Free International Literature Conference in Cuenca This Week — April 15, 16, 17

Three Days of Literature at the Casa de la Cultura

The Second International Reading Mediators Conference — Casa de la Cultura's "Segundo Encuentro Internacional de Mediadores de Lectura Biblio Azuay 2026" — is happening in Cuenca April 15, 16, and 17, 2026 (source).

It kicks off today. If literature, children's reading programs, or public libraries are your thing, this is a rare free event with international guests right here in Cuenca.

Where It's Happening

Events are split between two venues — both downtown, both in the Casa de la Cultura orbit:

• Biblioteca Manuel María Muñoz Cueva — "Luis Cordero 7-22, tercer piso"
• Auditorio Catalina Sojos — "Presidente Córdova 7-89, tercer piso"

Both addresses are in El Centro. Walking distance from Parque Calderón if you're coming from anywhere in the historic core.

Who's Speaking

The conference brings together reading-promotion specialists from Ecuador and Colombia. Confirmed speakers include:

• Leydy Yépes — of the children's reading project Alebrije (FCE Bogotá, Colombia)
• Alicia Ovalle — of Girándula
• Dianola Vázquez — of Subte Editorial
• Rosalía Vázquez — of the Unidad Editorial y de Publicaciones

What to Expect

Per El Mercurio, the three-day program includes "conferencias con invitados nacionales e internacionales, talleres prácticos y sesiones de narración oral" — conferences with national and international guests, practical workshops, and oral storytelling sessions.

"Mediación de lectura" — reading mediation — is a formal specialty in the Spanish-speaking literary world. It's about the people and practices that connect readers (especially kids) to books: librarians, teachers, program designers, children's authors. If you work with kids, volunteer with bilingual reading programs, or you're just curious about how the Spanish-speaking library world thinks about literacy, this event is for you.

The Organizer

Casa de la Cultura, Núcleo del Azuay is putting this on. It's the Azuay branch of Ecuador's longest-running cultural institution, and their programming is consistently strong — they run many of the best free cultural events in the city.

What This Means for You

• It's free, it's in El Centro, and it starts today. You can walk in on any of the three days (April 15, 16, or 17).
• Spanish will be the working language. If your Spanish is still developing, the oral storytelling sessions tend to be the most accessible — you'll get a lot out of them even without full comprehension of the lecture content.
• If you have kids or work with them, the talks on children's reading projects are worth blocking out. Alebrije (FCE Bogotá) is a big name in Latin American children's reading.
• Check the Casa de la Cultura's posted program at the venue for exact session times — El Mercurio's announcement confirms the dates but not a minute-by-minute schedule.

Source: El Mercurio