I interrupt my UK recap for this special occasion — the annual Manila International Book Fair, which runs from tomorrow, Sept. 13 to Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 am to 8 pm at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
This year is particularly exciting as it’s bigger than it’s ever been, now with the exhibition floor extended to the second floor! With almost 12,000 square meters of exhibit space this year, that means not just more books, but more room for special events such as book signings, workshops, storytelling, fan gatherings, and many more!
One of the things I wanted to tick off on this trip was a visit to the Discworld Emporium, in Wincanton, a town in Somerset, England. Co-founded by Sir Terry Pratchett himself, the Discworld Emporium sells exclusive Discworld merchandise, and the town of Wincanton is officially twinned with Ankh-Morpork, making it the first ever town to be twinned with a fiction place.
Of course, Shakespeare was on the itinerary. We’ve been Shakespeare lovers for most of our lives, way before our milk teeth grew out. Our school had an annual play production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream put on by the sixth graders (I played Snout / The Wall and was Props director when it was our turn, if you must know), and to this day, we can still recite long passages of the play from memory.
