Bookstores as centers of culture: discussions at the Book Fair in La Laguna
The role of bookstores as important cultural centers that support reading, community, and cultural resistance will be discussed at the La Laguna Book Fair 2025.
In a world where algorithms are everywhere and digital books seem endless, bookstores remain quiet havens of culture. They are places for conversation, new discoveries, and even a certain kind of rebellion.
The Cabildo of Tenerife at the La Laguna Book Fair 2025 invites you to a meeting dedicated specifically to bookstores. You will hear stories about bookstores that have their own unique voice, bring people together, and offer a fresh perspective on the reading space.
On Saturday, October 11, Plaza del Cristo will host two discussions that will explore the role of bookstores as important cultural centers in our cities from different angles.
10:00 AM – Bookstores with Their Own Voice: Identity, Community, and Cultural Resistance
The first discussion will bring together three projects for which independence is paramount and sustainability is a common language.
Izaskun Legarza from Librería de Mujeres (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) will talk about a unique place that has been supporting reading as a way to empower and as a platform for feminist voices since the 80s.
Alfonso Tordesillas from Librería Tipos Infames (Madrid) will share the experience of a bookstore that has combined wine, literature, and socializing, turning reading into a shared pleasure.
And María Silveyro from Librería Ocho y Medio (Madrid) will talk about a place where cinema and books meet, creating their own cultural history between screens and pages.
Three bookstores, three different approaches, but one goal: the word as a form of protest and self-expression. In times when culture is becoming monotonous, their daily work reminds us that reading can be political, personal, and collective at the same time.
11:30 AM – Neighborhood Bookstores: Tradition, Connection, and New Cultural Stories
The second discussion focuses on proximity, on bookstores that support the cultural life of neighborhoods, towns, and cities by directly engaging with their readers.
Nauzet Pérez from Librería Barco de Papel (El Sauzal) will share his perspective from the scene: a bookstore in northern Tenerife that emphasizes close contact with readers as a form of support and resistance.
Víctor Manuel Sánchez from Librería Byron (Barcelona) will talk about how his bookstore has become a cultural laboratory where literature is intertwined with music, visual arts, and urban life.
And Ana María Pastor from Librería Pynchon&Co. (Alicante) will share the experience of a bookstore that combines books, exhibitions, concerts, and cafes, creating a modern space for meetings and experiments.
All these examples show that a bookstore is not just a store, but a cultural ecosystem, a place where literature is combined with other sensations and creative ideas, and where people come together, constantly communicating with each other, respecting traditions, and discovering new things.
Bookstores as Cultural Hubs
Together, both discussions create an emotional and cultural picture of the modern bookstore: from projects with a clear ideological position to places that offer a fresh perspective on communication with readers. They all share one belief: a bookstore is first and foremost a place where you are cared for, where you are understood, and where new ideas are born.
The Cabildo of Tenerife and the La Laguna Book Fair 2025, through this program, emphasize their support for diversity, reflection, and the protection of culture as a living and shared heritage.