The London Spanish Book and Zine Fair, the first dedicated event to publications in Spanish in the United Kingdom, will take place on the Friday 4th and Saturday 5th of October 2019 at InSpire, the Crypt of St Peter’s, Liverpool Grove, SE17 2HH. (En español clic aquí).
LSBF will showcase Spanish, English and dual language publications by Iberoamerican authors and publishers alongside works by authors of other nationalities that are of cultural interest to the programme.
The event was born out of an open call by the editorial team behind La Tundra Magazine and it’s sponsored by OWRI (Open World Research Initiative), University of London’s IMLR (Institute of Modern Languages Research), The European Bookshop and the magazine, La Tundra. With the support of The Mexican Cultural Centre, Nottingham.
LSBF strives to build a platform to increase awareness, promote, nurture and maximize opportunities for Spanish language literature in the UK by facilitating links between authors, publishers, readers and new audiences. With more than thirty exhibitors taking part on its first edition, LSBF is bound to become a major player within the international Spanish language literary scene.
THE PROGRAMME
Friends of Alice Publishing, Victorina Press, El Ojo de la cultura Hispanoamericana, Newham Poetry Group, Las Juanas (Hispano-American Women on Memory), Battersea Spanish, Literary South, Flawa, Editorial Castillos De Arena and De Lujurias y Musas are amongst the confirmed UK-based publishers taking part, alongside Zemí Books (Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico) and Flamboyant (A Spanish Publisher of children and young adults books). Bilingual magazine, El Fuego, Vulva Fanzine, Matemates and the multinational collective Me Flipa Colectivo are some of the many other participating exhibitors.
LSBF is delighted to also welcome authors Marta Querol (Spain), Marina Lomar (Spain), Sonia Quintero (Colombia), Edo Brenes (Costa Rica), Murnau den Linden (Mexico), Francesca Tiley (UK), Verónica Corral (Spain), Luis Elvira (Spain), Patricia Díaz (Colombia), Lola Llatas (Spain) Karlina Veras (Dominican Republic) and Isabel del Rio (Spain) as well as The European Bookshop and The Feminist Library.
FANZINES EXHIBITION AND FAIR
In addition to the above guests, LSBF is proud to host a number of small independent and self-published FANZINE creators and publishing houses. Jael García (LAWA/ Feminopraxis) curates ‘Presencias de allá para acá’, a collective space dedicated exclusively to the production of Spanish, English or bilingual fanzines exploring themes of belonging, identity, language and the global South/North interrelation. The session’s participating authors and publishers include Editorial Facsímiles, Marcela Terán, Mabel Evergreen-Oaks, Juan Analí and Eva Mejías, LAWRS’s fanzine Sin Fronteras, Lawa’s Mujeres Tejiendo El Cambio and Chavitas, a fanzine from the students of Labeth’s St. Joseph College, among others.
La Tundra Collective’s stand will showcase a variety of publications, including La Tundra Magazine, Editorial Chirimbote, children and teen’s magazine Intrépidas (Argentina), Shanghai-produced bilingual Spanish/Chinese magazine Chop Suey, feminist journal Femiñetas (Argentina/España), Otra Dimensión Fanzine (Spain) and Alma Del Universo (Argentina). The stand will also feature a selection of feminist books curated by Silvia Demetilla and publications by independent Argentinean publishers such as Tren En Movimiento, Hekht, Maten Al Mensajero and Milena Caserola in addition to work by authors Naty Menstrual and Cecilia Czperling.
TALKS
The fair will host a diverse programme of talks. Some of the highlights include:
- The situation of the Latin American writers in the UK’ (La situación del escritor latinoamericano en el Reino Unido)- Round table with Enrique Zattara (El Ojo de la cultura Hispanoamericana) and writers Gunter Silva, Chloe Aridjis and Ana Vidal. (In Spanish)
- ‘Cartonera’s books’ (Libros cartoneros) – With Dr. Lucy Bell and Dr. María Soledad Montañez (University of London). (In English)
- ‘Literature and Women in Spain in the XXI century’ (Literatura y mujer en España en el siglo XXI) – With Spanish writers Marta Querol and Marina López (In Spanish)
- ‘In conversation with Dolores Conquero’. Dolores Conquero is a Spanish writer and journalist. She’s a regular contributor at El País. Her non fiction collection of tales, Amores contra el Tiempo, is published by Editorial Planeta. (In Spanish)
Presented by Concep Díaz Pérez (La Tundra)
- ‘The independent comic in Latinamerica’ (El cómic contemporáneo en Latinoamérica) – With Costa Rican author Edo Brenes – Author published by Reservoir Books. (In English).
- ‘The Bilingual Writer’ – With Isabel del Rio (Friends of Alice Publishing) and authors Juana Adcock, Leo Boix and Karina Lickorish Quinn. (In English)
- From the independence to mainstream in 3 years (De la independencia al mainstream en tres años) – With Murnau Den -Linden – Author published by Editorial Planeta- (In English)
- ‘Literary Travel in the Low Cost Era’ (Viajes literarios en la era de los viajes low budget) with writer and journalist Alejandro Luque – (In SPANISH)
- ‘In conversation with Julianne Pachico’, presented by Silvia Rothlisberger (Literary South).
WORKSHOPS
The programme is completed by a wealth of practical workshops to encourage visitors to try out their hand at writing their own stories and poems.
- ‘Create a mini story based on other cultures’ (Crea una mini historia basándote en otras culturas) is a family- friendly workshop, facilitated by Mabel Encinas-Sánchez and Marijo Alba-Sánchez.
- ‘Your memories are poetry’ (Tus memorias son poesía) with Isabel Ros López and Denisse Vargas Bolaños, members of the collective, Las Juanas.
- ‘Fanzine Workshop’ with The Feminist Library’s Spanish Club.
- ‘Flash Fiction’ with Dominican writer Karlina Veras.
- Storytelling for young children with Spanish writer Lola Llatas, based on the children’s tales series ‘Los misterios de Sara’ by the Spanish author.
- ‘How to build a character based on the women of Latinamerican Independence’ (Cómo construir un personaje basado en las mujeres de la independencia de Latinoamérica) with Patricia Díaz (London College of Communication).
Finally, there will be a poetry open mic run by the literary group Leyendo Poesía En Londres (previous registration is needed to participate).
The event takes place Friday 4th and Saturday 5th of October at InSpire, the Crypt of St Peter’s, Liverpool Grove, SE17 2HH. The official launch takes place on Friday 4th October at 6PM with live music and poetry by Gabriel Moreno.
LSBF is a free event and open to all but registration is required. Please register at Eventbrite. For more information, photos, times and schedule please contact info@londonspanishbookfair.co.uk
Please use the Hashtag #LSBF2019
The London Spanish Book & Zine Fair
4 & 5 de OCTUBRE de 2019
InSpire – the Crypt at at St Peter’s
Liverpool Grove
SE17 2HH London
Opening times
Friday 4th October 2 pm to 7 pm
Saturday 5th October 11 am to 5 pm
Free but you must register previously.
About Open World Research Initiative (OWRI)
‘This research strand, part of the ‘Cross-Language Dynamics: Reshaping Community’ project, funded as part of the AHRC‘s Open World Research Initiative (OWRI) initiative, is led by the School of Advanced Study’s Institute of Modern Languages Research (University of London).
The OWRI project consists of four major research programmes, funded by the UK’s Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The IMLR’s researchers are part of a consortium, led by Professor Stephen Hutchings (University of Manchester), which has been awarded £3.9 million to develop a large interdisciplinary programme of research titled ‘Cross-Language Dynamics: Reshaping Community’.
The aim of AHRC’s multi-million pound investment in its priority area of modern languages is to explore and foreground the central role that languages play in relation to key contemporary issues, such as social cohesion, migration, health, business and diplomacy. The initiative seeks to have a significant impact on the study of modern languages in the UK.
About La Tundra Magazine
La Tundra Revista is an independent printed / digital magazine and online platform written in Spanish since 2011 in the UK. The cultural and creative magazine features different topics from music, cinema, design and graphic art to articles about life in London and the world, interviews to local and international artists, fashion, ecology, sustainability, wellbeing and psychology. Founded by architect and artist Silvia Demetilla, the aim of the magazine is to reach new audiences in the UK showcasing well-established artists but also supporting new talents and festivals. As a media we are always happy to back cultural projects (Festivals and Cultural projects from Spanish and Latin American artists, events, concerts, languages and tourism fairs). Most of La Tundra’s readers are professionals and students from the Arts and Culture, bilinguals and locals interested in the Spanish and Latin-American lifestyle. Birkbeck University has listed La Tundra Revista as an online resource for students on its Spanish courses. The magazine has national distribution in Spain.
About The European Bookshop
The European Bookshop, established in 1954, is a London-based specialised bookshop in Spanish language publications.
About The Mexican Cultural Centre
The Mexican Cultural Centre (MCC) is the first virtual non-profit cultural centre registered in the United Kingdom. The MCC promotes and divulges Mexican culture in international collaboration with academic, artistic, and cultural projects.
Mexican Cultural Centre, United Kingdom 
