Reading has been a way of communicating among people since the beginnings of our cultures. However, in recent times, it has been declining.
It is said that in recent years, reading levels have dropped. The arrival of the LéaLA Festival gives us hope that things will change.
“By celebrating our Latin roots, LéaLA strengthens our bond under the banner of the Spanish language,” said Marisol Schulz Manaut, Executive Director of LéaLA.
This year, the festival is led by a program as diverse as it is interesting. To continue and strengthen its programs for the promotion of culture and the arts within the Latino community in Los Angeles, California, the Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara USA will hold a four-day literary festival in September, open as a forum for ideas and reflection, according to their statement.
LéaLA 2024 aims to promote reading and books in Spanish, as well as to recognize the culture and traditions of the Latino community in the United States, a population that is increasingly significant at cultural, political, and economic levels.
There will also be poetry reading sessions, academic discussion panels, and children’s workshops led by the “Letras para Volar” program from the University of Guadalajara.
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, located in the historic heart of Los Angeles, will host all activities from September 19-22, with free admission. Books by participating authors, along with a selection of titles in Spanish for all ages, will be available to the public thanks to the participation of the Carlos Fuentes Bookstore of the University of Guadalajara.
LéaLA 2024 is organized by the Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara USA, with support from the Grodman Legacy and the collaboration of the Mexican Consulate General in Los Angeles, the University of Guadalajara Alumni Association in Los Angeles, as well as several public and private institutions from both sides of the border.
According to recent data, reading rates rise with educational attainment; 68.1% of college graduates identify as readers, compared with 39.1% of high school graduates and 18.5% of those who never attended high school. Considering ethnicity — 55.7% of whites, 42.6% of African Americans, and 31.9% of Latinos meet the NEA’s “literary reader” criteria — it paints a fuller picture, suggesting that in the U.S., reading is a marker of class, and festivals like this are helping to change that.
LéaLA 2024 Program The premier Spanish Book Fair & Literary Festival will return from September 19-22, 2024, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, located at 501 N. Program Link
The LéaLA Organizing Committee is excited to announce the dates for the 2024 edition
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