Image – iStockphoto: Rom Rodinka
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘An Exchange of Experiences’
On Wednesday and Thursday (November 4 and 5), Frankfurter Buchmesse and Fundación para las Letras Mexicanas are offering four round-table discussions on “the creation, promotion, and marketing of children’s and young readers’ books” in the context of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The program is called De ida y vuelta: Escritura e ilustración para la infancia en Alemania y México, or “Inbound and Outbound: Writing and illustrating for Children in Germany and México.”
On each day, the programming runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central Time (12:30 to 3 p.m. ET / 1730 to 2000 GMT / 6:30 to 9 p.m. CET). Frankfurt’s participation has the support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Online access to the discussions—held in Spanish—is free of charge, and you’ll find a YouTube and Facebook link for each of the sessions below. (Those links are for the Casa Estudio Cien Años de Soledad’s channels.)
These sessions are precursors to what it’s hoped can be a physical event in the spring. The two-day program this week would normally have paralleled México City’s Feria Internacional del Libro Infantil y Juvenil, a children’s book fair that had to be canceled because of the public health emergency.
Marifé Boix García
In a prepared statement, Marifé Boix García, Frankfurt’s vice-president of business development for southern Europe and Latin America, is quoted, saying, “Buchmesse is pleased to offer a space for an exchange of experiences with the Méxican sector.
“This activity gives continuity to the guest of honor presence of German illustrators in 2016 at the International Children’s and Youth Book Fair, and it’s the preamble to an event that we hope can take place physically in México City in May.”
Miguel Limón Rojas
Also quoted is Miguel Limón Rojas, president of the foundation, who says, “The cycle we’re now running with Frankfurt Book Fair builds on our efforts to promote writing for children.
“We have been organizing the Prize for Spanish-Language Poetry for children, Poesía para Niños, since 2004, and this year we’re co-organizing the prizes El Barco de Vapor y Gran Angular together with with Fundación SM and we’re working on a seminar for creators in the area of literature for children and young people Creadores de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil.
“In the long term, the Casa Estudio Cien Años de Soledad sees itself as a space to promote various areas of literary creation and as a meeting point for reflection and dialogue on relevant literary topics.”
Programming in This Week’s Event
The Children’s and YA Book Landscape in Germany and México: Insights into working processes and sales point for Children’s and YA Books in both book markets
Wednesday, November 4
11:30 a.m. CET / 12:30 p.m. ET / 1730 GMT / 6:30 p.m. CET
- Paula Peretti, Peretti Literarische Agentur, Germany
- Mónica Bergna, Alboroto Ediciones, México
- Moderator: Geney Beltrán, Fundación para las Letras Méxicanas, México
For streaming on Facebook click here
For streaming on YouTube click here
Views of the Industry: Relations Between Illustrators and Publishers: Overview of professional relationships: what the industry expects from illustrators
Wednesday, November 4
1 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. p.m. ET / 1900 GMT / 8 p.m. CET
- Peggy Espinosa, Petra Ediciones, México
- Manuel Monroy, Illustrator, México
- Moderator: Alicia Espinosa, Fundación SM / Children’s and YA Book Fair Commission, México
For streaming on Facebook click here
For streaming on YouTube click here
Children’s Readings: Bringing Together Text and Image: Conversation between a writer and illustrator that have worked together on a publishing project for children
Wednesday, November 5
11:30 a.m. CET / 12:30 p.m. ET / 1730 GMT / 6:30 p.m. CET
- María Baranda, Poet, México
- Gabriel Pacheco, Illustrator, México
- Quetzal León, Editorial SM, México
For streaming on Facebook click here
For streaming on YouTube click here
Children’s World: Bookstores for Children: The role and different models of bookstores aimed at relationship between Children and reading
Wednesday, November 5
1 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. p.m. ET / 1900 GMT / 8 p.m. CET
- Mariela Nagle, Bookstore Mundo Azul, Germany
- Claudia Llañes, Bookstore Navegantes, México
- Moderator: Carlos Rojas, Consultant, México
For streaming on Facebook click here
For streaming on YouTube click here
More from Publishing Perspectives on children’s books is here, more from us on the Méxican market is here, more on the German market is here, and more from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.