Matadero Madrid and Casa del Lector celebrate World Book Day with the ‘Meet & Read’ shared reading party
- On April 23, the event will take place in the large open-air plaza of this Madrid City Council Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sport venue.
- Cultural advocate Fernando Bonete and composer/DJ Luis Miguel Cobo will serve as masters of ceremonies for this literary gathering.
- The event follows the trend of shared reading parties that have seen great success in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, and Rome.
- Admission is free upon registration via [this link], also available on the Matadero Madrid and Casa del Lector websites.
Matadero Madrid, the contemporary creation center under the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sport, joins forces with Casa del Lector to celebrate World Book Day with the event ‘Meet & Read: A Shared Reading Party’ at Plaza Matadero. On Wednesday, April 23, from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM, young people and adults are invited to participate in this communal celebration of reading, with the sole requirement of bringing a book.
“‘Meet & Read’ is an invitation to transform Plaza Matadero into a vast literary meadow where one can sit and read alongside friends, neighbors, or people they haven’t met yet,” says Jose Luis Romo, Artistic Director of Matadero Madrid. “It is a literary picnic designed for reading, sharing, and conversation,” he adds.
Three hours of literary and musical celebration
At 7:00 PM on April 23, World Book Day, this session of reading and music will kick off at Plaza Matadero. The expansive outdoor space will be transformed into a cozy environment featuring artificial grass, hammocks, and tables where attendees can sit with friends or strangers to read and exchange reading habits. Those who have registered via [this link]—also available on the websites of Matadero Madrid and Casa del Lector—will be welcomed by the music of Luis Miguel Cobo. Cobo has designed a specific soundscape with various atmospheres to accompany the reading and conversation session through its different rhythms and dynamics.
From the start of the session, cultural advocate Fernando Bonete will encourage participants to immerse themselves in their books, alternating reading time with moments of conversation and exchange about the texts, in an enjoyable evening that will run until 10:00 PM.
Masters of the literary and musical ceremony
Fernando Bonete is a cultural influencer, journalist, advocate, PhD in Social Communication, and tenured professor at Nebrija University. He is one of Spain’s most prominent content creators on social media, with over half a million followers on his Instagram account @en_bookle. He has just published his first novel, La hija del Fénix (Espasa). He is also the author of the books Cultura de la cancelación (Ciudadela), La guerra imaginaria (Siglo XXI), Malas lenguas (Ediciones B), and Un libro para cada año de tu vida (Temas de Hoy).
Luis Miguel Cobo holds higher degrees in Composition, Piano, and Music Pedagogy from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid. He was awarded the 2024 Godot Prize for El monstruo de los jardines, directed by Iñaki Rikarte; the 2020 Max Prize (Spain’s performing arts awards) for Play by the Aracaladanza company; the 2019 Jerry Goldsmith Golden Award for Metamorfosis, directed by David Serrano; and the 2018 Max Prize for Solitudes by the Kulunka Teatro company.
‘Meet & Read’ is organized by Matadero Madrid and Casa del Lector, in collaboration with Penguin Random House and Escuela de Escritores, with Altamarea as the official bookstore.