Whether you're a science nerd, a fantasy geek, a comic book dork, or any one of a dozen types of dweebs, the Miami Book Fair International always has your back.
Year after year, MBFI caters not only to high-minded literati snobs, but also to all manner of geek. Did you preorder Prince Lestat? Are you counting the days until Batman v Superman? Do you still argue that Hermione should have ended up with Harry instead of Ron?
If so, then it's time to put away those Dungeons & Dragons die and get your geekazoid ass ready for the Book Fair. Here are six events sure to get your lightsaber glowing.
See also: Miami Book Fair 2014: Anne Rice Talks Reviving Lestat and Her Love of Miami
6. John Cleese
Do you and your friends shout out Monty Python quotes in public, then giggle like a gaggle of geeks? Then you definitely do not want to miss the Minister of Silly Walks wax vaudeville about his career (including the early days of Monty Python) as he talks about his memoir, So Anyway...
Attention comedy nerds: He also discusses "what's funny and why" so you may want to DVR that Patton Oswalt comedy special and hitch a ride to this event with your old college roommate -- the one who insisted that putting up a Monty Python's Flying Circus poster in your dorm room would attract chicks. Snort.
Sunday, November 23, at 7 p.m. in the Chapman Conference Center (Building 3, 2nd Floor, Room 3210).
5. Comix
This event will probably end up being standing room only, so we suggest you get there early. Just kidding. You're a nerd -- we know you'll arrive early. Seriously though, Kitchen is kind of like comic book royalty. He co-created the Comix Books series with Stan Lee, a series that showcased top underground cartoonists -- many of them now legend. Kitchen will be discussing his book, The Best of Comix Book: When Marvel Comics Went Underground, with Hilty, a former editor at DC who worked on the Flash, Birds of Prey, Batman and the Outsiders, and Swamp Thing. We know, we know -- Darkseid couldn't keep you from attending this event.
Saturday, November 22, at 4:30 p.m. in the Centre Gallery (Building 1, 3rd Floor, Room 1365).
4. Spy vs. Spy
Former CIA operatives Valerie Plame and Robert B. Baer are sure to make any conspiracy theorist's head spin. Not only are these two former covert operatives, but Plame penned the book Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, and Baer 's new book, The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins, is all about drones and political assassinations. Considering how high profile these two are, we recommend you wear your interference dome AKA aluminum foil hat for this one.
Saturday, November 22, at 10 a.m. in the Batten (Building 2, 1st Floor, Room 2106).
If you've lived in Miami for, oh, longer than it takes Charlie Crist to flip-flop, then you know that we live in one kooky town. Maybe you even relish curious information such as the fact that the City of Sweetwater was founded by midgets or that, to this day, no one has been able to figure out how Edward Leedskalnin, who weighed 100 pounds and was only 5 feet tall, was able to move thousands of pounds of rock without the use of machinery when he built Coral Castle. If you marathon The Dead Files, believe that the overpopulation of alligators in Florida is a Rick Scott conspiracy to get rid of minorities, or this type of trivia just turns you on, don't miss Weird Florida: From Hauntings to Mermaids. The event features Florida authors and guest speakers discussing Florida's oddities, such as haunted locations, freaky residents, and bizarre stories.
Saturday, November 22, 11 a.m. in The Swamp (Southeast corner of N.E. 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue).
This is one of our personal favorites, one that we attend every year. There is really no way to explain LDM to those who haven't experienced it, but the name does not mislead. Writers battle each other, judges snark, and there is major audience interaction. If you have a love affair with words or you've ever been called a bookworm, we urge you to attend this witty word war. You can thank us later.
Friday, November 21, at 8 p.m. in the Swamp (Southeast corner of NE Third Street and Second Avenue).
1. Anne Rice
Do we really need to say anything? Other than Bram Stoker, no other artist has had such an impact on vampire mytholgy than the Queen of the Damned herself, Anne Rice. Now that True Blood is over (meaning you'll never see Eric or Pam again) how are you to get your fanger fix? Chances are you already bought Prince Lestat, Rice's latest addition to her Vampire Chronicles series. How about seeing, hearing, and possibly, gasp, meeting Rice? There's even a cosplay contest -- attend the event all vamped up, post a selfie using the hashtag #MBFILestat, and you're eligible to win a bookstore gift certificate and a photo of yourself with Rice...that is, if she even comes out in photos...muahahaha.
Monday, November 17, at 8 p.m. in the Chapman Conference Center (Building 3, 2nd Floor, Room 3210).
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