The Lanzarote Book Fair will celebrate its third edition from May 8 to 11 in the historic center of San Bartolomé. The event will bring together national and international authors such as journalist and writer Nieves Concostrina, the trio of writers Carmen Mola, conscious parenting consultant Miriam Tirado and Colombian author Juan Gabriel Vásquez.
On the morning of last Wednesday, coinciding with International Book Day, the public presentation of the program to the media took place, with the presence of the Culture Councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jesús Machín, the Culture Councilor of the San Bartolomé City Council, Carmen Medina, the head of the Publications Service of the first Corporation, María José Alonso, the president of Isla Literaria, Tomás Pérez-Esaú, and the comedian Kike Pérez, who will debut at the Fair as a writer.
In his speech, Councilor Jesús Machín emphasized the distinctive character of the Fair "which responds to the organization behind it and which has made the people embrace this activity." He also expressed his wish that "words serve to build bridges and not to build barriers." For her part, María José Alonso described this meeting as "the flagship activity of the Publications Service, due to its desire to promote reading and an unbeatable showcase for the dissemination of literary production and the island's publishing industry."
Councilor Carmen Medina emphasized the honor of hosting the Lanzarote literary fair in the third stop of its island tour and highlighted her commitment to the event, "which we materialize in our own stand for the promotion of authors from the municipality, the premiere of a short film about the first librarian of San Bartolomé, María Teresa Martín, and the open-air school drawing exhibition that can be enjoyed from today in the pedestrian area of La Cerdeña."
The round of interventions was closed by the Lanzarote monologist Kike Pérez, who expressed his satisfaction "for this wonderful displacement." "In my life I have always been very lucky, the same luck that, after allowing me to take my first steps as a comedian on my island, brings me back home to present this book. Thinking about a literary career overwhelms me in a super fun way and at the same time, it implies a great responsibility," he declared.
Acknowledgments
After thanking the sponsoring entities for the possibility of holding the Book Fair, Tomás Pérez-Esaú detailed some of the novelties of this year, such as the relevance to the theatrical genre in a municipality recognized for its fondness for the performing arts. An express dramatic writing activity, on Thursday, May 8, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM in the patio of Casa Cerdeña, or the show Once upon a time in Borbonia, by Nieves Concostrina and Fetén Fetén on May 11, with tickets already on sale from April 23, corroborate this purpose.
He also recalled that, in collaboration with Cine Club Lanzarote, and within the complementary activities of the Fair, this Saturday, April 26, at seven in the afternoon, the film La umbría, by Pepe Dámaso, an adaptation of the theatrical poem by Alonso Quesada, writer honored on Canary Islands Literature Day 2025, will be screened at the CIC El Almacén.
"We will also have school workshops, a toy library, book signings, and of course, the presence of our bookstores and publishers and a stand available for the use of reading clubs, which we invite to participate."
The president of Isla Literaria expressed his gratitude in a particular way to those who will present the books, "communication and journalism professionals who collaborate with the Fair in a disinterested way, out of love for reading and literature, and to Jaime Quesada, who one more year, and it's been three already, dedicates some precious tenths to us, which will be read on the opening day," he said.
Detailed information about the Fair and its contents is available on the website lafieradellibrolanzarote.com and on the profiles of lafieradellibro, on facebook and instagram.