than-life characters behind underground alligator poaching and the editor of underground newspaper High Times and marijuana kingpin who took on the US Government.
There’s a free block party and mini music festival featuring local favorites
Save the silence for when you’re curled up with a book. The fair kicks off with a free to the public block party on Sunday, November 12 at 5pm. DJ Louie Vega and a slate of musicians will be performing a 4-hour salsa-focused performance, with traditional rhythms and all the genres that it's influenced: disco, house music and more. From November 17 through the 19th, the street fair’s soundtrack is provided by some of Miami’s favorite local acts including Afrobeta, Kulcha Shok Muzik and The French Horn Collective.
Turn partners and pages at The Lost Chapter Book Lounge
It’s not all ink and paper at the Book Fair. The Lost Chapter Rooftop Lounge features DJs every night along with fun programming between 6 and 10pm. On Monday there’s a Portugues Wine and Bite pop-up with Nobel Winner José Sacramago, a Brickell Literary Society book swap on Wednesday, and a Raw Figs live figure drawing session on Thursday. Plus, Smorgasburg Miami is bringing you a breadth of food, cocktails and mocktails every night.
Take a stroll down Children’s Alley
It’s not all memoirs and Oprah’s picks. The Miami Book Fair is a great place for young readers. On Children’s Alley, the littlest book worms can enjoy good enough for Good Morning America performance by POMP, SNOW, & CIRQUEumstance, picture book readings by authors, and even play doctor for a day and take care of teddy bears.