'Mi Pueblo Lee' Literary Festival Expands to Tenerife

The "Mi Pueblo Lee" (My Town Reads) festival is coming to the Canary Islands, marking a new step in bringing culture beyond Spain's major cities. The initiative, which has previously won the National Award for the Promotion of Reading, will launch in El Sauzal, Tenerife, with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

Taking place on April 10 and 11, the festival aims to make literature more accessible in non-urban areas by connecting nationally recognized authors with local communities. The highlight of this year’s event is journalist and author Sonsoles Ónega, winner of the 2023 Planeta Prize. She will host a discussion and book signing on Saturday, April 11, at 6:00 p.m. in the Plaza del Príncipe.

The festival offers much more than a traditional book fair. On Friday, April 10, at 8:00 p.m., the El Sauzal Theater will host a live recording of the podcast Solo Palique, which blends current affairs and humor with local Canarian writers. Tickets are available through the theater’s usual booking channels.

On Saturday, activities move outdoors starting at 10:00 a.m. The schedule features a book market, children’s workshops, sports exhibitions, and storytelling sessions, including a performance by Zulay Gutiérrez at 4:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m., authors Óscar Liam, Arantxa Rufo, and Ana González Duque will join a roundtable discussion on the creative process and the experience of writing from an island perspective. The day will wrap up with a musical performance by Bryan Rodríguez at 7:00 p.m.

Organized in partnership with the Debrigode Cultural Association and supported by the Tenerife Island Council, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the El Sauzal City Council, the festival is part of a broader strategy to turn smaller towns into vibrant cultural hubs. By prioritizing direct interaction between authors and readers in rural settings, the event signals a shift toward making local communities the heart of national cultural policy.