Dear Friends, Welcome To Festiba 2008!

Reading Other Worlds: Storytelling Through The Arts

The Festival of International Books & Arts will celebrate the arts and humanities, encourage literacy, and broaden cultural awareness through books, poetry, drama, lectures, musical concerts, art exhibits, and presentations in design, dance, theatre, films, and more! FESTIBA will provide opportunities for university faculty and students to participate in the exchange of arts, research, and ideas as well as engage the community through hands-on events, interactive exhibits, historical re-enactments, merging poetry with art, storytelling, panel discussions, creative writing, and movies with commentary, music workshops, competitions and concerts.  UTPA campus tours on March 24 – 29 will also give valuable insights into an artistic, creative, and educational environment.  Through FESTIBA, participants will be encouraged to celebrate and experience arts and ideas and prepare for studies in the arts and humanities.

FESTIBA 2008 will be hosted by the University of Texas-Pan American College of Arts and Humanities, and we are proud to welcome our partner the Texas Book Festival, with the Reading Rock Stars visiting authors program. We are joined this year by UTPA and Region One GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs); Region One Education Service Center; Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), The Monitor: “Newspapers in Education” promoting literacy through the use of the daily newspaper as an instructional aid in the classroom; the UTPA College of Education/Kappa Delta Pi; UTPA students and faculty; invited guest scholars and presenters, local public schools, and the general community.

Our goal is to increase interest and appreciation for reading and improve success in secondary and post-secondary education through FESTIBA.

Thank you for joining us at this great event and unique cultural opportunity for UTPA and South Texas!