Inaugural FLIP Festival celebrates Spanish-language writers with weekend-long event series

Participating authors include novelists Brenda Navarro, Clara Obligado, Pilar Quintana and Karina Sainz Borgo, and former Rhode Island Poet Laureate Tina Cain, who will be joined by scholars, translators and publishers. Several of the authors' works explore themes related to politics and justice, including human rights abuses under authoritarian regimes and gender violence, Durante said

"Many of our guests are migrant writers, so we are also exploring the diversity of the Spanish language and the concept that there are many forms of Spanish," she added.

The festival will be held at locations on Brown's campus - including Rochambeau House, home to the Department of Hispanic Studies, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and the new Lindemann Performing Arts Center - as well as other sites in the city, including the South Providence Library, the Barker Playhouse and Twenty Stories bookstore.

On Saturday, April 6, MiniFLIP, a portion of the event for children and teenagers, will offer music and storytelling workshops at Rochambeau Public Library, South Providence Library and Tu Voz Es Música Talent School in Pawtucket, and conclude with a performance by participating children.

"We wanted to create programming specifically designed for kids as a way to promote the value of bilingualism and multilingualism in a fun and age-appropriate way," Durante said.

Saturday and Sunday begin with morning workshops (pre-registration is required, as space is limited), followed by several "Writers in Conversation" panel discussions in the afternoon. Other highlights of the weekend-long event include an opening celebration on Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Rochambeau House; a poetry open mic event on Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m. at Brown's Lindemann Performing Arts Center; and, on Sunday, a closing conversation on the festival's theme, "Out of Place," at the Barker Playhouse.