Angelica Gutierre, a Peruvian American, struggled finding children’s books in Spanish for her three kids to read. She has perused Amazon’s catalog with little luck finding books that piqued her interest.
“There’s a lot of bilingual ones, which is good too, but a lot of times they want us to read only the English side,” Gutierre said.
Between the stories at Saturday’s Latin American Book Fair in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Gutierre found an outlet and a sense of connection. Surrounded by authors who share her culture, she finally discovered a space where her children can learn her native language.
In its seventh year, the Latin American Book Fair imbued the Kimmel Center with a vibrant celebration of literature, culture and creativity. The event featured 32 storytellers — children’s authors, biographical novelists, fiction and non-fiction writers and filmmakers — from around Philadelphia and beyond to honor the power of literature, tradition and community.
In 2019, a spontaneous spark among three creatives — Ana Omana, Laity Rodriguez-Largo, and Edgar Ramirez — blossomed into the creation of the Latin American Book Fair, a vibrant annual celebration of Latin American voices.
Born from a shared sense of underrepresentation and a yearning for space to uplift their stories, their vision grew into a gathering that welcomes authors, illustrators and artists of all generations to heed their voices.
“I didn’t have a place in Philadelphia to showcase my work, so my friends and I decided to create one for ourselves,” said Omana, author, creative director of the Latin American Book Fair, associate director of the Small Business Center and instructor at the Fox School of Business.
The festivities commenced at 11 a.m. with opening remarks from the Latin American Book Fair committee, whose warm words welcomed both longtime supporters and first-time visitors into a space filled with stories, culture and connection.
“It was a dream of mine to write a book,” said Gisela Balcázar, a featured author at the event.
Balcázar’s book, “Chelita’s Memories,” follows a little girl growing up in Cusco, Peru, after losing her father, based on her childhood. She hopes her book, which is offered in both Spanish and English, helps readers of all ages develop their bilingual skills and further understand grief and healing.
At noon, nine-year-old author Luke Szapiel took the stage, narrating his book “Back to the Pigeon” — a whimsical fusion of his fascination with birds and the iconic “Back to the Future” trilogy.
The bilingual narration allowed native Spanish-speaking attendees to fully immerse themselves in Luke’s imaginative tale, bridging generations and languages through the simple, powerful act of storytelling.
“I don’t have a lot of family here, so I think through books, it’s a great way of learning words, new customs, and just how different lifestyles are in other parts of the world,” Gutierre said.