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Local Author Series with Vanessa Garcia

"What the Bread Says: Baking with Love, History, and Papan"

Join Vanessa Garcia, multidisciplinary writer, who has worked for and written for Sesame Street, Caillou and other shows, for a reading of her book "What the Bread Says: Baking with Love, History, and Papan." Explore how stories are carried across generations through food and storytelling. Following the presentation, a baker will host a bread making demonstration and tasting. Space is limited. For more information contact the branch at 305-442-8706 or capleybr@mdpls.org. Ages 4 years+.

Allergen Notice: The bread demonstration and its samples contain gluten and eggs. 

Schedule:

2-3 p.m. Book Reading

3-4 p.m. Bread-making demonstration and tasting

Author's biography

Vanessa Garcia is a Cuban American multidisciplinary writer -- screenwriter, playwright, novelist, and journalist/essayist -- who has written and worked for Sesame Street, where she’s been nominated for an Emmy (Monster Meditation), and won two Telly Awards (Tamir on the Street). She’s also worked on Caillou; Behind the Beats (a French animated show about the history of music and how it’s all connected), and other shows.

She’s the author of the novel, White Light, which won an International Latino Book Award and was one of NPRs best books of 2015. Her first Picture Book for children, What the Bread Says, launched October 1, 2022.

Theatrically, she’s the author of The Amparo Experience, an immersive hit that People en Español called “Miami’s Hottest Ticket.” Other plays include: Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, which she co-wrote with Obama’s Inaugural poet, Richard Blanco; #Graced about a woman searching for what it means to be American right now, which premiered at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and Jenna & The Whale, about a town in Florida facing the suicide of a young man, which premiered at Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, Tx in 2023.

Her journalism, essays and thought pieces have appeared in The LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, National Review, ESPN, The Hill, Catapult, Narrativel.ly, and numerous other publications.

Vanessa also hosts a podcast about family with her own sister and mother called Never the Empty Nest, available anywhere you listen to podcasts.

She holds a PhD from the University of California Irvine in Creative Nonfiction. Her dissertation focused on Cuba.

Baker's biography:

Lania Andrade, owner of Love Grace Sweets, started her small business in 2023 after 5 years of working in the restaurant industry. Aside from making custom baked goods, she conducts workshops and demonstrations to share the importance of community through food. Her love for baking drives their mission: Sweets made with love, from scratch, for any occasion.

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