The City College Book Fair, an event that showcases literature, arts and music at San Diego City College, will celebrate its 10th anniversary Oct. 13-16.
City College celebrates its diversity during this four-day event by promoting growth in the college community for all writers, artists and musicians. English Professor Virginia Escalante is the project director for City College’s Book Fair.
“It is a miracle that we have survived,” Escalante said via email. “We previously had a very healthy budget which enabled us to have an all-day program on Saturday with nationally recognized authors. But the crisis a few years back decimated our substantial sponsorships, and we have never recovered. Nonetheless, we have managed to invite writers of high caliber, including our very own talented professors who are poets and authors in their own right and who have been very generous with their time and effort.”
This year’s events will include the following:
Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Reyna Grande, the author of “The Distance Between Us: A Memoir,” will be discussing her book about her childhood being spent torn between two countries and two parents. She will also be doing a book signing before the event at 9 to 9:30 a.m. This will be located in the Saville Theatre.
Wednesday, Oct. 14 in V-101 9:35 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Ella deCastro Baron will discuss her biography, “Itchy Brown Girl Seeks Employment.” This book was a finalist for the San Diego Book Awards and published by City Works Press in 2009.
Also on Oct. 14 in V-101 at 11:10 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. Justin Akers-Chacón, assistant professor of Chicana/o studies at City College, co-editor and contributing author for “Wounded Border/Frontera Herida: Readings on The San Diego/ Tijuana Region and Beyond.” Also, a co-editor for “No One is Illegal with Mike David” and “ Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints.” “I will be speaking about the state of ‘immigration reform’ in the lead-up to the 2016 elections,” Akers-Chacón said. “The Book Fair is a great opportunity for students to engage and interact with authors and new ideas.”
Thursday, Oct. 15 in V-101 at 11:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be a Chicano Poetics panel featuring five different writers: Jose Cadena, Leilani Grajeda-Higley, Manuel Paul Lopez and Angel Sandoval. Students writers will perform for VAMP (Visual Audio Monologue Performance) on Oct. 15 at the Central Library, 300 Park Blvd., ninth floor, Special Events Suite, at 7 p.m.
“Every new batch of writers are going to bring their voices, unique story and it’s going to be a great show,” English Professor Patricia McGhee said.
“The students have attended writing workshops and received coaching on how to read/perform their works,” Escalante said. “The theme this year is ‘The Other Side,’ and they will have some captivating stories to tell.”
The last event will be on Oct. 16 at The Glashaus in Barrio Logan at 6 p.m. An anthology titled “The Sunshine Noir II: Writing from San Diego and Tijuana,” produced by City Works Press, will be released.
Escalante said City Works Press is marking a decade of work, as well.
