The 9th Dominican Book Fair in New York concludes successfully

The 9th Dominican Book Fair in New York concludes successfully
New York, September 30 2015

The 9th Dominican Book Fair in New York -held on September 25, 26 and 27 at the Gregorio Luperón School in Manhattan- closed successfully with the massive attendance of the community, which in addition to buying Dominican crafts and books at the “La ruta del saber” street, also participated in over 200 events that took place during the weekend fair, including book releases, workshops, conferences, round tables, discussions and readings.

With the slogan: “El libro es un tesoro,” (The book is a treasure) the Dominican Book Fair in New York is considered the most important cultural event that Dominicans abroad celebrate. It is organized by the Dominican Commissioner of Culture in the United States, an agency of the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic.

Mr. Carlos Sánchez, the Dominican Commissioner of Culture in the United States, thanked teacher and writer Juan Villar, “for generously offering the Gregorio Luperón School and thus contributing to the Quisqueyan culture; to the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina; to the sponsors and, especially, to the Commissioner’s team, volunteers and the Dominican and Latino communities in New York, for supporting this book and cultural event every year.” The closing ceremony, held in the Commissioner’s Rafael Villalona Theatre, included the performance of the Pablo Reyes’s orchestra and artist Karina Pasián. The names of the winners of the 5th Youth Poetry and Short Story Competition for high school students, coordinated by writer and teacher Rubén Sánchez Féliz, were announced at the ceremony.

In the Short Story category, the winners were: Lisha Pujols, First Place; Perla Jiménez, Second Place, and Nelson Hilario, Third Place. The jury also awarded Honorable Mentions to Luz Melo, Francelys Abreu, Máximo Antigua and Lisa Torres.

In the Poetry category, the winners were: Alvin Caba, First Place; Bryan Palacios, Second Place, and Kewdy Matos, Third Place. “Our goal is to encourage high school students to nurture the wonderful world of literature and to attend and participate in the fair,” said Commissioner Sánchez. During the closing ceremony of the 9th Fair, the winners of the 2nd Short Film Festival ‘Luz y Movimiento’ were announced. The Festival took place at the Fair’s Cinema Pavilion and this year it was dedicated to the Dominican-born actor J. Teddy Garcés.

The Director of the Cinema Pavilion, filmmaker Mariluz Acosta and Mr. Carlos Sánchez, presented plaques of recognition and US$2,800 in prizes to the winners: Bryant Buernet, First Place, with the short film “Urge;” Nelson Peña, Second Place, with the short film “Trabajo,” and Wigner Reynoso, Third Place, with “Sueños Oscuros.”

The jury also awarded Special Mentions to the short films by Ray Hungría, Joce, Nelly del Grosso, and Emmanuel Peña.

Mr. Carlos Sánchez informed that the Cinema Pavilion was the most visited during the 9th Fair, and congratulated the winners of the Short Film Festival ‘Luz y Movimiento,’ aimed at Dominican or of Dominican descent filmmakers.

“The short film festival is part of our program of support to the development and promotion of the Dominican cinema, and our goal is to bring to the Dominican and Latin communities residing in the United States, education and quality entertainment through film, as well as to bring together the community and the film producers and actors whose talent and dedication make the Dominican Republic proud,” said Mr. Carlos Sánchez.

The 9th Dominican Book Fair in New York was attended by the Minister of Culture of the Dominican Republic, José Antonio Rodríguez, who underscored how much the fair has growth through the years, and praised the fact that, according to the Central Bank, the Dominican people consume more than 11 billion pesos in culture on the island.

This year, the 9th Fair was dedicated to poet, essayist, storyteller, cultural journalist and university professor Eugenio García Cuevas, who lives in Puerto Rico, for his outstanding career as a writer and cultural journalist, and for his extraordinary contributions to Dominican literature through his literary volume of work.

Eugenio García Cuevas described the slogan of the fair: “El libro es un tesoro,” (The book is a treasure) as “very accurate,” noting that the book is always an infinite source of wealth.

The 9th Fair was dedicated to Daisy Cocco De Filippis and Marianela Medrano, Dominican writers living in Connecticut, for their valuable contributions to the Dominican literature. It also paid a special tribute to the Mexican community in the United States.

Likewise, under the coordination of writer Benjamín García, murals were created in honor of writers, artists and cultural managers Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Marianela Medrano, Jacqueline Guilamo, Miguel Aníbal Perdomo, Osiris Mosquea, Luis Felipe Rodríguez, Ismael Checo, Pepe Coronado and Pin Bencosme. Among the events that took place were painting and photography exhibitions by a number of Dominican artists, including Sigfrido Duarte, Giorgie Morel, Rhadamés Ramírez, Eilis Soto, Leandro Domínguez, Robert Paulino, Oscar Abréu, Yolanny Rodríguez, Zoila Pujols, Anifer Silvestre, Gionny Alonzo, Tony Castillo and Dgilar Gómez, and an ITCS photographic exhibition that included works by Juan Carlos Fernández, Dr. Víctor De Lancer and Maricela Martínez.

In addition, the following works were released: Juntura de escritura, by Eugenio García Cuevas; Juan Pablo Duarte: El Humanista/The Humanist, the first bilingual book (Spanish and English) that includes the writings of Juan Pablo Duarte, published by Rhina P. Espaillat and Sarah Aponte; Perro no come perro, by Odalis Pérez; Los nacimientos múltiples de Juan Bosch and Viaje hacia el Arúspice, by the National Literature Award winner Mateo Morrison; Seis ensayos en busca de Pedro Henríquez Ureña, by Luis O. Brea Franco; El abuelo de Gastón en abril de 1965, a novel by the National Literature Award winner Tony Raful; Amor de Mariposas, by Euri Cabral; Mujeres: huellas, mirada y resistencia, by Virtudes Álvarez; and, Amor en bicicleta, by the Letras de Ultramar 2015 Award winner, Tomás Modesto Galán. The following books that have been published this year under the Commissioner’s editions label were released during the fair: Los malvados, a storybook by Santiago Campo Gutiérrez; Juego de asombro, a children’s book by César Sánchez Beras; and Extracto, a book of micro-stories by Kianny Antigua.

As it is already a tradition, the Dominican Book Fair in New York is the scenario where a variety of issues of great importance to the Dominican community are raised and discussed at conferences, lectures, readings, round tables and debates.

This year, countless conferences took place, among which: “Valores de identidad del pueblo dominicano,” by Dr. Luisa Navarro; “Itinerario de los restos de Trujillo,” by Dr. Franklin Gutiérrez; “Lafourcade y su novela sobre Trujillo,” by the National Literature Award winner Marcio Veloz Maggiolo; and “La Anexión, la Restauración y las relaciones dominico-haitianas,” by Luis Álvarez.

In addition: “La Reforma al Código Procesal Dominicano,” by Manuel de Jesús Cuevas; “Mujeres de Abril,” by professor and constitutionalist ex combatant Teresita Espaillat; “Juan Bosch y su literatura,” by Francis Geordanys Vásquez Ventura; “Salomé Ureña, Mujer de la Patria, Educadora y Poetisa,” by Rafael García Romero; “Conclusiones sobre la intervención de EE.UU. en la guerra de abril de 1965,” by Miguel de Camps, “BIJRD, Referente Cultural y Literario en R.D.,” by Dulce Elvira; “Escribir desde las circunstancias: cercanía y lejanía,” a dialogue with Eugenio García Cuevas; and, “Vida y Obra de Manuel del Cabral,” by Alejandro Cabral.

Other conferences included: “19 y 30 de marzo en la Historia Dominicana,” by Dr. Wilson Gómez; “La Constitución de 1963 y su ausencia en el pueblo dominicano,” by Radhamés Pérez; “Presidentes Lili y Trujillo (política migratoria, fronteriza y matanza de 1937),” by Tony Raful; “José Vasconcelos,” by Jesús Méndez Jiminián; “Prensa Turística: Desafíos del Enfoque Noticioso,” by Yaniris Felipe and Arelis Peña; and, “Lectura como puente del éxito,” by José Alberto Rosario Herrera.

Among the round tables that took place as part of the 9th Fair are: “Voces de nuestro pasado y nuestro presente,” with Diógenes Abréu, Daisy Cocco de Filippis, Sophie Maríñez, Marianela Medrano, Michelle Voltaire Marcelin, moderated by Franklin Gutiérrez; “Jacques Viau Renauld y el papel de la comunidad intelectual en la lucha por la liberación del pueblo dominicano,” by Mateo Morrison; “Entre Nosotras, una Experiencia Escritural,” by Kianny Antigua, Osiris Mosquea, Yrene Santos and Sandra Tavárez; “Escribiendo historias de éxito,” with Rafael Álvarez and Anny Rodríguez, under the responsibility of Rosa Saldaña; and “La falsa autonomía postmoderna de la mujer latina en Nueva York: Entre la depresión y sus dimensiones,” by Karina Rieke.

Likewise, “Experiencias culturales y educativas exitosas,” by Maritza Alcántara, Rosa Inés Reyes, Yanilda Jáquez and Maribel Cruz Solano; “Mujeres de Abril,” by Teresa Espaillat and Carmen Durán; “La revolución de abril, su impacto en la cultura y la sociedad dominicana,” by Wilson Spencer and Carlos McCoy; “Los aportes del Festival de Cine Dominicano a la diáspora de NY,” by Armando Guareño; “Aportes del Instituto Cervantes,” by Richard Heyer; and “Leer: Experiencia de vida,” with the Dominican Commissioner of Culture Book Club.

Numerous workshops were held during the fair, including: “Cómo se hace un libro,” by Amado Santana Chalas and Rosiely Castaño, of Editora Nacional; “Reciclando Divertido,” by Tania Rodríguez; “Construyendo Portalápices,” by Mayra Montilla; “Técnica de actuación y audición frente a la cámara,” taught by actress and acting coach Rossie Berrido; “Taller Cinematográfico: Producción de Cine y Gestión de Recursos,” by Sarah Pérez; “Técnica de guion y elaboración de proyecto y presentación de documental,” taught by Colombian screenwriter Rafael Urrea Soto; “Leer para ser libres,” by Ysabel Florentino; “Títeres educativos,” by Dorides Minaya; and “Vuela, Vuela, Chichigua,” by Mercedes Polanco and Elizabeth Balaguer.

The reading and discusion event included: “Lectura de Poesía,” with José Acosta, Alberto Peraza, Eugenio García Cuevas and Rei Berroa; “Callejero en Cuba,” with Félix García; “El día en que perdí mi diente de leche,” with Mary Eli Peña-Gratereaux and Gabriella Gratereaux; “El Encanto de la Lechuza,” with Kianny Antigua; “Festín de Minicuentos,” with Kianny Antigua, Ibeth Guzmán, Keiselim Montás, Pedro Antonio Valdez and Rubén Sánchez Féliz; “Lectura Narrativa,” with Valentín Amaro, Pedro Antonio Valdez, Rubén Sánchez Féliz, and Lorea Canales.

Also, the announcement of the Letras de Ultramar and the National Literature 2015 Award winners, José Acosta, Miguel Aníbal Perdomo and Tomás Modesto Galán. During the 9th Fair, La danza de Mingó, by Dominican playwright Haffe Serulle, was staged.

The Dominican Commissioner of Culture recognizes the contributions of Councilman Ydanis Rodríguez, the Overseas House Representative Rubén Luna, the National Council for Dominican Communities Abroad (CONDEX), Delta Airlines, the Gregorio Luperón School Parents Association, 809 Restaurant, Tess Catering Josephie’s Spa, Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, and the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic.

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