Through the Mario Benedetti Center for Ibero-American Literature Studies (CeMaB) at the University of Alicante and the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Miguel Hernández University in Elche, the I Seminar on the Writing Profession: Relationships Between Journalism and Literature in the Ibero-American Field will take place on May 15 and 16. The event will bring together notable academics, writers, and journalists, including Juan Cruz, Nativel Preciado, and Fernando Iwasaki, to explore how reporting and storytelling intersect across the Ibero-American world.
The seminar is coordinated by Beatriz Aracil, director of CeMaB, and José Luis Ferris, director of the Miguel Hernández Chair. On May 15, the sessions will be held at Miguel Hernández University in Elche, at Plaça de Baix, located on Carrer Mare de Déu del Carme, with activities running throughout the day. The following day, May 16, the program will move to CeMaB at the City of Alicante University Venue, Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 4, with morning and afternoon sessions designed to encourage dialogue among participants.
The opening day will begin with the keynote, Neither pardon nor permission: literature in the media, delivered by Ignacio Elgüero, Director of Education at RTVE, who will address media literacy and cultural diversity in the context of contemporary journalism. The day will continue with presentations by University of Miguel Hernández faculty, including Maria Samper and Miguel Ors, as well as contributions from writer and researcher Gustavo Forero and the president of the Mario Benedetti Foundation in Montevideo. A roundtable on cultural journalism will follow, featuring journalist Christina Martinez from BÏLGI, Raphael Burgos from Country, and Edward Aguilar from the Alicante venue. The day will close with a thematic address by a distinguished writer and journalist, titled Dear Native, which will reflect on narrative truth and media storytelling.
On May 16, the seminar returns to CeMaB facilities on the UA campus at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters III. The program will begin with a lecture by author and professor Fernando Iwasaki, followed by talks from Daniel Docampo (UNED), Rachel Fernandez (UAL), and Mario Aznar (UMU). The culmination of the event will feature the keynote by the well-known journalist and author Juan Cruz, who will deliver the closing lecture at 7:00 p.m. in the Rafael Altamira Hall of the Alicante City University Space, located at Avenida Ramón y Cajal, 4. The meeting will also spotlight contributions from Carmen Alemany and Eva Valero, professors of Hispanic American literature at the University of Alicante, who will provide closing insights and reflections on the intersection of journalism and literary practice within the Ibero-American sphere.