Mónica Dinerstein

A prominent figure in the Argentine publishing world, she is currently leading Librería Tiempos Modernos and serving as president of the newly established Cámara Argentina de Librerías Independientes (CALI) since December 2023. Her career began at the age of 18 at Editorial Galerna, where she gained diverse experience and learned about editorial operations and bookstore management.

In the 1980s, she moved to Mexico to manage the prestigious Editorial Nueva Imagen, working alongside notable figures such as Carlos Ulanovsky. During her tenure, she also coordinated Mexico's stand at the Buenos Aires Book Fair, enhancing her international experience. Since 1990, she has successfully run her own bookstore, dedicated to promoting literature and culture in Buenos Aires.

Simultaneously, she has played key roles in the Cámara del Libro and CAPLA, where she directed the Revista CAPLA for a decade. Her commitment to the bookselling sector and advocacy for the interests of independent bookstores led her to become one of the founders of CALI, an initiative that achieved legal status in April 2024. With a strong background in editorial management and cultural promotion through her bookstore, she remains an influential voice in the Argentine literary community. Her leadership in CALI is expected to strengthen the role of independent bookstores in disseminating knowledge and culture in Argentina.

Miguel Iglesias

Invitado de Honor

Miguel Iglesias is a computer scientist and owner of the bookstore "Letras a la Taza," located in Navarra, which he opened in 2014. With a strong commitment to promoting reading, he has dedicated his career to fostering a love for books in his community and beyond. His dedication to the sector has led him to serve as president of the Confederación Española de Gremios y Asociaciones de Libreros (CEGAL), where he works to support and strengthen the role of bookstores in society.

He is an active member of the groups Kirico, Zona Cómic, and Todos tus libros, all of which focus on promoting reading among children and youth. Through these initiatives, he has developed and implemented various programs and activities aimed at instilling the reading habit in younger generations, ensuring that they discover the benefits of reading.

Currently, Miguel continues to work on making "Letras a la Taza" a gathering place for book lovers in Navarra and remains at the forefront of national efforts to promote reading across all age groups.

Other activities involving the participant:

Current status of children's and young adult literature in Spain

Edgar Blanco

Editor, bookseller, and cultural promoter. Co-founder of Animal Extinto, an independent publishing project. In 2018, he created Colectivo Huracán, a group of independent publishers focused on the distribution and circulation of editorial content and products. In 2020, he founded El Cuarto Plegable, a bookstore specializing in independent publishers with a physical location in Bogotá. He has been involved in the programming of the Boyacá International Culture Festival (FIC) since 2021, and he is the organizer of the "Doble por aquí" publication fair, which has been held four times. He also conducts workshops for district schools of booksellers and editing (IDARTES), programs the Boyacá International Book Fair (FILBOY) based in Tunja, and has been a board member of the Colombian Association of Independent Booksellers (ACLI) since 2024.

Carlos Armenta

Carlos Armenta (Guadalajara, 1989) is an editor and bookseller at Impronta Casa Editora. He currently serves as the president of the Committee of Independent Publishers of CANIEM.

Other activities involving the participant:

Panel 1: The Cost of Knowledge