Matanzas publishing houses participate in En el valle de la pájara pinta meeting.
En el valle de la pájara pinta Encounter brings together writers, editors and illustrators of children’s literature from all over the country in Pinar del Río. From November the 27th to the 30th, this event takes place with Ediciones La Luz, from Holguin, as a special guest.
«This event is an initiative of Nelson Simón from Cauce. When the publishing house began to make children’s books, they realized the need not only to make books with the best texts of the writers that were summoned, but also to create a movement of illustrators on the one hand, and on the other, to unite publishers in pursuit of a vocation to base the children’s book on the best practices.
«It is from this perspective of seeking a single dialogue between publishers, writers and illustrators that the event began,» explained Yenicet Pupo, director of Editorial Cauce.
In its fifth edition, the program of the event, sponsored by the Pinar del Río branch of the UNEAC and its Editorial Cauce, stands out for three fundamental aspects: a professional program in which participants present their experiences to rethink literature for children in difficult times for the editorial management in Cuba, in that sense the necessary look at digital literature and the community approach of many of the activities proposed.
«The meeting has a community character because it does not make sense to join the professionals of the book system to read among us the things we do. What you do in literature makes sense when there is a spectator who can be happy listening to you and participating with you.
«The idea was always to reach out to the communities, in addition to the professional program to which we always propose topics and a specialist to dialogue, share ideas and discuss, make decisions that favor all participating publishers.
«This year we are accompanied by Yunier Riquenes to talk about the digital book in children’s literature, how they have managed from Claustrofobias Promociones all that wealth of knowledge to enrich the subject of children’s books, how to do it, how to position it. The event becomes a consensus of good practices».
In many ways Matanzas is connected to the En el valle de la pájara pinta Encounter, especially because it is an event essentially dedicated to a Matanzas native, Dora Alonso.
«It is called En el valle de la pájara pinta as a tribute to Dora Alonso, who did a lot in Viñales. There she was a very dear person not only for the literary artistic guild but also for the peasants, for the people of the town. She asked to rest in that place and there is a plaque that says so.
«That’s why we decided to hold the event in Viñales and start naming it that way, as that search for magic, for adventure, which is also what a children’s book should be. Also thinking about the future because we want to launch it as an international event, and Viñales is the best place for that purpose.»
She also highlights the presence in Pinar del Río of the publishing houses Matanzas and Aldabón.
«We presented Canciones de vuelta, a book by Nelson Simón and A la sombra del león, by Eldys Baratute. They are titles of children’s literature, short stories and poetry, which we have presented in the city of Matanzas, at book fairs in the municipalities of the province and at the Wooden Street Book Fair in Havana. Now we happily had the opportunity to show it here, for the first time with the author present.
Maylan Álvarez presents text by Nelon Simón, for the first time with the presence of its author.
«This is being a very fruitful meeting for children’s literature in our country because we share sessions with the members of Ediciones La Luz, who do a very deep, serious and rigorous work from Holguin in this genre,» said Alfredo Zaldívar, poet, National Publishing Award, director of Ediciones Matanzas.
«Aldabón brings its books Rosa de los vientos, a personal anthology with the best texts of poet José Manuel Espino, with a beautiful edition, completely in color and Dónde van a morir las mariposas, with which Yanira Marimón won a Calendar award in 2005 and considered one of the best children’s narrative books published by this award.
«It was the Hermanos Saiz Association, in the first editorial plan that I present as coordinator of Aldabón in 2016, which suggested making this new edition, very beautiful in addition, of Dónde van a morir las mariposas,» reported Daniel Cruz Bermúdez, poet, promoter and director of Aldabón, publisher of the Hermanos Saíz Association in the province.
Also invited to the meeting are Ediciones Sensemayá of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation and the Claustrofobias project from Santiago de Cuba.
The oral storytelling duo Te conté and troubadour Yamira Díaz and her Arena Fina project accompany the days of En el valle de la pájara pinta, a stage chosen as a tribute to the renowned children’s writer Dora Alonso, whose ashes were scattered in that paradisiacal site in the Pinar del Río geography.
The program of the event also includes the inauguration of exhibitions, talks, projection of animated short films, trova and poetry were enjoyed at the event.
Written by Jessica Mesa.
