LéaLA returns to convention center



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The second edition of LéaLA, the Spanish Book Fair of Los Angeles kicks off today at the Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall K. It runs through Sunday, May 13.

This free event seeks to encourage reading, promote and facilitate access to Spanish-language books, while recognizing the contributions of the U.S. Latino population, their culture and customs. LéaLA is an initiative backed by the University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles and the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), the most important book fair in the Spanish-speaking world.

Due to the popularity of the inaugural LéaLA in 2011, this year, the book fair will be three times larger. The exhibit includes space for book sales, author talks and book signings, discussion forums, plenary sessions, poetry recitals, and an area for children with interactive workshops and storybook readings by celebrities.

More than 130 authors and 180 publishing houses from all of Latin America will participate in the event. There will be 200 stands. Last year, there were just 80.

The literary program will include international authors such as Sergio Ramírez, ex vice president of Nicaragua; Paco Ignacio Taibo, who will present his most recent novel “El Álamo”; Francisco Martín Moreno, one of the best-selling authors of Mexico and Enrique Krauze, historian, essayist, and Mexican author, director of the cultural magazine, “Letras Libres.”

LéaLA’s will also offer three concerts at the Nokia Theatre at L.A, for every evening of the book fair.

The concert line up is Gloria Trevi on Friday the 11th; Los Tigres del Norte on Saturday the 12th; and Calle 13, Illya Kuryaki and Los Valderrama Sunday the 13th. Those events are not free and require the purchase of tickets.

The first edition of LeaLA attracted more than 36,000 visitors, despite the fact that it took place at the same time as the LA Times’ Festival of Books. Organizers say they expect this year’s expansion of LéaLA to generate at least double the audience.

For more information on the schedule of events, click here