5th and 6th September at Museu do Oriente, Lisbon

NEW CONFIRMATIONS FOR THE BOOK 2.0 SECOND EDITION

29 July 2024

· Catherine Nixey, Thijs Launspach, Breno Perrucho, Pablo Rodríguez Coca, Rafael Gallo, John Tørres Thuv, Robert Miller and Ricardo Franco Levi are the most recent international speakers confirmed for the second edition of Book 2.0;

· Portuguese authors Ana Markl, Nuno Caravela, Madalena Sá Fernandes and Hugo van der Ding are also some of the new confirmations;

· Book 2.0 will also include the recording of two podcasts: the ‘Programa Cujo Nome Estamos Legalmente Impedidos de Dizer’ Podcast featuring João Miguel Tavares, Pedro Mexia, Ricardo Araújo Pereira and Carlos Vaz Marques; and the “Porque Sim Não é Resposta” Podcast with psychologist Eduardo Sá and Judite França.

Lisbon, July 29th 2024 – The biggest event meant for the discussion of the future of books in Portugal and Europe is back for a second edition on the 5th and 6th of September 2024, in Lisbon, through the voices of today's great national and international writers and thinkers. Under the theme #TheFutureOfReading, Book 2.0 aims to place at the center of the debate the main challenges that books and reading are facing, pointing out ways to overcome them. Registration is open and available at book.apel.pt, as well as the program for the two days and the confirmed speakers.

Catherine Nixey, Author and Journalist at The Economist (United Kingdom), Thijs Launspach, Psychologist, TEDx speaker, Best-Seller author (The Netherlands), Breno Perrucho, Youth for Schools Founder & CEO (Brazil), Pablo Rodríguez Coca, Psychologist and Creator at @occimorons (Spain), Rafael Gallo, Author (Brazil), John Tørres Thuv, Gyldendal CEO (Norway), Robert Miller, President & Publisher Flatiron Books/Macmillan (USA), Ricardo Franco Levi, President of Federation of European Publishers (FEP) (Italy) are the most recent international confirmations for the event promoted by the Associação Portuguesa de Editores e Livreiros (APEL). These will join speakers such as Jeff Goodell (USA), Jeneva Rose (USA), Nguyen Phan Que Mai (Vietnam), Narine Abgaryan (Armenia), Galit Atlas (USA), Wayne Holmes (USA), Luis Zueco (Spain), Rachel Lynn Solomon (USA), Rachel Martin (The Netherlands), Su Blackwell (United Kingdom) e Vanessa Portilla (Colombia).

From Portugal, Eduardo Sá, Isabel Machado, José Rodrigues dos Santos (virtually present), Ana Markl, Nuno Caravela, Madalena Sá Fernandes, Sandra Barão Nobre, Rui Couceiro and Hugo van der Ding are some of the new confirmations. On an institutional level, the event will welcome the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Paulo Rangel, the Minister of Youth and Modernization of Portugal, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, the Minister of Culture of Portugal, Dalila Rodrigues, and the Deputy Secretary of State for Education of Portugal, Alexandre Homem Cristo.

The President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will close the first day of the conference, on the 5th of September. The 2024 edition of Book 2.0 has the High Patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Portugal and happens alongside with Festa do Livro de Belém, which will be held between the 5th and the 8th of September at the Gardens of the Belém Palace– a Presidential initiative in partnership with APEL.

“We have a very interesting panel of speakers, who will certainly make a very relevant contribution to strengthening our mission of promoting reading, literacy and education rates in Portugal”, says Pedro Sobral, President of APEL, adding that “Books face very relevant challenges that we need to debate freely, frankly and openly so that we can, together, find ways to preserve our legacy and wisdom”.

Book 2.0 is once again organized by chapters, just like a book: Opening – Preface; Chapter 1 – The Future of Publishing in the Digital Age; Chapter 2 – From Ecological Footprint to Rethinking Diversity; and Chapter 3 – Education as a Gateway to Unleash Human Potential; and Summary – Commitments for the Future.

At the opening session, in addition to the president of APEL - who will present the results of another study on book purchasing habits in Portugal and which this year will also cover reading habits - Nguyen Phan Que Mai (Vietnam), author of the best-seller The Mountains Sing, will address 'The Power of Books' and Vanessa Portilla, COO of the World Literacy Foundation (Colombia), will speak on the topic 'Changing Lives through Literacy'.

The first chapter, The Future of Publishing in the Digital Age, starts with a talk with Thijs Launspach, Psychologist, TEDx speaker, Best-Seller author, who will address today's concern to maintain human values in an increasingly digital world, in a lecture entitled ‘Humans vs Machines’. Armenian Narine Abgaryan, author of a dozen internationally successful books written in Russian – including the award-winning and nationally successful trilogy about Manunia, a busy and troubled 11-year-old from a small Armenian town, Berde – along with Portuguese Madalena Sá Fernandes will have a conversation about ‘Endless Inspiration: Based on True Stories’.

In the morning, Jeneva Rose, the North American author of the international bestsellers The Perfect Marriage, One of Us is Dead and You Shouldn't Have Come Here, will present 'Challenges of a “Best Seller” and the Power of Digital'. This is followed by ‘What Education Doesn't Teach You’ with Brazilian guest Breno Perrucho, Founder & CEO of Jovens For Schools, in a conversation about the importance of digital platforms as a way of increasing financial literacy, and supporting young people's education. ‘The power of Creativity for Mental Health’ is the topic of the following conversation, which will feature Portuguese author Hugo van der Ding and Spanish Pablo Rodríguez Coca, Psychologist and Creator of @occimorons.

The first chapter closes with the ‘Public Libraries: Spaces of Information, Discovery and Learning’, in a conversation with Bruno Duarte Eiras, Deputy General Director of DGLAB, Rui Couceiro, Author and Editor, and Edite Guimarães, Head of Division of the BLX Network.

In the afternoon, the chapter From Ecological Footprint to Rethinking Diversity will overlook the challenge faced by the publishing industry aiming to rethink its ecological footprint and adopt sustainability as the new path to follow. Rachel Martin (Netherlands), Director of Global Sustainability at Elsevier, will present the first recommendations of the 'Carbon Footprint Whitepaper', which is the result of a study measuring the carbon footprint of the publishing industry in Portugal – a study originating from the 2023 Book 2.0 edition, in a conversation with António Redondo, CEO of Navigator. Jeff Goodell, author of the best-seller The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet and a constant presence on the largest North American television channels to comment on issues related to Energy and the Environment, will certainly make a relevant contribution on the profound impact of the rising temperatures on our planet.

On the same panel, the Minister of Youth and Modernization of Portugal, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, will also be interviewed on the question ‘Can young people solve today’s challenges?’. This will be followed by ‘Inclusiveness: We Are Infinite’ with North American Rachel Lynn Solomon, and ‘Women Writers Club: Breaking Prejudices’ with Filipa Fonseca Silva, Sara Rodi and Gabriela Relvas. Book 2.0 will then host the recording of the “Porque Sim Não é Resposta” Podcast with Eduardo Sá and Judite França, and the The Therapy of Books talk between Rafael Gallo and Sandra Barão Nobre.

The Intersection between Culture & Education settles the conversation between the Deputy Secretary of State for Education of Portugal, Alexandre Homem Cristo, and the Minister of Culture of Portugal, Dalila Rodrigues. The President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will give the closing speech on the first day of this edition of Book 2.0.

The second day of the event begins with chapter 3, Education as a Gateway to Unleash Human Potential, with the North American author and psychoanalyst Galit Atlas talking about 'Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients and The Legacy of Trauma', also with the participation of Cristina Nogueira Fonseca, Happyologist & Founder of Happytown, and Manuel Clemente, Author and Human Design analyst, in a conversation titled 'Are We Truly Happy?'.

Catherine Nixey, Author and journalist at the Economist, will talk about ‘The Darkening Age: The Spirit of the Classics’. A conversation will follow on ‘Responsible Business Education as the New Norm’ featuring John Tørres Thuv, Gyldendal CEO, and Robert Miller, President & Publisher Flatiron Books/Macmillan USA.

Mid morning, Book 2.0 will welcome the recording of the ‘Programa Cujo Nome Estamos Legalmente Impedidos de Dizer’ Podcast with João Miguel Tavares, Pedro Mexia, Ricardo Araújo Pereira and Carlos Vaz Marques. This will be followed by the ‘Children’s Literature: World of Discoveries where Anything is Possible’ chat with Ana Markl, Maria Inês Almeida and Nuno Caravela.

Just as in the previous year, and because Book 2.0 has the purpose of generating commitments for the future, this morning will end with a summary, Commitments for the Future, which will feature Su Blackwell, a book artist from the United Kingdom, who will speak about 'Books: The School of Dreams'. Italian Ricardo Franco Levi, President of Federation of European Publishers (FEP), will feature a talk about ‘Books Voice for Humanity’. The Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Paulo Rangel, will close the ceremony.