Write On! Literary Happenings in November 2026

By Catherine Marenghi

Atencion Presents!

The next featured presenter in the monthly Atención San Miguel Authors series is Cyn Posner, author of Escape to Mexico. The event will take place Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 3:00 p.m. at Casa Nigromante, Umaran #8. The event is free and open to the public.

In her wildly unfiltered debut novel, Cyn lands in San Miguel de Allende thinking tequila, tacos, and a sexy Latin fling will fix her heartbreak after a brutal breakup. Instead, she face-plants into the wreckage of her own questionable choices.

In a town bursting with color, culture, and wild charm, Cyn stumbles into a journey of self-discovery. Escape to Mexico is a darkly hilarious, brutally honest memoir about chasing freedom, facing your demons, and learning that the only person you can’t outrun is yourself.

Cyn Posner began her career crafting stories for TV, film, and theater in Los Angeles. She now resides in San Miguel de Allende, where her novel Escape to Mexico was inspired. She is also the author of It’s Messy in Here: Journey from addiction to recovery.

Poetry & Prose Cafes Has a New Location!

Following a change in ownership, Café Rama will no longer be hosting the San Miguel Poetry & Prose Cafes. Rosaleen Bertolino, coordinator and host of the literary reading series, has announced a new venue for the remainder of the 2026-2027 season: Sala Quetzal, Biblioteca Publica. And the revised dates are November 12, December 3, January 14, February 4, and March 4.

San Miguel Writers’ Conference: Free and Low-Cost Events

Participating in the annual San Miguel Writers’ Conference, running February 10-14, 2027, can be more affordable than you might think.

To counter the perception that the Conference is expensive or “not for the local community,” the show offers a growing number of free events, low-cost programming, and programs designed for people living in Mexico. Some highlights:

• Fête Haïtienne, a free opening-night party. The 2027 Conference will be celebrating Haiti and its rich literary culture, while creating opportunities for emerging Haitian writers through the San Miguel Global Literary Institute. The party will be open to the public on February 10, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. at the Real de Minas Hotel gardens.

• Mercado Cultural, an opportunity to shop and explore diverse offerings unique to San Miguel — local arts and crafts, textiles, jewelry, and delicacies. The Conference’s NGO partners will be there to share their initiatives.

• Free daily happy-hour tastings featuring local vendors.

• A Wellness Area that is free and open to the public, with morning yoga, morning writes with poet Judyth Hill, sound healings, and other wellness experiences.

• Free open mics, giving local and visiting writers a chance to share their voices.

• Free daytime author readings and literary events, featuring distinguished writers from Mexico, Cananda and the USA. These include a special bilingual presentation with Sandra Cisneros, connected to her forthcoming documentary.

• The Big Read, a community-wide book club. The book selection is A Daughter’s Place by keynote speaker Martha Bátiz. Join the book club discussion on the first day of the Conference.

• Conference Bookstore. The public is welcome to browse books by keynote speakers, faculty members, and San Miguel Literary Sala members, as well as books from Conference literary partner Ediciones La Rana. All books and Conference merchandise may be purchased by credit card. Open Wednesday through Saturday during Conference hours.

Throughout the week, there will be additional free events and community programming. Please check the full festival calendar at sanmiguelwritersconference.org

For those who do purchase Conference packages and tickets, these sales support more than 100 internationally recognized writers, authors, teachers, and literary professionals. However, ticket sales only cover about 50% of Conference costs. The remainder comes from philanthropic support, patrons, sponsorships, grants, donations, and the support of volunteers.

Other programs that ticket sales support include an Emerging Writers Program for 20 writers from Guanajuato. In addition, 25 university students will receive scholarships to participate in the conference. Approximately 80 local teenagers will also participate in the Teen Creative Writing Workshop, enabling them to work with established writers and develop their own voices.

The Spanish-language programming has grown dramatically in recent years, as part of a commitment to Spanish-speaking writers and readers. The Conference offers different pricing for Mexican nationals, to make participation more accessible.

Catherine Marenghi is the author of five books and an active member of the San Miguel literary community.