Literature-related events abound in April. Not only does poetry take its annual commemoration this month, but the 23rd day of April marks World Book and Copyright Day.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) notes that the date is considered symbolic for world literature, being the death anniversary of legendary wordsmiths, such as Miguel de Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. April 23 is also the birth date of famed authors, namely Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. These serendipitous coincidences led UNESCO to inaugurate April 23rd as the World Book and Copyright Day during the 1995 UNESCO General Conference in Paris.
The celebration pays a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
The day also promotes intellectual property protection through copyrighting.
World Book Capital 2015
UNESCO, along with international organizations in the book industry, selects a World Book Capital representative each year, for a one-year period effective April 23rd of that year. The northwestern South Korean city of Incheon was chosen as the representative this 2015. The UN agency has acknowledged the city’s literacy programs advocating reading among all walks of life, especially among the less privileged members of the population.
Xlibris celebrates month-long 18th anniversary in April
The month of April also marks a significant milestone for Xlibris Publishing, as the leading supported self-publishing company was founded this month in 1997. For its 18th anniversary, Xlibris is currently holding its month-long celebration recognizing aspiring writers who wish to become authors, and of course, Xlibris authors who have chosen to publish their books through the self-publishing services provider. Some of these writers have been successful in their own rights, having gained literary acclaims, traditional publishing deals, good reviews, and more. To date, over 40,000 writers have published more than 60,000 books through Xlibris since 1997. Xlibris also values its authors’ original works and encourages them to be aware of the copyright issues to consider in self-publishing.
As an expression of gratitude to its ever-growing author community, Xlibris has unveiled its Flash Fiction Writing Contest where would-be authors can showcase their knack for writing by coming up with an original 18-word story. The grand winner wins an Xlibris publishing package.