|
Popular Dominican personality Jacyaguila Carmona, who hosts a televised cooking show, “Jacada Gourmet,” in the Dominican Republic, was at “La Feria del Libro,” where she showcased her new book, 20/20.
Story and photos by Marisol Rodríguez
Anyone who has ever doubted the enduring excitement of books has never attended the New York Dominican Book Fair [La Feria del Libro, as it is known in Spanish].
As set to the soundtrack of merengue by the likes of Juan Luis Guerra, hundreds celebrated the joys of literature at the Fifth Annual New York Dominican Book Fair 2011 this past Sat., Oct. 8th. The Fair is sponsored by the Dominican Cultural Commission of the United States in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic.
On the grounds of the Washington Heights campus of Boricua College, renowned authors, book vendors and cultural documentarians sold their books and engaged in conversations about Dominican literature of all genres.
Carlos Sánchez, the commissioner of Dominican Culture in the United States, declared himself pleased with the literary festivities. He mentioned the focus of this year’s book fair on youth as a response to the 50-and-older crowd that had represented the majority of visitors last year.
“We wanted to refocus the attention on the youth, who were raised here and are bilingual,” said Sánchez.
In an effort to attract youths to the Fair, an inauguration concert, “Generations Together,” was held on October 7th at the United Palace Theater featuring Karina Pasián, Rafael Solano and Ileana Reynos, among other performers.
The book fair is also engaging youth literacy efforts through a literary contest for students who attend local New York City high schools.
Emily Northia, a student at Manhattan Bridges High School, attended the fair on Saturday with friends to meet authors and support the recent publication of Puente Ñ, a collection of student stories recently published by her school.
Northia said she enjoys reading fantasy-themed books and knows many young people who also like to read. “There are young people who will definitely read a book, if its topic grabs their attention,” she said.
This year’s Fair was dedicated to Franklin Gutiérrez, the respected Dominican writer and educator, and also to Dominican writers living in Puerto Rico. Sánchez noted these honorees have contributed immensely to the development of Dominican literature abroad.
Popular Dominican personalities such as Jacyaguila Carmona, who hosts a televised cooking show, “Jacada Gourmet,” in the Dominican Republic, were also at the book fair.
Carmona, a resident of the capital city Santo Domingo, was selling 20/20, a book published last year featuring 20 distinguished Dominican designers from Fashion Week in the Dominican Republic, as well as her favorite recipes from 20 of the best local restaurants back home.
Carmona hopes to release her own cookbook of Dominican Christmas-time dishes this December. Carmona said there are unique differences in Dominican food from the motherland and New York. “There isn’t access to the same ingredients here,” she said. “The land is different, and what grows from it doesn’t taste the same.”
The book fair was also an opportunity for authors such as Dominican historian José Novas to get feedback from readers on their work. “I learn a lot about history from my conversations with readers at these types of events,” he said.
Novas, whose most recently published book, President Cáceres: Legend of Progress, Order and Peace, which explores the story behind the early 20th century Dominican president, enjoys documenting the history of unsung heroes.
“History is inclined to tell the stories of the triumphant,” said Novas. “I try to tell the stories of those in history that aren’t found in textbooks.”
One example, he noted, was the history of Fredrick Douglass in his role as United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic. In his book, Twice the Diplomat: Frederick Douglass's Assignments to the Island of Santo Domingo, Novas writes about the important role Douglass played in promoting the independence of the nation during a time of aggressive U.S. colonialism.
Melanio Kranwinkel, a salesman at Libreria Continental located at 628 W. 207th street, was also at the fair to share time with enthusiastic readers, as well as showcase the bookstore’s collection of political and philosophical literature.
“I came to get to know readers and talk to them about different topics,” he said.
While most venders were promoting books, there were also some, like Manuel Sierra, who chose to sell DVD’s. Sierra recently completed a recorded anthology of the best segments of “Santo Domingo Te Invita” [“Santo Domingo Invites You”], a popular cultural show that has aired for 35 years in the Dominican Republic.
“This is my first time at the fair,” said Sierra, who has been a resident of the United States for the past 36 years. “I’m here promoting our culture.”
Newly published authors, such as Elsa Baez, were also part of panels and discussions hosted by the book fair. Baez recently published a collection of poetry from youth poets, mostly from the Dominican Republic, entitled Poets of the Era. One of her own poems, “Mi Hell,” is included in the anthology. Baez, who is working on a second volume of poetry, hopes to have her own book of poems published in December 2011.
She described poetry as a way for a person to “expose their soul and life,” to others.
“What better way to get to know a person than through poetry?” she said.
|
