FIL Monterrey 2024: A literary celebration with an environmental focus

For nine days, the Monterrey International Book Fair (FIL) will feature more than 100 activities focused on the culture of sustainability, environmental care, and cultural and linguistic diversity.

This year, FIL Monterrey will be held September 28 to October 6, 2024, at Cintermex and will feature activities focused on caring for the planet and aimed at early childhood.

The thirty-second edition of the literary festival will be held under the slogan Literature Heads North, a concept that was launched on Tecnológico de Monterrey’s 80th anniversary.

“It’s important for us to strengthen critical thinking and promote human flourishing through reading,” said Carmen Junco, President of FIL.

FIL, a free event that will feature more than 600 authors from 12 countries, will highlight the participation of two Pulitzer Prize winners: Cristina Rivera Garza and Anne Boyer.

“Book fairs are fundamental in a complex world, in a polarized world. They help us to be open to dialogue, to get to know each other better,” said Juan Pablo Murra, Rector for Higher Education at Tec de Monterrey.

Judith Ruiz Godoy, Dean of the School of Humanities and Education, said that FIL Monterrey will be a meeting point to promote interdisciplinary dialogue and cultural exchange.

“We’re a platform for new perspectives to be discovered, where connections are built between academia, in this case the Autonomous University of Mexico and Tec de Monterrey, and creative industries, and we also encourage innovation in the publishing field,” she said.

“Books fairs are fundamental in a complex world, in a polarized world. They help us to be open to dialogue.” – Juan Pablo Murra.

For a culture of sustainability

FIL Director Henoc de Santiago said that this year’s edition will emphasize promoting a culture of sustainability through various activities, including children’s activities.

“It’ll focus on environmental care, cultural and linguistic diversity, and providing new perspectives that allow the publishing industry to connect to other creative industries,” he said.

The fair will feature the participation of national experts such as Julia Carabias, José Sarukhán, and Alejandra Rabasa and international experts such as Jem Bendell and Ana María Llamazares, who will lead workshops and discussions focused on sustainability.

“It’s important for us to strengthen critical thinking and promote human flourishing through reading.” – Carmen Junco.

Writers’ events

De Santiago said that the inaugural speech will be given by Monterrey writer David Toscana, who will also participate in a chat with Cristina Rivera Garza.

This is part of the Dialogues from the North event, which will also include the participation of authors from the region, such as Luis Humberto Crosthwaite, Suzette Celaya, and Alejandro Vázquez.

The FIL director added that there will also be an event this year on contemporary writing.

“It’ll bring together voices from different regions and countries to address three major currents present in writing: linguistic diversity, autofiction, and the connections between writing and nature,” explained De Santiago.

These activities will include an event with Juan Villoro to discuss his book No soy un robot: La lectura y la sociedad digital (I Am Not a Robot: Reading and the Digital Society).

There will also be events on science fiction, horror, and westerns. Click here to learn more about FIL’s cultural program.

UAM will be a special guest at FIL

The Metropolitan Autonomous University, special guest at this year’s FIL, will provide book presentations, forums, and discussions to address topics such as artificial intelligence and sustainability.

The 240-square-meter stand will include more than 2,000 university titles and host more than 50 activities, said José Antonio de los Reyes, Rector of the university.

“This event will help us reflect on the role that our university has played in the construction of knowledge and culture throughout its decades of existence.

“Additionally, we’re sharing with the academic community and the general public the commitment we’ve maintained with society and the fact that we look to be a benchmark of innovation and plurality,” said the Rector.

These activities will include a sustainability forum that will address the role of universities in this area.

There will also be roundtables on topics such as the current political situation in Mexico, the water crisis, and the use of artificial intelligence in the publication process of scientific journals.

“We’re a platform for new perspectives to be discovered, where connections are built.” – Judith Ruiz Godoy.

For the care of the planet

This year, activities at the Children’s Pavilion of the International Book Fair Monterrey will revolve around care of the planet under the theme The Earth: Our Home.

Designed and promoted by the Nuevo León Ministry of Culture, this space seeks to encourage children’s reflection, play, and imagination through reading. This year, it will feature an installation inspired by the earth.

“We’ve thought of our children in creating this space because we want them to feel they’re part of nature, one more living being among the many that coexist on this planet,” said Melissa Segura, head of the state’s Ministry of Culture.

Sensory exploration, recycling, visual arts, and literature will be some of the workshops that attendees will be able to participate in.

There will be children’s theater and music performances by state and national companies such as EFE Tres Teatro, Los Patita de Perro, Los Banyasos, Percha Teatro, and La Cuarta Transversal, to name but a few.

“This is the third time this event will be held. The program reflects our commitment to the cultural and educational development of our children,” Segura shared.

Melissa Segura also announced that this year will include the installation of the Nuevo León Pavilion, presenting cultural institutions such as Conarte, Fondo Editorial Nuevo León, and 3Museos, along with the second National Symposium on Indigenous Languages.

With information from Marlene González and Martha Mariano

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