Éric del Arco

Invitado de Honor

Born in Barcelona, he is a technical engineer and humanist, as well as a traveler and occasional missionary. He became a bookseller in 2014 under the guidance of Josep Cots, who founded Librería Documenta in 1975. Cots chose him to oversee the relocation of the bookstore from Barcelona’s historic Gothic Quarter to a more central location in l’Eixample, and later to lead a new project: modernizing an iconic space without losing its identity. Today, it can be said that they have succeeded. In 2022, he was appointed President of the Booksellers’ Guild, part of a highly collaborative board dedicated to promoting respect for the book industry chain.

Other activities involving the participant:

Inauguration

Manuel Retamal

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Hispanic Language and Literature, with postgraduate studies in Publishing and LGBTIQA+ Studies. He currently serves as Assistant Director at Editoriales de Chile, a trade association for independent publishers, and as Editorial Director of Invertido Ediciones, a publishing house specializing in literature and LGBTIQA+ authors.

Imelda Martorell

A leading promoter of reading in Mexico, she directed the International Children’s and Young Adult Book Fair (FILIJ) for thirteen years and contributed to the creation of the National Reading Rooms Program, bringing books to communities beyond libraries and classrooms. Since 2009, she has worked in the Cultural Outreach Coordination at UNAM, where she currently serves as Coordinator for the Promotion of Reading and Written Culture. She leads the José Emilio Pacheco Reading Chair, the University Reading System Universo de Letras, and the Fiesta del Libro y la Rosa, fostering reading and writing among young people. She has also promoted Aquí Tú Cuentas +50, an oral storytelling program for older adults. Her work has been key in developing readers across different sectors and generations. She has served as a jury member for the Gran Angular Young Adult Literature Award and has given lectures and reading mediation workshops with teachers and parents at various national and international book fairs.

Other activities involving the participant:

Dialogue: “Machines that read, voices that resist”

Alejandra Soriano

She is a professional in Literary Studies, a Social Communicator, and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Policy, with experience in public policy design as well as in the production and execution of communication and management projects in the cultural sector. Her research interests focus on reading and library policies, reception studies of written culture, and gender studies related to literature. She currently serves as Literature Manager at the Instituto Distrital de las Artes (IDARTES).