Miami Dade College’s acclaimed Miami Book Fair (MBF) will host the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 program, which honors young fiction writers at the beginning of their careers, at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 14. The event is free and open to the public.
Every year, five National Book Award winners and finalists, or previous 5 Under 35 honorees select one promising fiction writer each to recognize. Each honoree is under 35 and has published one novel or short story collection.
This year’s honorees are Colin Barrett, Young Skins; Angela Flournoy, The Turner House; Megan Kruse, Call Me Home; Tracy O’Neill, The Hopeful and Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, Fra Keeler. The honorees will be in Miami for a night of readings and conversation, moderated by LitHub.com editor-in-chief, Jonny Diamond.
Previous honorees include Valeria Luiselli, Téa Obreht, ZZ Packer, Karen Russell, Merritt Tierce, Claire Vaye Watkins, and Phil Klay (who last year went on to win the National Book Award for Fiction).
The event is in partnership with the National Book Foundation and Books & Books.
To RSVP, please visit https://mdcmarketing.wufoo.com/forms/the-national-book-foundations-5-under-35/
Miami Book Fair
Miami Book Fair, widely considered the largest and finest literary event in the U.S., is part of MDCulture, the Cultural Affairs Department of Miami Dade College. In addition to the annual, eight-day festival that takes place on the Wolfson Campus of the College in Downtown Miami, Miami Book Fair presents literary programs throughout Miami all year long. Miami Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Miami Downtown Development; and the Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners.
Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings, including the Miami Book Fair International, the Center @ MDC, the Miami International Film Festival, MDC Live Arts performing arts series, the Cuban Cinema Series, the Miami Leadership Roundtable speakers’ series, numerous renowned campus art galleries and theaters, and the nationally recognized School of Entertainment and Design Technology. With an enrollment of more than 175,000 students, MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is a national model for many of its programs. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree programs including baccalaureate, associate in arts and science degrees and numerous career training certificates leading to in-demand jobs. MDC has served more than 2,000,000 students and counting since it opened its doors in 1960.
Miami Book Fair media contact: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net.