Latino Book Fair returns to Springfield, with bigger venue and more authors on board

SPRINGFIELD — Building on the success of last year, the Latino Book Fair will return to the city on Nov. 15.

And its new home, Union Station, will accommodate more than double the number of authors from the inaugural fair, which was held inside of the Mason Square Library.

“[Union Station] is a historical place, it is a place of connections,” 7Arts Latino Foundation Executive Director Jorge Martinez said in an interview with The Republican. “People go there to connect, so we are relating that to what we are doing. We are connecting people through art, through culture, and that is something amazing.”

The goal of the second annual Latino Book Fair is to connect people of all ages with underrepresented authors. All genres will be represented — nonfiction and fiction alike — so there will be something for everyone, Martinez said.

“These free public events serve as a platform for authors from the Latino community and allies to showcase their work, connect with readers, and build a stronger [literary] presence in Western Massachusetts,” he said.

The daylong fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside of Union Station. Along with the opportunity to meet with authors, the day will also include live entertainment by the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts vocal group Revolution.

Authors signed up to participate in the fair so far include Tony Mejia, Heidy Mejia, Angela Bianca Echavarria de Panasiti, Adrian Alvarado, Brendaliz Cepeda, Sabrina Cordal, Maria Rodriguez Bross, Veronica Barragan, José Roberto Salinas Padilla, Elena Rodriguez, Mydalis aka Guerrera Writer Vera, Carlos Durán, Wanda Torres, Lhaira Guerrero, Domingo Burgos, Clara Elena García, Dorka Fernandez, and Ines Tejada.

Martinez will also present “Fragmented Youth,” a student-created poetry publication, with several of the student authors from the Springfield High School of Science and Technology and Gilberto Amador.

All of the day’s activities, aside from any books you might want to purchase, are free, so there are no barriers for attending.

“This is about celebrating the rich cultural heritage and unique voices of Latino writers, but we do not discriminate,” Martinez said. “Our hope is that, for the next edition of the fair, we can have Black and brown authors, white authors. This is about celebrating art and we believe in that very seriously.”

Keeping Latino culture alive

Brendaliz Cepeda, owner of the Multicultural Learning Center in Holyoke and author of “The Echoes of My Journey,” knows how important it is for events like this to help keep Latino heritage alive.

“A lot of people leave their home, whether it’s Puerto Rico or El Salvador, and many of their traditions get lost,” Cepeda said in an interview with The Republican. “We come here to work, to build a community, and we start losing a lot of what we do at home.”

Her book, “Echoes of My Journey,” the first in a series she is working on, is all about connecting with your heritage. A middle-grade fantasy, the novel follows the main character, 13-year-old Paulina, who is transported to the land of her ancestors by a mysterious, magical tree in her backyard.

“She wants to know more about her culture, where she comes from, and it’s kind of like a hidden secret. Her mom doesn’t want to give her that information,” Cepeda said.

The tree she interacts with, Cepeda added, is how she starts to figure out who she really is. She meets her ancestors — the indigenous Taino people who were the first to inhabit Puerto Rico — and goes on a magical adventure that teaches her about her peoples’ history and culture.

Cepeda was inspired to write “Echoes of My Journey” by her day job. As owner of the Multicultural Learning Center, Cepeda teaches students traditional dances from Puerto Rico, like Bomba and plena.

She also brings her book into classrooms in the Springfield and Holyoke area to host workshops with students about the importance of knowing their heritage.

A sequel to “Echoes of My Journey” is in the works, and Cepeda hopes it will be out by next summer. In the meantime, she will be ready to share her first book with guests at the Latino Book Fair.

“We have a lot of hidden Latino authors, and sometimes they’re afraid. They could be afraid that people might not like their story, or don’t want to hear their story, or they feel that they are Latinos and should not write books,” Cepeda said of the fair.

“This gives us a space where we get to say ‘OK, we are Latinos. We are authors. We are embracing our community, and we are telling our story at the same time.’”