Under the “Costa Rica Lectora” (Costa Rica Reads) concept, the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ) articulates efforts, both from the public and private sectors, to create a virtual programming of national and international literature according to the measures for the COVID-19 Pandemic.
On this occasion the Costa Rican Book Chamber (CCL), the Carmen Naranjo Foundation, the National Library System (SINABI), the Costa Rica Publishing House (ECR), the Center for Artistic and Cultural Production (CPAC-MCJ), the College of Costa Rica of the MCJ, the Regional Center for the Promotion of the Book (CERLALC) and the Embassy of Colombia, will come together under the objective of promoting the literary arts and the promotion of reading for the benefit of this sector and the Costa Rican public.
“Costa Rica Lectora” is an opportunity to work synergistically between the public, private and independent sectors, in the face of the context of the Pandemic and the need to promote reading and to promote the country’s publishing and literary sector in innovative ways.
“We join the work of its main counterparts with a vision of solidarity and inclusiveness, seeking to take advantage of public and private resources for their resilience and sustainability in these difficult and exceptional circumstances”, indicated Sylvie Durán Salvatierra, Minister of Culture and Youth.
The program will consist of activities such as talks, workshops, a book fair and others. Each one managed by the various counterparts, in order to offer the public a meeting space with literary expressions.
“Aquí” Literary Culture 2020
As part of this program, the Ministry of Culture and Youth, through the Center for Artistic and Cultural Production, announces the realization of a new special edition of the virtual program Aquí Cultura (Here Culture), focused on the literary sector. It will be carried out through an agreement with Editorial Costa Rica. For this, the institution announces that it will open a call process aimed at individuals and legal entities, organizations and groups that are dedicated to work related to literary creation, publishing and / or with the trades of the world of books. The period for submitting proposals begins this Wednesday, September 16th and will close on Wednesday, September 30th, 2020.
The purpose of the call consists of selecting projects to form the program of activities of “Aquí Cultura Literaria”, as part of the offer of “Costa Rica Lectora”. Proponents of the sector will be able to participate with projects in prerecorded format and format for live transmission.
Ways in which the public can enjoy the programming
Among the categories of participation are: talks, workshops and training events, training events from and for professionals in the sector, booktubers, reading clubs, staging or exhibition of literary illustrations, literary routes or visual tours and other activities that motivate the reading or knowledge of the book culture.
“Aquí Literary Culture is a new special edition of this virtual program that has allowed us to support various projects in the culture and youth sector in a period of Pandemic. This time, we are directing our efforts to create, together with literary artists, a program that encourages reading among the various audiences of the country,” said Ada Acuña Castro, director of the Center for Artistic and Cultural Production of the MCJ.
For her part, the general manager of Editorial Costa Rica (ECR), María Isabel Brenes Alvarado, indicated: “in view of the new forms of online dissemination and sales, the signing of this co-production agreement between the MCJ and the ECR represents a Alliance that gives us the opportunity to support the Costa Rican literary-publishing market. We join forces to promote spaces for literary expression, seeking greater cultural dissemination, stimulating the generation of content by writers, promoters of reading and other agents of the book value chain, rewarding them for their contributions with economic resources, to support the literary and publishing sector that has undoubtedly been affected in recent months”.
The bases and participation forms can be found on the site:
http://ac.cpac.online/International Book Fair 2020-Virtual Format
International Book Fair 2020 (FILCR)
The International Book Fair 2020 (FILCR) is organized, as every year, by the Costa Rican Book Chamber of Costa Rica (CCL). This edition will be part of the joint programming of “Costa Rica Lectora” and will take place from October 30th to November 8th, 2020, in virtual format.
Oscar Castillo, interim president of the CCL, indicated: “this edition of FILCR challenges us to innovate in order to preserve the tradition of this recognized event as a tool to promote reading, cultural and educational development and a driving force for the publishing and bookstore industry in general”.
On this occasion, cultural activities, presentations with national and foreign authors, as well as book offers in unprecedented promotions, will be accessible throughout the country through the website.
Among the traditional exhibitors will also be the authors-publishers and small companies, which will be able to build their own web pages and solidarity plans so that they take advantage of the opportunities that this new format of the event will offer.
The graphic characteristics of the digital platform on which the fair will be hosted will offer visitors and readers a pleasant and entertaining experience, with sufficient information from the exhibitors and the varied program of activities for children and adults. The FILCR 2020 Virtual is also a contribution from the publishing and bookseller sector to the economic reactivation of the country.
Latin American Literary Meeting Carmen Naranjo-ELLa
From Saturday 24th to Saturday 31st October 2020, the Carmen Naranjo-ELLa Latin American Literary Meeting will be held. This meeting seeks to enrich the literary work through the exchange and collaboration of authors, promoters and agents of Latin American literary culture. The initiative emphasizes its approach to the role that women have played in literature.
It will be held in conjunction with the Municipality of Alajuela through a live broadcast from the Municipal Theater. The public will be able to enjoy activities such as recitals, exhibitions and conferences.
I Virtual Seminar for Reading Competence
From October 7th to 9th, 2020, the I Virtual Seminar on Reading Competition, Early Childhood, Reading in Digital Support will be held. This activity is promoted as a space for reflection on the role of reading, books and the library in the integral development of childhood.
This part of the program is a commitment by the Regional Center for the Promotion of Books (CERLALC) and the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) to promote the implementation of initiatives that enable active participation of all citizens in written culture from early childhood in Ibero-American countries.
Within the framework of “Costa Rica Lectora”, they join the Ministry of Culture and Youth, through SINABI, and the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) to contribute to regional dialogue and the construction of actions aimed at promoting and promoting education. reading in childhood in the digital environment.
International programming
In addition to activities with the national literary sector, the Ministry of Culture and Youth works together with the Embassy of Colombia in the design of a program of activities with authors from this country.
This international program of “Costa Rica Lectora” will be joined by activities of the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica. The general public will be able to find out the details of activities and access links, through the social networks of the Ministry of Culture and Youth and the various counterparts, from the last week of September 2020.
This articulation initiative is part of the rescheduling calendar announced by the institution at the beginning of September and responds to the actions of the MCJ to support its sectors during this year 2020.
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