The Word as the Protagonist in the Third Edition of the International Writers Congress

The event will take place from April 23 to 25 at the Bellas Artes in Caguas and will include the awarding of 10 scholarships for the School of Writers.

Caguas, Puerto Rico (March 12, 2025) – From April 23 to 25, the third edition of the International Writers Congress will be held at the Bellas Artes in Caguas, where authors, academics, and cultural leaders from different Spanish-speaking countries will once again gather to reflect on the power of words as a source of knowledge and communication.

Under the theme “The Freedom of Words,” this new edition of the Congress invites the general public to take part in the conferences, debates, and workshops that will make up the program of activities, including the keynote dialogue titled “The Words That Arm Us,” presented by Puerto Rican writer Luis Rafael Sánchez and Luis García Montero, director of Spain’s Instituto Cervantes. The discussion will be moderated by fellow Puerto Rican writer Manolo Núñez Negrón.

“In times when so many voices attempt to limit or monitor language, it is worth remembering that Spanish has always grown thanks to the freedom of words,” noted writer and Congress coordinator Helena Sampedro. “Literature and reading are the places where that freedom breathes; where language opens up, is debated, and becomes ours again. This Congress is born from that conviction and seeks to be a space to defend, celebrate, and reflect together on the freedom of words through reading and conversation,” she emphasized.

The Congress will feature the participation of a diverse group of guests, including writers, academics, and cultural leaders.

From Puerto Rico, participants will include Ana Teresa Toro, Pabsi Livmar, Melanie Pérez Ortiz, Wilda Rodríguez, Mairym Cruz Bernal, Mayra Santos Febres, Ana María Fuster, Mara Pastor, Magali García Ramis, José Rabelo, Arlene Carballo, Maia Sherwood, Tina Casanova, Elidio La Torre Lagares, Joan López Bauzá, and Mayra Montero (Cuba, PR).

From Colombia, William Ospina and Juan Gabriel Vásquez will participate; and from Venezuela, Juan Carlos Méndez Guedez. Representing the Dominican Republic will be Rey Andújar, while Argentina will be represented by Claudia Piñeiro. Spain will be represented by José Manuel Fajardo, Javier Cercas, Ignacio Ferrando, Raquel Caleya, María José Gálvez, and Santiago Herrero.

Since the freedom of words is the theme that brings together the activities of the event, one of the debates will be dedicated to analyzing the musical work of urban music star Bad Bunny, whose contribution to the Spanish language was recognized last February by the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language, the Cervantes Institute, and the Royal Spanish Academy.

The debate, titled “Bad Bunny and the Puerto Rican Word: Music, Lyrics, and Freedom,” will present the perspectives of Maia Sherwood (The ABC’s of DtMF), Elidio La Torre Lagares, and filmmaker Ari Maniel Cruz Sánchez. The session will be moderated by Melanie Pérez Ortiz.

The Escuela de Escritores of Spain joins this celebration of words as a driving force of language by awarding 10 scholarships for a three-month Creative Writing course. Participants must demonstrate their talents as writers in 700 words, using their best narrative and creative tools.

Interested participants should send their writings to 700palabras@escueladeescritores.com, including their full name, age, address, and email. Submissions will be accepted until Friday, April 17. The winners will be announced during the days of the Congress.

The program of activities and additional details about the Congress will be published on the Bellas Artes de Caguas website and on Instagram at @congresoescritorespr.