Book Fair organization kicks off: Coordinators hold their first meeting

Organization of the XII International Book Fair of Santo Domingo 2009 has formally gotten underway with the installation of a large team of coordinators who will take charge of managing the various areas of this huge cultural event.

The International Book Fair of Santo Domingo 2009, in its twelfth year, is dedicated to Juan Bosch as it is the centenary of his birth. Brazil is this year’s special guest of honor.

Minister of Culture José Rafael Lantigua, presided over the meeting of designated coordinators which took place in the auditorium of the Museum of Modern Art.

The team of coordinators will be made up this year in the following way:

• Singer songwriter Víctor Víctor will direct the Café Bohemio.
  
• Communicator Sheila Acevedo will be in charge of the Pabellón Cookbook Pavilion which will honor well-known cookbook author Silvia de Pou this year.
  
• Pedro Núñez del Risco and Margarita Auffant will be in charge of the Music Pavilion, one of the big attractions of this year’s event.
  
• The Youth Pavilion will be coordinated by the well-known TV producer Iandra Fermín, with the collaboration of Angie Reyes. The Youth Pavilion will be directed this year by Evelyn Lima Rivas and Carmen Martínez de Issa.
  
• Well-known actress María Castillo will direct the indoor theater program and Yiyoh Robles will be in charge of street theater; actress Carlota Carretero will be in charge of the Human Monuments.
  
• Writer Rafael García Romero will be in charge of the Homage to the Short Story program; university professor Nan Chevalier will direct the Master Classes program.
  
• Poet Basilio Belliard will coordinate the Colloquium program while Eva Camilo takes charge of the Guest of Honor Pavilion.
  
• Historian Héctor Luis Martínez will coordinate the Juan Bosch Pavilion, to whom this year’s event is dedicated as it is the 100th year anniversary of his birth. Jorge Núñez will coordinate Sports Literature Boulevard, another special attraction of this year’s fair.
  
• International participation is being coordinated by Naíla Curiel and Juan Báez; university participation by Eulogio Javier; school participation by Radhamés Jiménez and Ruth Cuevas.
  
• Painters Dustin Muñoz and Domingo Guaba will coordinate the visual arts while María Elena Ditrén will direct the exhibition program at the Museum of Modern Art, where she is currently the director.
  
• Actor Ángel Mejía will coordinate the live performances; Marlon Soto, video artist Jean Luis Jorge and Luis Rafael González, will be in charge of the film series and Brazilian documentaries.
  
• The Comedy Pavilion, another new addition to this year’s book fair, will be coordinated by Sergio Collado Amengual, Erikson Montero and Leorián Ricardo.
  
• Ana Brígida Gómez will supervise the Tribuna Libre, which will be located this year in a special pavilion; Valentín Amaro returns this year to the Pavilion of Dominican Authors. Poet Mateo Morrison and musician Ana María Conde will be in charge of the Pavilion housing the Ministry of Culture, which is organizing the event.
  
• Héctor Reynoso will oversee the successful Authors and Their Voices Pavilion; Teófilo Terrero, will manage the dedication of streets; Romina Bayo, the coordination of audiovisuals; Luisa Castillo will direct the Artisans and Magda de Vargas, the dynamic social programs.
  
• Ibeth Guzmán is the programming coordinator; Raysa Victoria Guzmán, coordinator of halls; Sayana Acosta and Julio García is coordinating the support staff and Eudis Trinidad, the guides.
  
• Ruddy Crispín will coordinate transportation; Jacqueline de León, the administrative area; Belkys Ramos, ticketing area; Jakson Mercedes Gómez, clean-up staff; Ezequiel Aragonés Minaya and Fernando Ortíz, will work the food and drinks area.
  
• Liliana Díaz and Amaury Esquea will organize the inauguration and closing events.
  
• General Miguel Angel Rubio Báez, will be in charge of the operational coordination of security with the backing of Lieutenant Eleazar Estévez Ramírez who will help with safety coordination.
  
• Engineer Juan Fernández is overseeing the physical infrastructure of the fairgrounds and architects Yamilé Mejía and Adrian Gañán are in charge o the pavilion designs.
  
• The main direction of the largest cultural event in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean is being carried out under the Minister of Culture José Rafael Lantigua; Alejandro Arvelo, Director General of the Book Fair and Pedro Antonio Valdez, Executive Director. Operations coordinator is Manuel Pérez who will work with Francisco Ramírez, deputy coordinator and their operational assistants Franklin Jiménez and Alexander Montás.
  

In all, 65 people will work this year in coordination of this huge event, the largest book fair and cultural event in the Caribbean and Central America and one of the largest events of this type in all of Latin America. Scores of writers and publishers are expected to attend the book fair from all around the world.

The International Book Fair of Santo Domingo 2009, in its twelfth year, is dedicated to Juan Bosch as it is the centenary of his birth. Brazil is this year’s special guest of honor.

The Book Fair will take place, as in years past, in the Juan Pablo Duarte Culture Plaza beginning on Monday April 20 until Saturday May 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

Information provided by
General Office of Communication
Ministry of Culture
809 221-4141 Ext. 236