The Regional Secretary for Education, Culture, and Sports, Sofia Ribeiro, attended the Lisbon Book Fair on Thursday, June 12.

“Once again, the Azores are present, highlighting their Azorean identity through culture, whether through publications, the authors who are here, or the musical and artistic moments we promote,” she said.

This year, the Regional Directorate for Culture’s stand, through its graphic image, celebrates the centenary of the birth of the Picoese writer Dias de Melo.

The Azores stand features over a thousand copies of 271 publications from 14 different publishers: Amigos dos Açores – Associação Ecológica, Araucária Edições, Artes e Letras Editora, Centro de Artesanato e Design dos Açores, Geotrota, Instituto Açoriano de Cultura, Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada, Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira, José Carlos Costa, Mythus de Er, Predicado Inclinado, Publiçor, Publicações e Publicidade, Turiscon Editora, and Written by Light.

In addition to selling books, the Regional Directorate for Culture promotes a cultural program with the participation of personalities linked to the fields of literature and music.

On June 7, the book “Viajantes nos Açores” (Travelers in the Azores), by Maria das Mercês Pacheco, was presented, and the young Azorean singer-songwriter João Moniz took to the stage for an intimate concert.

On June 9, Araucária Edições presented the children’s book “Hoje Fiz um Amigo” (Today I Made a Friend), with illustrations by designer Pedro Evangelho, at a session attended by publisher Blanca Martín-Calero.

On the 15th, at 8:00 p.m., the folk band Myrica Faya will perform a concert, reinterpreting traditional Azorean music.

On June 19, book presentations will once again mark the agenda, with an event organized by Publiçor scheduled for 5:00 p.m., highlighting the works “Às Peças” by Alexandre Borges, “Da Vinha ao Vinho” by Cláudia Borges and Isabel Nolasco, and “As Três Vidas de Humberto Santiago” by Leonor Duarte de Almeida.

On June 20, authors Ernesto Matos and Pedro Miranda Albuquerque will be in the spotlight, with their works “Azores Tertia Insula” and “Azores Corvi Insula” being presented at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., respectively.

On June 21, at 9:00 p.m., the musical project Mar&Ilha will close the program with a concert celebrating the versatility of the local viola.

The 95th edition of the Lisbon Book Fair runs until June 22 at Parque Eduardo VII in Lisbon.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publications at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support.