Miami, Feb. 6, 2024 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Miami Book Fair (MBF) will host the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Honorees, recognizing young emerging fiction authors, at 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb.15, at Books & Books in Coral Gables. The event is free and open to the public.
Every year, five National Book Award winners and finalists, and previous 5 Under 35 honorees, select one promising fiction writer each to recognize. Each honoree is under the age of 35 and has published only one novel or short story collection in the last five years.
This year’s 5 Under 35 honorees are Mateo Askaripour (Black Buck), Chelsea T. Hicks (A Calm & Normal Heart), Morgan Talty (Night of the Living Rez), Jenny Xie (Holding Pattern) and Ada Zhang (The Sorrows of Others). The honorees will be present for readings and conversation with moderator Natalie Green, director of programs & partnerships at the National Book Foundation.
Prior to the reading, one of the Honorees will facilitate February’s First Draft, a monthly series of free and informal writing events where community, craft, and rapid-fire creativity meet. An author will provide a series of freewriting prompts in a low-stakes literary social. The event will run from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Previous honorees include Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Brit Bennett, Akwaeke Emezi, Angela Flournoy, Phil Klay, Valeria Luiselli, C.E. Morgan, Téa Obreht, ZZ Packer, Karen Russell, Justin Torres, Bryan Washington, Claire Vaye Watkins, Tiphanie Yanique, and Charles Yu.
This event is presented in partnership with the National Book Foundation and Books & Books.
To RSVP, click here.
WHAT: MBF to Host National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Young Fiction Writers
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 15, at 6:30 p.m. (First Draft Writing Social) and 8 p.m. (Reading and Discussion)
WHERE: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave.
Coral Gables, FL 33134
About Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair responds hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County. Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
Follow the Miami Book Fair on social media @miamibookfair.
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Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa Palley, Palley Promotes, 305-642-3132, lpalley@bellsouth.net.