LéaLA, the Spanish Language Book Fair and Literary Festival 2022, a four-day event of cultural exploration with various activities around literature including talks, plenary sessions, children’s workshops, a poetry corner, book signings and sales, etc. for its opening in Los Angeles.
Aimed at book lovers and with a special emphasis on children, this event will feature more than 80 different authors and guest speakers.
Marisol Schulz, General Director of LéaLA, points out:
LeáLA celebrates Spanish as a way to vindicate our culture, a bond that unites us and that we share with more than 500 million people in the world.
“Under the theme ‘Let’s unite the words’ and paying homage to Mayan culture in its 2022 edition, in line with its vocation to reaffirm pride in our language and cultures, LéaLA is positioned as the most ambitious program of distribution and promotion of books and reading in Spanish in the United States of America. Combining the characteristics of the Literary Festival with the format of the Book Fair, it will have exhibition spaces of various publishers who publish in Spanish and thus bring titles for the entire audience in Los Angeles”, the organization emphasizes.
Among the various family-type activities, the six daily children’s workshops that will explore the Mayan culture in interactive and hands-on sessions with crafts that show the legends of this important civilization, such as the God of Rain, Chaac, learning that the lack of rain is a phenomenon that has affected man for centuries, it stands out.
These are the presentations that stand out as well:
- World-renowned author of The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz, will offer an insightful conversation with his son, José Ruiz, also an acclaimed author. “The Four Agreements” has sold more than 10 million copies and has been translated into 46 languages.
- Acclaimed author Ismael Cala, described by The New York Times as “Larry King Latin,” will narrate his latest book, “Fluir para no Sufrir.”
- Considering that the Los Angeles community of Mexican origin is the second largest Mexican population outside of Ciudad de México, the opening speech will feature the participation of Lorenzo Córdova, Advisor to the President of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico. His presentation, titled “Mexico is where you are,” addresses the important right to vote of Mexicans abroad.
“Since the first editions of LéaLA, designed as book fairs, readers of all ages have explored or reaffirmed their interest in what is said, thought and created in Spanish. We discovered that there is great pride in belonging to the many cultures that preceded us,” said Schulz.
LéaLA is supported by sponsors and media partners including: AJUA, AltaMed, Arizona State University, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, Los Angeles Public Library, Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Northgate Markets, Sheraton Grand, Tortas Chago , ABC7, Revista El Aviso, El Clasificado, El Suplemento, Estrella TV, Honduras Magazine, KPFK, NBC4, Noticias Para Immigrantes, Que Buena Radio, Quinceañera.com and Telemundo52.
It is important to note that this fair, with free access and aimed at people of all ages, will be open between August 25 and 28 at the Plaza de Cultura y Artes de Los Angeles.
This fair is organized by the Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara USA, a 501c3 non-profit organization, with the support of the Grodman Legacy, the collaboration of the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, the Alumni Association of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles, as well. as important public and private institutions on both sides of the border. LéaLA has had a strong presence in Los Angeles with successful editions at the Los Angeles Convention Center (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015), and the 2019 and 2021 editions as a Literary Festival.
