Mitchell Kaplan is best known for the creation of the Miami Book Fair International, the largest community book festival in the United States and a model for book fairs across the country.
Kaplan began his working career as a high school English teacher. Two years after opening an independent bookstore, Books & Books, Kaplan, along with the Dade County Library and other independent bookstore owners, was asked by the president of the downtown Wolfson campus of the Miami-Dade College, Eduardo J. Padrón, to help put on a book fair, originally called “Books by the Bay.”
In addition to overseeing five bookstores, including one located in Grand Cayman, Kaplan serves as the Chair of the Miami Book Fair Board of Directors and on the steering committee of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, Miami-Dade College’s literary center. He has served as President of the American Booksellers Association, and on the Board of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.
Without These Libraries is a community-focused limited series. Special episodes are recorded to provide students an opportunity to discuss the challenges of adapting with technology, funding concerns, and the evolving role of libraries.
Guest: Mitchell Kaplan
Hosts: Michael Elkins, Kestyn Hudson, Brandon Mahgerefteh, and Isaac Persky
Produced by: Chapman University's 2025 Bateman Competition Team for EveryLibrary in collaboration with Past Forward
Past Forward is providing this podcast as a public service. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Please read our Program and Product Disclaimer for more information.
