Michael Tamblyn, Alice Neto de Sousa, Yasmina Laraudogoitia and Nuno Lobo Antunes among the new confirmed speakers of Book 2.0

Alice Neto de Sousa is one of the most recent confirmed speakers, a poet and poetry writer, she is the author of the poem "March", chosen to inaugurate the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April in Portugal in 2022. The manuscript of the poem was one of the objects placed in the time capsule created to mark the anniversary of the event, which will only be opened in 2074, the centenary of the revolution that took place in Portugal in 1974. Alice started writing poetry as a child, using poetry as a "way of dealing with problems and concerns", and was recognized by BANTUMEN as one of the "100 Most Influential Black Personalities in Lusophony", in the Powerlist 100 of 2022. Will join the session on How Can Music and Poetry Change the World that will take place on the 31st of August bringing her unique voice and insightful storytelling.

On the same day, Michael Tamblyn is flying straight from Canada to join the chapter on The Future of Publishing in the Digital Age, where he will be sharing his vision as President and CEO of Rakuten Kobo, where he has been combining a passion for reading with a deep focus on hardware and software experiences that can improve a customer's reading life. Toronto-based Kobo is one of the world's fastest growing eReading services, offering one of the world's largest catalogs of over 5 million eBooks and magazines to millions of users around the world, whose mission is to give to those passionate about reading, the ability to read even more by providing the best digital reading experience.

Also, Yasmina Laraudogoitia is among the new confirmed speakers of Book 2.0, Public Policy and Government Relations manager at TikTok for Spain and Portugal, where she is responsible for government relations management and the development of institutional partnerships on the session on #BookTok: TikTok a Support to the Publishing Industry ‘Renaissance’.

Karine Pansa, President of the International Publishers Association, also makes up the list of new confirmations. She joins Book 2.0 to share her experience in the international publishing landscape, in a conversation with the Director General of Penguin Random House Portugal, Clara Capitão, on Connecting for Responsible Business.

The younger generation will also have a voice at Book 2.0, with the participation of the authors Rita da Nova and Maria Francisca Gama, in an informal but unmissable conversation with the Literary Activist and Creator of the Book Gang, Helena Magalhães, on the Choices of the Next Generation.

From medicine to poetry, from social networks to journalism, several figures will join the event to promote an insightful dialogue and growth ambitions in the literary world. Daniel Sampaio, psychiatrist and author/co-author of 30 books on family, adolescence and school, founder of the Portuguese Society of Family Therapy and a pioneer of Family Therapy in Portugal; Joachim Kaufmann, CEO of Carlsen Publishing, the market-leading publisher of children's literature and comics; Rachel Martin, Global Director of Sustainability at Elsevier, driving change in the areas of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on climate action; António Redondo, CEO of Navigator, a leading force in the international pulp and paper market, one of Portugal's strongest brands on the world stage, and also President of Biond - Forest Fibers from Portugal; Isabela Figueiredo, journalist, teacher and award-winning author; and Nuno Lobo Antunes, author and renowned Neuropediatrician are some of the speakers that will join Book 2.0, contributing to inspire and enrich audiences and conversations throughout the event.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will participate in the closing ceremony of the first day of Book 2.0 on the 31st of August, followed by the inauguration of the Belém Book Festival, which will take at Palácio de Belém, the Official Residence of the President the Portuguese Republic. Also, the Minister of Culture of Portugal, Pedro Adão e Silva and the Minister of Education, João Costa will join the event, in exclusive interviews on stage.

In addition to the debates and conversations, the event will also be the stage for the unveiling of a long-overdue study on the reading habits in Portugal, conducted by GFK. With the aim of boosting public policies and strengthening the ecosystem of the book, publishing and education sector in the country, the study will show a detailed survey of the reading habits in Portugal since 2004, where the results will be released in firsthand by the president of APEL, Pedro Sobral, on the 31st of August that stated: “We believe the study will be a significant milestone for the book sector in Portugal By bringing up-to-date and relevant data on reading habits, we will be able to strengthen the dialogue with the public authorities, publishers and educational institutions, thus promoting concrete actions to encourage reading and literacy in our country."

The study will address a variety of topics related to the reading habits, including the analysis of pre- and post-lockdown patterns, as well as book consumption habits. Key questions will be addressed to understand the current panorama of reading in Portugal and its impact on different spheres of society.

The first edition 2023 of Book 2.0 has the High Patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic, the support of the Lisbon Municipality, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, the National Coach Museum, the International Publishing Association, the Federation of European Publishers, Altis Belém Hotel & Spa as the partner hotel, C. Santos VP as the mobility partner; as media partners The Bookseller and Publishing Perspectives; and organized in the framework of Aldus – European Book Fairs Network.

Book 2.0 # The Future of Reading
31st August to 1st September 2023
National Coach Museum – Royal Riding Hall 
Praça Afonso de Albuquerque
1300-004 Lisbon, Portugal

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Media Relations Contacts:
Rita Santiago – rita.santiago@lift.com.pt – +351 918 655 125
Raquel Campos – raquel.campos@lift.com.pt – +351 918 654 931