The San Miguel writers’ confab is the most important bilingual literary event in Mexico presenting writers, journalists and artists from across North America and Europe.
The 12th annual San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival will be held in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, February 15 to 19, 2017, with the participation of more than 100 featured authors and artists. Guest speakers and performers of note include Naomi Klein, Pedro Ángel Palou, David Ebershoff, Ana García Bergua, Robert Moore, Mary Karr, Julián Herbert, Billy Collins, Anna Styczynska, Gibrán Portela, Judy Collins, Eduardo Limón, Claire Joysmith, Lisa Moore, Rodrigo Pámanes and Luis Alberto Urrea, among many others.
Continuing a decade-plus tradition as the largest and most prestigious co-cultural, bilingual literary gathering in the Americas, the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival (SMWC) attracts not only prominent authors and established and emerging writers but also industry experts, teaching professionals and avid readers from, primarily, the United States, Canada and Mexico. Program highlights include workshops, speaker panels, consultations, and storytelling and open mic sessions. This year’s SMWC will be held at the Convention Center of the Hotel Real de Minas and at the Ignacio Ramírez Cultural Center “El Nigromante.”
Participation in SMWC, and its reputation, have both grown exponentially since the event’s humble beginnings in 2006 with just 26 attendees. This year, more than 750 participants are expected to attend SMWC’s12th anniversary edition.
San Miguel de Allende has enjoyed an enduring relationship with the arts and has been a longtime popular destination for American expats who went to the city to create all types of artwork at the Institute Allende, where, today, art classes can still be taken on a weekly or extended basis.
Nowadays, the city’s streets are chock-full of art galleries packed with everything from modern and contemporary art to works by local artisans and indigenous peoples from around the Americas. Artists can often be found busy at work in their studios, and new exhibits showcasing contemporary, furniture and interior design, antiques and jewelry, and linens and home accessories are always on.
For more information visit: https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org
About San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende, better known as “the heart of Mexico,” is considered the spot where national independence was forged, the birthplace of illustrious historical figures and a colonial urban jewel distinguished by the warmth and generosity of its people, rich history, and cultural and architectural heritage.
On July 7, 2008, the city was named a UNESCO Cultural Heritage city, under the title of “Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco.” The United Nations agency awarded the city this distinction in recognition of its cultural and architectural contribution to the Mexican Baroque style of art and architecture.