Mission Statement:

The mission of Miami Book Fair International is to promote reading, encourage writing, and heighten an awareness of literacy and the literary arts in our multi-ethnic community.

First called Books by the Bay in 1984, the two-day street fair has evolved into the largest and finest book fair in America. Attendance grew steadily and, by the late 1990s, hundreds of thousands of book lovers were eagerly participating in the annual literary festival. Since then, the Fair has blossomed to encompass numerous special programs including...
Evenings With a week-long reading series
lbero-American Authors Program
a full program in Spanish (Programa en espanol) -Children's Alley
fun and exciting activities for young readers -Student Literary Encounters
sessions with students, on campus and at outreach locations -Antiquarian Annex
a rare books showcase

Today,Miami Book Fair International is a full-scale international event that includes a Sunday-to-Sunday schedule of stellar programs, readings and special activities.

The centerpiece of the Book Fair is the highly impressive Festival of Authors. Previous year's guests have included prize winning authors, recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Casa de las Americas Prize, Pushcart Prize, O'Henry Award, National Magazine Award, Commonwealth Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, and Edgar Award. Along with many American voices, there will be international voices from Argentina, South Africa, France, Cuba, Guatemala, England, Mexico, Hong Kong, Spain, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Bosnia, Trinidad, Russia, Taiwan, Haiti, Finland, Canada, and the Philippines.

Since the creation of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts (an academic and cultural initiative of Miami-Dade College) the Book Fair is now part of this new, broader effort that will shine an even brighter light on the literary arts. Founded in 2001, the Florida Center for the Literary Arts is working to transform South Florida into a bustling nexus of year-round international literary events. A multi-faceted umbrella created to celebrate all forms of literature including journalism, writing for theater and cinema, literacy programs, and book clubs, the Center has fully embraced the Book Fair as one of its components, and is fully invested in its success.