My friend and writer colleague, Jasmine D’Costa, recently told me about her experiences at the Linares International Festival in Mexico. Despite this only being its second year, it sounded like a terrific experience, and so I wanted to help spread the word about it. When asked about the importance of Canadian authors participating in these kinds of events, she said, “These festivals offer a very lasting connection to other cultures and peoples and improves and stimulates the interest in Canadian culture, writing and writers in return. The importance of young people participating can hardly be stressed enough since this ensures a long term involvement in our work. This event was so balanced and well organized that I think it met with these long term goals, and was not just an impersonal crowded display of authors.”
Below is from the press release about the festival:
“Nuevo León, México (15-18 March, 2011).- It was in Linares, Nuevo León, a town located 127 kms outside of Monterrey, in which the celebrated US-Canadian poet Albert Moritz first plucked an orange from a tree, the Indian-Canadian author Jasmine D’Costa felt like a rock star, Bosnian author Goran Simic proved that México is a country filled with warm and welcoming people, and in which Slovenia’s top poet Marjan Strohan was struck by the beauty of the architecture of the area, which he described as “European style, but with nicer people.” The festival features art events and evening entertainment, such as poetry readings, panel discussions, lectures, book signings, music, art and photography exhibitions, a book fair, documentaries, literary dinners, and a ‘Café Literario’. Created on the bicentenary of Mexico’s independence, the Literary Festival’s mandate is to promote reading, and to encourage interest in and to increase awareness of Mexican and international literature, history and culture.
By all accounts the festival was a spectacular success, and in only its second year received lavish attention on TV, radio and in print. The town Mayor, Francisco Medina, has congratulated Colin and the festival committee, consisting of Pilar Escudero and Silvia Hernanadez, for the fantastic and unprecedented job they have done in attracting writers of global significance to a town that had never previously witnessed a poetry reading, less still a full-blown international festival of authors. Carberry believe the festival can only grow in strength: “We have tapped into a rich vein of interest in literature here in Linares, and a deep hunder among the citizens of Linares to share their rich culture with the wider world. Deep down, I always knew this, and decided to take a gamble and organize a festival in 2010, thinking an honest failure was better than a false success. But the goodwill and support shown to me by the people of Linares have astounded me, and this year’s festival has surpassed all my hopes and expectations. The Linares International Literary is now a first-class event that will only grown in stature, size, and prestige.”
Full disclosure: I’m hoping my enthusiasm for this new festival will score me an invitation to next year’s event 🙂