15/09/2026
The Manila International Book Fair proves that Filipinos are reading. But what happens when the fair ends?
For five days, MIBF 2026 brought together thousands of readers, writers, publishers, educators and booksellers—filling two floors of the SMX Convention Center and giving both major and independent publishers a rare concentration of visibility. But a crowded book fair raises a bigger question: how do we turn five days of excitement into a readership that lasts all year?
In this feature, Chelsea Castillo and Mye Mulingtapang look beyond attendance figures to examine the challenges Philippine literature continues to face—from affordability and distribution to the visibility of regional and emerging writers and the need for stronger libraries, institutional support and year-round literary communities.
The story also highlights a simple but powerful form of support: buying Filipino books. At this year’s MIBF, copies of Genevieve L. Asenjo’s The Melancholy of the Tongue, translated by Ana Margarita Nuñez and published by Fidessa Literary, sold out—showing what can happen when Philippine literature is made visible and accessible to readers.
Because finding readers at MIBF is only the beginning. The real measure of success is whether the books discovered there continue travelling into homes, classrooms, libraries and communities long after the booths have closed.
Read the full feature:
https://www.inthemixmagazine.online/post/mibf-2026-finding-readers-beyond-the-fair
