The Mayor of Cieza, Pascual Lucas, presented the 7th Regional Children's and Young People's Book Fair, accompanied by the Councilor for Education and Reading Promotion, María Ramos, and the Mayor of Ojós, José Emilio Palazón, a municipality that, along with Abarán, is joining the scheduled activities this year. The fair will be held from April 14 to 23.
Lucas noted that, "like every year, this fair meets very clear expectations, which makes us feel very proud, since every year, the people of Cieza look forward to these days, which come packed with an extraordinary, very complete program."
As a new feature this year, children between the ages of 7 and 12 can enjoy "Night at the Library," an event that offers them evening activities and a night at the municipal library. It offers a double appeal: spending an evening at the library and enjoying fun activities in a spectacular setting.
The meeting between readers and writers is also consolidated with a dizzying program: stories, a round table, poetry, interviews, and talks, highlighting names such as Anne Redheart, Alicia Rico Forte, Mayte Salmerón, who presents her new novel "Regreso a Quebec," Mavi Pastor, Mariam Vicente, Víctor Morata, Lola Toro, Alba Navalón, Ángel Almela, and Sandra Zubillaga, among others.
Book Night will continue to have a place, this time on Saturday the 22nd, with poetry, theater, and many surprises.
Likewise, this year's traditional fair exhibition is dedicated to graphic novels in the classroom, with guided tours led by Juan José Martínez and Bartolo Martínez.
There will be storytelling sessions every day, arranged with schools, in the afternoon, along with a magic show, puppet shows, and music, featuring Mercedes Dato, Marta Ochaondo, and Lola Balsalobre, among others. Music will also once again have its place these days with the third literary concert by the Maestro Gómez Villa Conservatory Band, the Poet Concert, in which Domingo Henares will provide music and vocals for poets from the Generation of '27, and the Conecta2 concert, all of which will liven up the evening of Friday, April 21. There are also two shows for schools at the Capitol Theater: "Y luego Cataplán" by Pupa Clown and "El desván de los sueños" by the Drilo Gang.
The program includes a tribute to the Cieza-born poet Manolo Dato, presented by his literary group La Sierpe y el Laúd. Poets such as Magdalena Sánchez Blesa will also visit Cieza to reach out to high schools and try to inspire young people with a passion for poetry and reading in general.
As for book presentations, there's "Chiquitines and Lola and the Adventure of Knowledge," a story whose presentation has been adapted to the age of the readers so that the little ones become accustomed to attending these types of events.
'The Art of Not Doing,' a companion manual for parents and teachers, curated by Inma Noguera and Reco Marín, aimed at a diverse audience and covering a very interesting topic. 'Prehistory in a Backpack,' on Friday the 15th, featuring Ignacio Martín Lerma, a science communicator, archaeologist, writer, and poet—a multifaceted adoptive citizen of Cieza who is providing great discoveries for Cieza and bringing us closer to our past history with everything found in the Arco Cave.
"Mariola's Whim" will be the illustrated story awarded for the first literature prize of that name. "This is another of the goals achieved over the years: the creation of a literature prize worthy of the national scene, with a semblance of continuity, to continue putting Cieza on the cultural map," commented the head of Reading Promotion.
María Ramos noted that, with this fair, "we're working our magic again. We're presenting its seventh edition, although in reality, it should be the eighth, because even in the midst of the pandemic, we wanted to make a nod and post videos and activities online so everyone could enjoy them."
For the councilor, “the Book Fair is a hallmark of this government, a firm commitment because we have always believed in literature as a means of generating culture. For years, we have been the only city to support this event, and we continue to do so; we continue to believe in the magic of books. This year, we wanted to include the municipalities of Abarán and Ojós as guests to connect the programs and begin to forge collaborative networks between administrations in order to improve and enrich our activities.”
Ramos says of the program that it is "built with love, the same enthusiasm as the first day, and the expectation that everyone will enjoy it. As you've heard, there's a variety of events so that we all have a space these days. So, I can only encourage you to come to the Esquina del Convento and also visit our bookstores, which are carefully selecting the best they have for our stalls. Joining the traditional ones, Ugarit, Jardín, Santo Cristo, and España, this year is Aníbal. Thank you all for being brave and willing to take the risk with us all this time. I've had such good times with all of you; I'm going to miss these dates a lot, this Book Fair, which has crossed the boundaries of collaboration to turn you into friends. Thank you, a million thanks to all of you who have made it possible for us to be here all these years: writers, readers, children, young people, visitors, and, of course, the Municipal Library team, who have tirelessly fought to maintain and improve this Book Fair, especially, "Fernando Fernández in his early years, Reme and Marisa, all the time invested has been worth it. A dream come true that I hope you share with us in the coming days."
English 
Spanish