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These Philly Latinos are highlighting bilingual authors and books to celebrate World Book Day

The celebration takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 23 at the Mexican Cultural Center on 901 Market St.

Edgar Ramírez of Philatinos Radio installs a Philibros bookshelf on a stand outside Alma del Mar in South Philadelphia on April 10, 2021. Ramírez is one of the organizers of the Philibros World Book Day celebration at the Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia on April 23, 2024.
Edgar Ramírez of Philatinos Radio installs a Philibros bookshelf on a stand outside Alma del Mar in South Philadelphia on April 10, 2021. Ramírez is one of the organizers of the Philibros World Book Day celebration at the Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia on April 23, 2024.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

Back in 2021, Pew Research Center released a study that said that 38% of the Latinos it surveyed had not read a book in the past year.

But that doesn’t deter Edgar Ramírez, Leity Rodríguez, or Andrea García, who together intend to celebrate local Latino authors and the love of reading at Tuesday’s celebration of World Book Day at Philadelphia’s Mexican Cultural Center.

It isn’t the first time the three have partnered to highlight Latino books and foster reading in Philadelphia.

» READ MORE: Spanish readers now have colorful community libraries in South Philly

Rodríguez, a member of Acción Colombia, and Ramírez, the founder of Philatinos Radio, are also founders and organizers of the annual Latin American Book Fair that takes place in the city in October. García’s Philibros project — which puts colorful sharing libraries called “huacalibreros” in local Latino businesses — is officially hosting the World Book Day gathering.

The April 23 event is smaller in scope than the other events the trio has brought together for the community, but Ramírez said the impetus is the same.

“We want people to know that, yes, we read,” Ramírez said via Facebook messenger.

The event will include five-minute presentations by Rodríguez and García, along with presentations from other members of Philadelphia’s Latino book and author community, including Booktitlan Podcaster Dayesla Ixtil; Norma Corrales-Martin, who runs a poetry for peace festival; and children’s book author Ana Omana and poet Roger Santibañez, among others.

» READ MORE: The Latin American Book Fair is back with more events. Here is what to expect.

The celebration of World Book Day in Philadelphia will be bilingual and “help preserve and celebrate the cultural richness of the [Spanish] language,” Ramírez told The Inquirer via email in Spanish.

“We want to create synergy in the community.”

Edgar Ramírez

The emphasis on bilingualism fits in neatly with the original choice for the date of World Book Day, which UNESCO established in 1995 as a way promote the enjoyment of books and reading worldwide:

“23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. This date was a natural [...] to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.”
UNESCO

“We want to create synergy in the community, establish meaningful connections that unite people around reading,” Ramírez said. “[Our interest is to] promote reading in Spanish and [use] it as a tool of integration between immigrants and first-generation Latino Americans.”

Philibros’s Día Internacional del Libro takes place April 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Center, 901 Market St.