Miami Book Fair's Lissette Mendez Recounts Five Memorable Moments in the Fair's History

Lissette Mendez sits behind her desk inside her office on the seventh floor of the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. Colorful Post-It notes cover the surface area, while stacks of books take up the remainder of the real estate.

The annual Miami Book Fair is nearly here, and she's in full-on preparation mode. This year's headliners include singer Juanes, actor and comedian Kevin Nealon, and filmmaker John Waters. Plus, of course, an insane amount of creative programming.

"So much of my work is problem-solving and making sure that everything is where it needs to be when it needs to be there and also that everyone on our team feels supported," she says. Her open laptop dings to indicate a slew of new emails.

As the Miami Book Fair's programs director, she's seen some things. She's been with Miami Dade College since 2001 and at the helm of the programming unit since 2014. Throughout her many years, the book lover has been instrumental in the fair's growth and memorable guests.

Before 2004, the Miami Book Fair was limited to one week of programming in the fall. In her first year working in the programming department, Mendez was part of the team that launched additional year-round programming to give locals access to great literary events throughout the calendar year. While this remains a highlight of her career, Mendez has more than two decades of memories working at the Miami Book Fair. When asked about some standout moments, the creative writer doesn't hesitate to recall the time the team forgot Patti Smith's guitar stand.

Mendez takes a deep breath and lets out a nervous laugh as she recounts the tale. Simply put, the guitar stand was mistakenly overlooked in the artist's rider during her first 2010 appearance at the fair. By the time they realized there was no guitar stand in the room, Smith was already on campus. There was no time for a quick run to Guitar Center, so it was up to Mendez to search nearly every room on the Wolfson Campus for a guitar stand.

"I left her in the green room and started running all around campus. I go to the music department; I start opening up every room. Someone probably thought I was going to steal something the way I was going through all the classrooms," Mendez says, laughing.

Her search proved fruitless, and Smith had to place her guitar back in her case. "She made a comment on stage about no guitar stand, and I thought I was going to die."

Mendez is proud to say no guitar stands have been forgotten since. "I always think about [that moment], and specifically this year because she has a much more complicated setup. There's a piano and the whole nine yards because she's going to perform as part of her Book Fair event." (You can catch Smith on Friday, November 18 in conversation with Lenny Kaye.)

"I've been losing a little sleep over that to make sure we're ready for it," Mendez adds jokingly.
Another special memory for Mendez was when one of her favorite authors, Dorothy Allison, attended the Miami Book Fair. It was a rare moment for the programs director to sit in the audience and listen.

"She had the most impact on me as a girl and as a reader. Dorothy Allison is one of the most important voices, I feel, that I've had the opportunity to read," she says. “[When she came to the fair], she spoke so eloquently. She spoke from her heart. I sat in the audience, and I just cried and I cried. I mean, it was so incredible, everything she said. I treasure that moment; I treasure her."

Although Allison is not attending this year, audiences may be inclined to attend a discussion among poets Gregg Shapiro, Nicole Tallman, Julie Marie Wade, and Shelley Wong on Saturday, November 19.

In 2014, Mendez's first year as programs director, her team received a Knight Foundation Arts Challenge Grant for a program it later implemented in 2015 called the Swamp. The weeklong pop-up remains one of Mendez's proudest moments.

"It was a multidisciplinary space that we built in one of the parking lots in downtown, and we filled it with programming," she explains. "We built a theater on site that fit 300 people, complete with a stage, lights — every possible piece of equipment and amenity that you could imagine."

The fair worked with local artists and organizations for the programming. In the end, it was eight days of music, art, and unforgettable stories. Despite the Swamp not returning in 2022, the beloved Children's Alley is again taking place behind Building 1 of the Wolfson Campus.

"It's three days of all kinds of hands-on activities, whether it's art or robotics or music — it's all very family- and kid-oriented," Mendez says.

In 2020, when the in-person event had to shuffle to rearrange all their programming to go virtual, Mendez remembers a standout installation by local artist Christina Patterson.

"She is just brilliant," says Mendez, throwing her hands in the air. "In 2020, she created a shadow puppet theater piece set in the Everglades. It was part whimsy, part ecological fairy tale. "Everything is really made up of stories. Whether it's a song or art or a visual art piece or theater. And so, you know, what other ways can we tell stories, experience stories? And so [Patterson's piece] was really another highlight."

Although it hasn't happened yet, Mendez is looking forward to launching a new program this year that will surely be a staple in her Miami Book Fair repertoire.

"We're working with Miami-Dade County to launch the poet laureate program for the next two years, which is called Miami's Favorite Poems." As part of his duties as poet laureate for Miami-Dade, Richard Blanco will be touring the city and doing presentations where he'll invite ordinary folk to read and submit their favorite poems.

"It's a way for Blanco to reach out and engage with the general community, not just the literary community, and to give everyone a chance to talk about poetry," Mendez says. (Hear Blanco speak during his "Poetry for the People" event on Sunday, November 20.)

"One of the goals of the Book Fair is to ensure that everyone in this community feels that there's a space for them where they can come and find books and ideas that they can connect with. That's why we're so varied in what we offer."

Miami Book Fair. Sunday, November 13 through Sunday, November 20 at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami; miamibookfair.com. Ticket prices vary.