Get ready, Miami word nerds. The Miami Book Fair International is just two short months away.
But you won't have to wait until November to start planning your literary itinerary.
Tonight at 6 p.m. the fair is throwing a kickoff party at the Freedom Tower to celebrate its 31st year of bringing publishing's biggest names to the Magic City -- and to finally release the full list of authors, poets, (and, if past years are any indication, chefs, politicians, actors, and other celebrities) who'll participate in this year's fest.
See also: Books & Books To Open New Location at Arsht Center
Cultist will fill you in on all the details as soon as they're available to the public. But if you really, truly can't wait to find out who's on the roster, well, here's what we know so far:
This year a few author names were leaked early. These include:
- Patricia Cornwell, the bestselling crime writer who happens to be a Miami native
- Nicholas Kristof, a Pulitzer-winning columnist for the New York Times
- Alexander McCall Smith, author of the widely popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series
- Anne Rice, the O.G. vampire novelist who wrote Interview With The Vampire, among others
- Simon Schama, a British historian who's chronicled the French Revolution, Golden Age Dutch art, and three volumes of British history
In addition, the book fair's new partnership with the National Book Awards promises to bring the awards' shortlisted writers to Miami as well. The longlisted works were announced earlier this week, meaning you'll likely have the chance to encounter at least a few of these names:
Fiction: Rabih Alameddine, Molly Antopol, John Darnielle, Anthony Doerr, Phil Klay, Emily St. John Mandel, Elizabeth McCracken, Richard Powers, Marilynne Robinson, Jane Smiley
(Readers may know John Darnielle better as the man behind the music of The Mountain Goats, the indie folk band that's earned a massive cult following since its inception in 1991. He's also a really big deal on Twitter.)
Nonfiction: Roz Chast, John Demos, Anand Gopal, Nigel Hamilton, Walter Isaacson, John Lahr, Evan Osnos, Ronald C. Rosbottom, Matthew Stewart, Edward O. Wilson
Poetry: Linda Bierds, Brian Blanchfield, Louise Glück, Edward Hirsch, Fanny Howe, Maureen N. McLane, Fred Moten, Claudia Rankine, Spencer Reece, Mark Strand
Young People's Literature: Laurie Halse Anderson, Gail Giles, Carl Hiaasen, Kate Milford, Eliot Schrefer, Steve Sheinkin, Andrew Smith, John Corey Whaley, Deborah Wiles, Jacqueline Woodson
Hey, there's Miami novelist Carl Hiaasen on that list! Congrats, Carl! Let's be honest, though: win or lose, we're pretty sure he's gonna be at the book fair anyway.
Also coming up this year: Playtime, a children's theater festival, and The Swamp, a pop-up lounge with live performances by musicians and writers alike. You can also expect to hear from a handful of submitters to the #6wordsMiami community project, which asks locals to sum up the South Florida experience in precisely six words. (Especially successful ones will be read at the festival or published as part of a limited edition postcard set.)
The Miami Book Fair International 2014 takes place November 16 through 23; the street fair runs November 21 through 23. The announcement/kickoff party starts at 6 p.m. at the Freedom Tower. It's free and open to the public. Visit miamibookfair.com.
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