Celebrating its 26th anniversary is the Miami Book Fair International- Nov. 8-15, 2009- the oldest and largest gathering of authors reading from their books, answering questions from the audience, and signing autographs.
www.miamibookfair.com

Coming from all over the world, will be Elizabeth Alexander, Sherman Alexie, Margaret Atwood, Madison Smartt Bell, Andy Borowitz, Meg Cabot, Betsy Carter, Dan Choan, Susie Essman, Bruce Feiler, Mary Gordon, Al Gore, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, John Hemingway, Allegra Huston, Barbara Kingsolver, Mary Karr, Dennis Lehane, Philip Lopate, Jill McCorkle, Ana Menendez, Ralph Nader, Elizabeth Nunez, Orhan Pamuk, Francine Prose, Jeannette Walls.

These are just a few of the over 300 authors who will gather at the Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami to read from their works in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Haitian Kreyol.

The official poster and program of authors and activities for the 26th edition of the nation’s finest and largest literary gathering, Miami Book Fair International (Fair), presented by the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College (MDC), was unveiled at a reception Sept. 16, 2009, at ECCO Pizzateca and Lounge in downtown Miami. The Fair will take place Nov. 8-15, at the college’s Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Ave., in downtown Miami. The official poster was created by acclaimed cartoonist and author of the Wimpy Kid series, Jeff Kinney.

HIGHLIGHTS
The Fair will again treat book lovers to more than a week of cultural and educational activities, including author readings, book signings, the beloved Evenings With series, the IberoAmerican Authors program, the popular Street Fair Nov. 13 – 15 on the actual closed streets of downtown Miami surrounding the campus, Children’s Alley, and much more.

“We’re again pleased and honored to host such an important event, especially during these difficult times, when people truly want the type of sustenance that books can provide—whether they are stories that affirm our resilience or help us escape our troubles for a while,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College and Miami Book Fair International co-founder. “The Book Fair is a cornerstone of what we do at Miami Dade College. Literacy helps make a community strong and stable.”

Mitchell Kaplan, co-founder and chair of Miami Book Fair International, stated, “We are very grateful to Miami Dade College and its employees, as well as to all the volunteers, and also to our sponsors and patrons. Without them, there would be no way to sustain such large and important effort. Thanks to all!”

SOME CHANGES
Several past components of the Fair have been scaled back or postponed due to the challenging economic times and state budget cuts the college is facing. The Fair will be more contained. For example, this year, there will be no inauguration ceremony and festivities; no International Pavilions Village; and no Street Fair Parade. In addition, the Fair is cutting back the number of author presentations, but still planning to present some 300 authors and writers representing the best in contemporary literature.

In addition, the members of the Book Fair board of directors and Fair administrators are raising the admission to the weekend Street Fair, from $5 to $8 per person. However, persons 62 and over will continue paying $5. The Fair is also preserving the free access to fairgoers 18 and under, volunteers and others. Access to the Street Fair on the Friday will remain free of charge. Plans also call for the Evenings With program, which has been free for the last 25 years, to have a $10 admission fee, but free parking will be available in Building 7.

“We have a spectacular line-up again this year. Authors from across the globe representing every genre and a truly wide array of subjects will be at the Fair. What we do here every year is truly special. There are very few places in the world where people have access to this kind of programming. You won’t want to miss it,” added Alina Interián, executive director of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College.

TOP CONFIRMED AUTHORS
Many of the world’s top authors are already confirmed for this year’s Fair. These include Sherman Alexie, Margaret Atwood, Roy Blount Jr., Robert Olen Butler, Meg Cabot, Alan Cheuse, Susie Essman, Mary Karr, Mike Farrell, Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Barbara Kingsolver, Jonathan Lethem, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ralph Nader, Richard Powers, Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Francine Prose, Ruth Reichl, Senator Bob Graham, Wally Lamb, musician and performer Iggy Pop, Melvin Van Peebles, Jeannette Walls and many others.

Confirmed Spanish-language authors include Roberto Ampuero, José María Aznar, Carmen Posadas, Alvaro Vargas-Llosa, Boris Izaguirre, Angela Becerra, Juanita Castro, Edmundo Paz-Soldán, Jorge Ramos, Fabiola Santiago, Jaime Bayly and others.

Please visit www.miamibookfair.com for the complete list of authors.

POSTER
The 2009 Miami Book Fair International poster was created by renowned cartoonist, author and Maryland native, Jeff Kinney. He’s the creator of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Released in 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid quickly became a New York Times bestseller, eventually reaching #1 and staying on the Times’ children’s best-seller list for 89 weeks. According to a Times story, the publisher, Abrams, estimates there are 10 million copies in print of the first two books and a third title, a do-it-yourself version that lets children write their own story. A Wimpy Kid movie is also being cast. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw will be released later this year. Kinney currently resides in Massachusetts and is the design director of a Boston Internet publishing company. He attended the University of Maryland. The poster was unveiled Sept. 16.

“It was a huge honor to be asked to work on the Miami Book Fair International poster. I attended last year and was amazed at how well organized and well attended the Book Fair was. I wanted to capture the spirit of the Book Fair in my poster – people from all walks of life coming together to celebrate authors and books,” said Kinney.

EVENINGS WITH SERIES
As mentioned above, there will be an admission fee to the Evenings With sessions of $10. The session are as follows:
• Elizabeth Alexander, is the author of the inaugural poem Praise Song for the Day — Sunday, Nov. 8
• Margaret Atwood is the author of The Handmaid’s Tale and finalist for the Booker Prize — Sunday, Nov. 8
• Ruth Reichl is the Editor-In-Chief of Gourmet Magazine and former New York Times food critic — Monday, Nov. 9
• Barbara Kingsolver is the bestselling author of The Poisonwood Bible, and short listed for the Pulitzer and PEN/Faulkner Awards — Monday, Nov. 9
• Jeannette Walls is the New York Times bestselling author of Glass Castle — Tuesday, Nov. 10
• Richard Powers is a critically acclaimed novelist and winner of a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize Finalist – Wednesday, Nov. 11
* Isabella Rossellini model and actress reads from Green Porno: A Book and Short Films Thursday, Nov. 12
• Orhan Pamuk (Turkey) is the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature – Friday, Nov. 13

In addition, there are plans to hold a free reception every night prior to the evening presentations called Twilight Tastings thanks to the support of sponsors. Also, people paying the admission to the evening sessions are eligible to receive a $5 discount on any of the authors’ books at anytime during the Fair or toward the purchase of any book prior to Dec. 31 at any Books & Books location. This does not apply to complimentary tickets.

For regular updates, times, and more information, please visit www.miamibookfair.com, call 305-237-3528 or email wbookfair@mdc.edu.

MIAMI DADE COLLEGE AND THE ARTS
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 Florida Center for the Literary Arts, The Miami International Film Festival, the Cultura del Lobo performing arts series, The Cuban Cinema Series, the Prometeo Theatre, the Miami Leadership Roundtable speakers’ series, a renowned art gallery system, several campus theaters, and the nationally recognized School of Entertainment and Design Technology. It is also home of the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower. With an enrollment of more than 170,000 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 certificates. In 2006, MDC admitted its 1.5 millionth student.

ANIMATION SUPERCON 2009
announced for Oct. 2-4, 2009
Featuring cast reunions from Futurama & Pinky & The Brain
Plus, stars of Ren and Stimpy, Looney Tunes, Gears of War, Final Fantasy, Transformers, Family Guy,
G.I. Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons and more!
www.animationsupercon.com

FINAL GUEST LIST & EVENTS ANNOUNCED

Animation Supercon replaces Anime Supercon as it returns for a 4th year to an all new, bigger & better location; the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel and Convention Center. Animation Supercon will replace Anime Supercon as the shows focus shifts to encompass the entire animation world, and not just Japanese anime. Set for October 2-4, Animation Supercon is a three day festival and convention dedicated to Animation, Cartoons, Anime, Comic Books and Video Games.

Animation Supercon will feature celebrity guests, artists, animators, writers, vendors, Q&A’s, parties, costume contests, anime programming, cosplay, panels, photo shoots, live music, video games and more as it takes over 100,000+ square feet of the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel and Convention Center. The event kicks off at 3:30PM, Friday, October 2 and the fun continues almost around the clock until 6:00PM, Sunday, October 4.

Over the weekend-long event, attendees will have a chance to meet and converse with celebrity guests and artists from all corners of the industry. Our guest list includes two very special cast reunions from Futurama and Pinky & The Brain. The line up for this years event includes:

Billy West: Star of Futurama (Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Zapp Brannigan, Dr. Zoidberg), Ren and Stimpy (Ren and Stimpy), Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd), Doug (Doug) and TheWoody Woodpecker Show (Woody Woodpecker).

David X. Cohen: Co-Creator, Head Writer and Executive Producer of Futurama. Writer, Editor and Producer of the Simpsons and Writer for Beevis and Butthead.

John DiMaggio: Star of Futurama (Bender, Flexo, Elzar), Gears of War (Marcus Fenix), Chowder (Shnitzel), Final Fantasy XII (Gilgamesh, Migelo), Samurai Jack (The Scotsman) and Princess Mononoke (Gonza).

Phil LaMarr: Star of Futurama (Hermes Conrad, Rev. Lionel Preacherbot), Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack), Family Guy (Ollie Williams, The Judge), Transformers: Animated (Jazz, Omega Supreme, Jetstorm), Mad TV, Justice League (Green Lantern), Static Shock (Static) and Final Fantasy XII (Reddas).

Maurice LaMarche: Star of Futurama (Kif, Morbo, Calculon, Lrr, Donbot, Hedonist Bot), Pinky and The Brain (The Brain), Tripping the Rift (Gus), Xiaolin Showdown (Master Fung), Inspector Gadget(Inspector Gadget), Tiny Toon Adventures (Dizzy Devil), Transformers (Six Gun) and The Critic (Jeremy Hawke).

Rob Paulsen: Star of Pinky and The Brain (Pinky), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Raphael), The Tick (Arthur), Animaniacs (Yakko), Transformers (Air Raid, Slingshot), GI Joe (Snowjob, Tripwire) andFraggle Rock (Boober, Sprocket).

Bill Morrison: Concept Artist of Futurama and Co-Founder / Creative Director for Bongo Comics. Bill’s artist credits, as artist/writer/editor for Bongo Comics include Futurama Comics, Bartman Comics, Bongo Comics, Radioactive Man, Itchy and Scratchy, Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson and Treehouse of Horror. In addition, Bill was the writer/artist for Captain Carrot and The Final Ark (DC Comics) and poster artist for Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Mike Kazaleh: Animator and Comic Book Artist. Animation credits include: The Simpsons, Cool World, Mighty Mouse, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Tiny Toon Adv., Filmmation and Bashki Animation. Comic Book credits include: Futurama Comics, The Simpsons, Ren and Stimpy, Usagi Yojimbo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Mouse and Superfriends.

Allen Bellman: Golden Age Comic Book artist for Timely / Marvel and Lev Gleason. Mr. Bellman’s credits include Captain America, The Patriot, Let’s Play Detective, The Human Torch, The Sub-Mariner, All Select Comics, Marvel Mystery Comics and All Winners Comics.

Richard Green: Richard is and artist and animator, who has extensive animation credits with Disney Studios. His work can be seen in Beauty and the Beast (asst. animator for Lumiere), Rescuers Down Under, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Goofy and Mickey Mouse.

Pat Broderick: Animator and Comic Book Artist. Artist for Green Lantern, Batman, Captain Marvel, Firestorm, Spider-Man and Superman. Animation designer and concept artist on Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Select Start: Musical guests, Select Start is the fusion of six musicians who combine their mutual love for video games, music and their instruments (two violins, a cello, guitar, piano and flute) to create a musical experience and sound unique to the video game music world.

Terry Cronin and Pat Martin: Representing 3Boys Productions, Terry and Pat are the creators of independent comic book Students of The Unusual.

Goatslacker: Musical guest Goatslacker is a chip music composer armed with dual 1989 Nintendo Game Boys and and his custom keyboard.

Austin Janowsky: Austin is a veteran artist and inker, whose credits include Iron Man: The End, Stanley The Snowman, Judo Girl, Cracked Magazine, X-Men Unlimited, Witch Girl Tales, Tomb Raiderand Bubba The Redneck Werewolf.

Nakia Mann: Comic Book Artist of Zoom Suit and Codename: Power.

Additional guests can be found at on the Animation Supercon website at www.animationsupercon.com

Some of the featured events at Animation Supercon include:

The Futurama Cast Reunion Q&A: Meet the cast of Futurama, together on one stage. All our celebrity guests will have individual 1 hour Q&A sessions over the course of the weekend, but the main event is on Sunday, when Billy West, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, David X. Cohen and Maurice LaMarche take the stage to speak with fans about all things Futurama. (Sunday 2pm-3:15pm)

The Pinky and the Brain Cast Reunion Q&A: Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche are Pinky and the Brain… and on Saturday afternoon, they’ll be together again on stage to speak with fans about one of the most popular cartoons of all time. (Saturday 12pm-1pm)

Supercon Mania Revenge!: Supercon Championship Wrestling returns! It’s been 4 months since Supercon Mania 1 and Carl still retains the SCW World Heavyweight Championship…. but how long can he hang on to it? Supercon Mania is back for 2 nights at ASC as Carl, Cobra Commander, The Joker, Luigi, Wolverine, The Baroness, The Monopoly Man, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Elektra, Jason Vorhees, Afro Samurai, The Geico Caveman, Harley Quinn, The Ghostbusters and more descend on Miami in search of glory and gold. It’s day two of Supercon Mania: Revenge! What happened on Friday night? Did Carl hold on to the title or lose to the #1 contender? Will he be back to defend??? And will Cobra Commander ever get his REVENGE? (Friday 10pm-11:30pm and Saturday 9:45pm-11:15pm)

Animation Supercon Costume Competition: Cosplayers from around the state will compete in South Florida’s premiere costume competition, where they will battle it out for over $3,000 in cash and prizes. (Saturday 8:30pm – 9:45pm)

Select Start in Concert: One of the most unique bands around, Select Start will perform many video game favorites via classical music instruments. (Saturday 5:15pm-6:15pm and Sunday 12pm-1pm)

Animation Supercon Cosplay Contest: Supercon’s famous Cosplay Contest is back, where cosplayers of all ages get a chance to compete and show off their acting skills as they perform skits as their favorite animation or anime character. (Sunday 12pm-1pm)

The Bongo Comics Q&A: The creators and editors of Futurama and Simpsons comics will be on hand to meet with fans and discuss the world of comics and how they relate to Futurama and The Simpsons. Bill Morrison (Creative Director, Writer, Artist and Editor) and Mike Kazaleh (Artist) will be hosting the panel. (Saturday 5:45pm-6:45pm)

Video Gaming: Animation Supercon will have around the clock video gaming events, tournaments and free play hosted by Infinite Bits Gaming, Noobie Games and VG Party Games.

Exhibition Room: Animation Supercon will have a 50,000 square feet exhibition room with over 150 vendor, guest and artist booths and tables. (Friday 3:30pm-10pm, Saturday 11am-8pm, Sunday 11am-5pm)

Complete information on these and dozens of more events taking place all weekend can be found at www.animationsupercon.com

The convention hours of operation are:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2: 3:30PM – 2:00AM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3: 11:00AM – 2:00AM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4: 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Tickets are currently available online and at select vendors.
General Admission (3) Day Weekend Pass:
$35 if reserved in advance online
General Admission at the door is $40 for a weekend pass. Single day passes will be $20 for Friday or Sunday and $25 for Saturday. Children under 10 receive free admission. Parents, Police officers, Fire Fighters and Military receive a $10 discount.
Special V.I.P. tickets are available as well.

The Double Tree Miami Airport Hotel & convention center is located at 711 NW 72nd Ave, Miami, FL 33126. The Double Tree has over 100,000 square feet of total convention space to accommodate the growing attendance of Animation Supercon. Discounted room rates for convention are available. See our website www.animationsupercon.com for details.