Photography by Stian Roenning / Accommodations courtesy of Coyo Taco
Audio By Carbonatix
They say writing about music is like dancing about architecture. That doesn’t stop a whole lot of writers from trying to make sense from sounds. Each year the Miami Book Fair rewards those authors who write books about music with a spotlight, and this 2025 edition is no different. Here are five panels at the 2025 Miami Book Fair for lovers of music, and more specifically, books on music.
Kenny Chesney
This event featuring the famed country singer has already sold out. Those who have already booked their tickets will hear Chesney speak with his HEART • LIFE • MUSIC co-author, Holly Gleason, about “the journey to get here, a Nashville being forgotten, the thrill of meeting and befriending his heroes, and why pretty normal people can do incredible things”. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 16, at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus. Tickets cost $35. Sold out.
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Rosa Marquetti Torres
This Spanish language presentation will feature Rosa Marquetti Torres in conversation with César Miguel Rondón on her book, Celia en el mundo (1962-2003). Her book profiles the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz as “a quintessential portrait of the woman who transformed Latin music and conquered the world with her unmatched voice”. 5 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at Building 8, 5th Floor, Room 8503.
Arthur Baker
In Looking for the Perfect Beat: Remixing and Reshaping Hip-Hop, Rock and Rhythms, DJ, producer and Miami resident Arthur Baker reminisces on his decades in the music industry. Included in these memories are anecdotes about working with artists like Diana Ross, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones. Baker will be in conversation with author, music journalist, and filmmaker Nelson George. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at Building 3, 2nd Floor, Room 3209.
Conor McCreery and Jibola Fagbamiye
The new graphic novel, Fela: Music Is the Weapon, “explores the life and times of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, sociopolitical powerhouse, and father of Afrobeat”. Writer Conor McCreery and illustrator Jibola Fagbamiye will be in conversation with music journalist-filmmaker Nelson George and writer-musician Randall Grass. 3 p.m. Sunday, November 23, at Building 8, 1st Floor, Room 8106
Peter Wolf
Contrary to common sense, the frontman of the J. Geils Band, famous for 1980s hits “Centerfold” and “Freeze Frame,” isn’t J. Geils, but rather Peter Wolf. Wolf wrote a memoir, Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses filled with famous people Wolf has found himself amidst, including marrying movie star Faye Dunaway and college rooming with legendary filmmaker David Lynch. 6 p.m. Sunday, November 23, at Chapman Conference Center, Building 3, 2nd floor, Room 3210.
