Hello, my friends! I'm writing this review for multiple reasons, but the main one is that the organizers of the 10th Latin American Writers' Meeting, held in Santa Clara and which concluded yesterday, Sunday, demonstrated that, when you want to, you can do things, and you can do them very well. And, above all, that Sunday is the most sublime day of the week to celebrate with a party.
Let's start from the beginning, and what I'm about to say may sound strange, but it's one of the things that impressed me most about the entire event: the punctuality.
At 1:00 pm sharp, all the guests scheduled to be at the Cuban Pavilion were already on the bus that took us to Santa Clara.
And I'm referring to the fact that both the guest from the Isle of Youth, the one from Matanzas, and J.J. Maldonado, who came from Peru, arrived on time. Punctuality is so rare to find at any event held in Cuba that I was surprised that throughout the entire event, every activity started on time.
The organizers of the 10th Latin American Writers' Meeting gave a lesson in professionalism every day. The first day of activities was Friday night. The "El Pórtico" Gallery hosted the photography exhibition "Más allá" by artist Renato Arza. There, all the guests registered and were officially welcomed. Afterwards, we enjoyed an excellent Folkclass concert and, to close out the evening, their signature "Trovuntivitis Concert" at none other than Mejunje. The next morning, the concerts were divided. A group led by writer Emerio Medina headed to the University of Las Villas to discuss Cuban fiction, while another, led by Erick J. Mota, headed to the Center for Artistic Education. A final group headed to The City House for the book presentations of Love is a Dog That Roars from the Abyss, Messiastic Narrative, and A Galaxy Called One Piece by Peruvian author J. J. Maldonado; and Translator's Versions by Robert Ráez, from Cuba.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting things seen during the event (one of many interesting things) was the realization that today's young people are indeed reading, but not always in the conventional way, as there are currently different reading modes, such as audiovisual, multimedia, and platforms. An example of this is reflected in the essay books presented by Maldonado.
The readings were another highlight of the event. The most interesting thing isn't even that all the texts read during the event were excellent and of high quality.
The most interesting thing, and one that every literary institution in this country and around the world should replicate, is that the event's organizers have managed to turn literature, fiction, and poetry readings, into a spectacle. Even crowded and eagerly awaited. The first reading of texts took place that first day in a conventional manner. Each writer went to the table and read their short story, novel excerpt, or essay.
However, in the afternoon, at the Agesta Forum at UNEAC, something else happened. After the presentations of the AHS publishing house catalogs, presented by writers Liset Prego and Robert Ráez (La Luz) and Elianet Medina (Reina del Mar), the writers were present.
They brought the best of the young fiction published in these provinces, the space: The Law of Best Effort took place.
This is a tradition already established at the UNEAC headquarters in Villa Clara. It consists of pitting two groups of storytellers against each other.
Each of them battles a member of the other team, by reading a short story, no more than a page and a half. But that's not all: each team also has a freestyle rapper. And they, too, participate in the battle.
In the end, the winner is chosen by vote. If you ask me, I think literature won there. I think for the first time, that phrase isn't a cliché or a common phrase. It truly won.
So much so, that all the storytellers were left wanting to continue reading, and that evening, after the very entertaining program La Tendedera, hosted by writers Elizabeth Casanova, Yasmany González, and Miguel Ángel Tamayo, with music by Yatsel Rodríguez, the microphones were left open at 11 p.m., and poetry and short story readings continued to a packed house until well past midnight.
This marvel took place at the "El Pórtico" Gallery. The "El más allá" project also takes place here, where they are responsible for the gastronomy and collaborate with the AHS in the organization and production of the spaces held there.
Another show was also held at El Pórtico: The Poetic Ring. Four poets compete in duels with poems based on free themes or with a theme chosen by the referee. If La ley del mejor esfuerzo featured rappers, in the poetic ring, singer Yeni Turiño also participated with a song that followed the assigned theme.
Liset Prego, Deborah García, Idiel García, and Jorge Luis Mederos (Veleta, the eventual winner) competed fiercely with excellent poems.
Another excellent panel was also held at the City Hall. It was excellent not only because the panelists were writers Erick J. Mota and Emerio Medina, but also because of the masterclasses both speakers gave on current young adult fiction. I had the pleasure of hosting this program at the start of this #sublimeSunday.
The two discussed what was currently being written in fiction in the country. Some of the conclusions they reached were that, 40 years from now, the current generation will be responsible for the best of Cuban novels and short stories. It's difficult to define a literary generation at this time. That, perhaps, will be seen in the future, and several generations should coexist at the same time due to the thematic and stylistic variety. It was also said that thanks to or because of the support and influence of the AHS throughout the country and the "Onelio Jorge Cardoso" Literary Training Center, there is a massive number of increasingly younger writers in the country: and that is very good.
The young authors present in the room were also told about some of the bad things that are currently happening. The need to return to the Masters (Carpentier, Lezama, Chekhov, etc.) and to our culture was discussed. Yes, because not everything is good right now. Mistakes are being made, even at the institutional level, which are perfectly perfectible. This was a space for growth for everyone.
The panel was followed by the presentation of the new issue of Violas magazine (18), by Edelmis Anoceto and Miguel Ángel Castiñeira. This is a quarterly magazine of great importance and demand in our country, which publishes the best of Cuban and international literature.
The magazine is available for digital download at the following link: Violas Magazine And you can follow their channel at the following link: WhatsApp Channel
Café Seoane was the official host of each morning. There's no better way to start the day than with a good cup of coffee and literature, whether it's a conversation among all the guests and organizers, or with a story reading, as was the case on that Sunday, the last day of the event.
The readings were led by Arístides Vega Chapú, J. J. Maldonado, and Esteban Daniel García, Emerio Medina, and Erick J. Mota, who participated in the morning as a writer and in the afternoon as director of Gente Nueva Publishing, spoke to us about the latest developments and projects from this key publishing house in our country.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city, strolling through its streets and cafes before returning to the Café Seoane at night to close the event, with the presentation of the Casa Seoane Scholarship and the Thirst for Beauty Award. On this occasion, the awards were won by writers Karla Denisse Quiñones Quiñones (from Havana) and Esteban Daniel García (from Las Tunas), respectively.
This is what happened in broad strokes. I make this long preamble to support the following analysis. There are no excuses for creating literary spaces in poor taste, "doing the same old thing," repeating patterns. This 10th Latin American Writers' Meeting demonstrated that an engaging program can be designed, utilizing representative venues in the city and rotating venues and audiences. Readings, competitions, and theoretical sessions were held to packed houses. A strong promotional campaign ensured that every section of the program had an audience, regardless of whether it was held during the midday or evening sessions.
The venues were accompanied by projects such as those by Luca Imberti (El más allá) and Daniel Calero (Café Seoane), so, in addition to enjoying the program, there was also an enticing gastronomic offering at very affordable prices. And these programs ran almost 24 hours a day. It may seem unrelated, but it is. These projects are what give life to these places and create a loyal audience that will always consume all the art you present. So, come, not only to have a good coffee, but also to see what's on the program for that day.
Without a doubt, there's no better way to close out a #sublimesunday than with the awards ceremony and celebration of a great literary event. I hope you found it interesting.
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Hola, amigos míos! Escribo esta reseña por múltiples razones, pero la principal es que los organizadores del X Encuentro Hispanoamericano de Escritores, realizado en Santa Clara y que concluyó ayer domingo, demostraron que, cuando se quiere, se pueden hacer y se pueden hacer muy bien las cosas. Y, sobre todo, que el domingo es el día más sublime de la semana para celebrarlo con fiesta.
Comencemos por el inicio y esto que les voy a decir podrá sonar raro, pero es una de las cosas que más me impresionó de todo el evento: la puntualidad.
A la 1:00 pm en punto, ya todos los invitados citados en el Pabellón Cuba, estábamos montados en el ómnibus que nos llevó hasta Santa Clara.
Y me refiero a que tanto el invitado de la Isla de la Juventud, como el de Matanzas y J.J Maldonado, quien vino desde Perú: llegaron a tiempo. La puntualidad es algo tan raro de hallar en cualquier evento que se realice en Cuba, que me sorprendió que durante todo el evento, cada una de las actividades comenzó a su hora exacta.
Los organizadores del X Encuentro Hispanoamericano de Escritores die una clase de profesionalismo cada día. El primer día de actividades fue en la noche del viernes. La Galería “El pórtico” recibió a la exposición fotográfica “Más allá” del artista Renato Arza. Allá nos acreditamos todos los invitados y nos dieron la bienvenida oficialmente. Acto seguido disfrutamos de un excelente concierto de Folkclass y, para cerrar la noche, la marca de la casa: “Concierto de la Trovuntivitis” en, nada más y nada menos, que en el Mejunje. A la mañana siguiente se dividieron las fuerzas. Un grupo encabezado por el escritor Emerio Medina, se dirigió hacia la Universidad de Las Villas para conversar sobre la narrativa cubana, mientras que otro, con Erick J. Mota se encaminó hacia el Centro de la Enseñanza Artística y un último grupo nos dirigimos a La casa de la ciudad para las presentaciones de los libros El amor es un perro que ruge desde los abismos, Narrativa Mesiánica y Una galaxia llamada One Piece, del autor peruano J. J. Maldonado; y Versiones de la traductora, de Robert Ráez, de Cuba.
En mi opinión, una de las cosas más interesantes que se vieron durante el evento (una de las muchas cosas interesantes) fue que se constató que los jóvenes de hoy en día, sí están leyendo, solo que no siempre de la forma convencional, ya que en estos momentos hay distintos modos de lectura, como la audiovisual, multimedias y plataformas. Un ejemplo de ello se ve reflejado en los libros de ensayo presentado por Maldonado.
Las lecturas de textos fue otro de los puntos fuertes del evento. Lo más interesante no es ni siquiera que todos los textos leídos durante la cita, estuvieran buenos y con gran calidad.
Lo más interesante y que cada institución literaria de este país y del mundo debería replicar, es que los organizadores del evento han logrado convertir a la literatura, a las lecturas de narrativa y poesía, en un espectáculo. Incluso, de multitudes y esperado. La primera lectura de textos se realizó ese primer día de forma convencional. Cada escritor iba a la mesa y leía su cuento, fragmento de novela o ensayo.
Sin embargo, por la tarde, en el Foro Agesta, de la Uneac, se vio otra cosa. Luego de las presentaciones del catálogo de las editoriales de la AHS, presentados por los escritores Liset Prego y Robert Ráez (La Luz) y Elianet Medina (Reina del Mar).
Ellos llevaron lo mejor de la narrativa joven publicadas en estas provincias, tuvo lugar el espacio: La ley del mejor esfuerzo.
Esta es una tradición ya implantada en la sede de la UNEAC villaclareña. Consiste en poner a combatir a dos bandos de narradores.
Cada uno de ellos combate contra un miembro del otro equipo, leyendo un cuento breve, de máximo cuartilla y media. Pero no todo queda ahí: cada equipo tiene también, a un rapero de Freestyle. Y ellos también participan en el combate.
Al final el ganador se elige por votación. Si me preguntan a mí, creo que allá ganó la literatura. Creo que por primera vez, esa frase no resulta un cliché ni frase común. Ganó de verdad.
Tanto es así, que todos los narradores se quedaron con ganas de continuar leyendo y por la noche, luego del muy ameno espacio de La tendedera, conducido por los escritores Elizabeth Casanova, Yasmany González y Miguel Ángel Tamayo y con la música de Yatsel Rodríguez, se dejaron los micrófonos abiertos ¡a las 11 de la noche! Y se estuvo leyendo poesía y cuentos, a sala llena, hasta pasada la medianoche.
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Esta maravilla tuvo lugar en la Galería “El Pórtico”. También en este sitio tiene lugar el proyecto “El más allá”, quienes se encargan de la gastronomía y de colaborar con la AHS en la organización y producción de los espacios que ahí se realizan.
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También en El Pórtico se realizó otro espectáculo: El Ring Poético. Cuatro poetas compiten en duelos con poemas de tema libre o con la temática que el árbitro decide. Si en La ley del mejor esfuerzo tenían raperos, en el ring poético la trovadora Yeni Turiño también participaba con una canción que siguiera a la temática impuesta.
Liset Prego, Deborah García, Idiel García y Jorge Luis Mederos (Veleta, quien al final resultó el ganador) se batieron fortísimo con excelentes poemas.
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En La Casa de la Ciudad se realizó también otro panel de excelencia. No solo fue de excelencia porque los panelistas eran los escritores Erick J. Mota y Emerio Medina, sino por las masterc