The Zaragoza Provincial Council has presented its new series of meetings with Aragonese writers, "The Province in Verse", which will visit 33 municipalities in Zaragoza province from October to November. The event was attended by José Manuel Latorre, the councillor responsible for Archives and Libraries, along with writers Eva Cosculluela and Paula Figols.
The first edition will feature authors including Natalia Moreno with "Madonna no nació en Wisconsin", Angélica Morales with "Estás en mis ojos", Paula Figols with "13 de agosto", Mª José Galé with "Arterial", Begoña Oro with "Zapatos nuevos y sopa de almendras", Luis Zueco with "El juicio", Miguel Mena with "Moncayo Estrés", Jorge Sanz Barajas with "Los circunstanciales", Víctor Juan with "Prandium Amicorum", Laureano Debat and Marta Armingol with "Colonización. Historias de los pueblos sin historia", and Eva Cosculluela with "El club de las modernas".
"The aim is to promote reading, raise awareness of Aragonese authors and their works, and deepen literary analysis and critical commentary," Latorre said. He believes the series will also "encourage library users to engage with reading, strengthen reading clubs and reading spaces, and foster the creation of literary series, festivals or events that enable neighbours to connect and get to know one another in the surroundings of rural libraries".
CONVERSATIONS WITH READERS
Latorre explained that "the writers will present their latest book and talk with their readers, helping them to gain a better understanding of their work and creative process. All these activities aim to promote reading, attract new audiences to the library, develop reading habits and, ultimately, create new and better readers".
Writer Eva Cosculluela stressed that, at present, in Aragon "we are experiencing a very positive moment in literary creation because many authors are publishing with great success and could have been included in this series". For that reason, "we tried to find a group that brought together more than just compliance with the requirements of the call, such as working across different literary genres".
Finally, writer Paula Figols said she was "delighted" to take part in the series because "it is a wonderful way to bring culture to towns and rural libraries". For her, as an author, "it is very rewarding to participate in this activity and exchange my experiences as a writer with those of the readers".
