Publishing Festival in Mexico Fuels Writing, Reading and Mission

October 18, 2026 | Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico | Laura Marrero and IAD News Staff

Writers, students, educators and publishing leaders gathered at Montemorelos University (UM) for Mexico’s first Publishing Festival, a four-day event aimed at strengthening the creation and distribution of Adventist educational, spiritual and health publications.

Held Sept. 30–Oct. 3, the festival was organized by GEMA Editores in partnership with the five Seventh-day Adventist unions in Mexico and Montemorelos University. The program featured training for aspiring authors, book and devotional launches, reading initiatives, activities centered on literature evangelism, and a special tribute to veteran author and pastor Félix Cortés.

For Montemorelos University, the emphasis on literature evangelism is closely connected to student life. During winter and summer breaks, hundreds of students participate in campaigns across Mexico, distributing books and using their earnings to help finance their education.

Tomás Torres, vice president of the Inter-American Division (IAD) and the first president of GEMA Editors during its years as a publishing house, told participants that student literature evangelism made his own university education possible.

“If it had not been for student literature evangelism, I would not be here, because it was the only way I could pay for eight years as a boarding student,” Torres said.

Drawing from his experience, Torres described the journey behind every book, from the author and editorial team to the printer, publishing house and literature evangelist before it finally reaches a reader.

Training Future Writers

The festival opened with a course for aspiring writers at the university’s School of Theology chapel. Sessions offered practical guidance on overcoming the difficulty of beginning a manuscript, developing arguments, conducting research, organizing ideas and strengthening cohesion, coherence and language.

César Sánchez, an editor and author who helped lead the training, emphasized research as essential to providing readers with relevant, accurate and useful information. He also encouraged writers to adapt their language to the audience they hope to reach.

“The line of argument is a key part of a text,” Sánchez said. “It provides the foundation for the reasoning, while evidence offers useful and verifiable information that directly supports the main point.”

Participants also learned from authors connected with the university community, including Guadalupe Suzunaga, educator and coordinator of education programs and author of Voces silenciosas; Javier Girarte, author of books for teachers, devotional materials and children’s publications; and Cortés, a UM graduate whose works have been distributed in Mexico and abroad.

The educators and specialists at Montemorelos University make it an ideal setting for identifying and mentoring prospective authors, said José Antonio Gil, vice president for sales and literature evangelism at GEMA Editores.

“We believe there can be a good seedbed here for potential authors of the books the church needs,” Gil said.

Gil said organizers hope to hold the festival annually at Montemorelos and eventually involve the other Adventist higher education institutions in Mexico.

Encouraging a Culture of Reading

Festival activities extended beyond the university campus to the Soledad Acevedo de los Reyes Institute, where Girarte presented his children’s book “De paseo con las hormigas” (A Walk with the Ants).

The presentation was part of “Bienaventurado el que lee,” (Blessed Is the One Who Reads) an initiative of the Northern Mexican Union designed to encourage reading among students.

The festival introduced new publications and devotionals for 2027 and recognized Montemorelos University employees who support students in literature evangelism.

Honoring a Legacy in Adventist Publishing

The festival paid special tribute to Félix Cortés, a prolific author and 1965 theology graduate of Montemorelos University whose 15 books have reached readers across generations.

Cortés began participating in literature evangelism as a teenager and later served as a pastor, editor, administrator and educator. The recognition focused particularly on “Un sitio en la cumbre” (A Place at the Summit), his book for young people centered on perseverance in the face of adversity.

Isaías Espinoza, Publishing Ministries director of the IAD, reported that the book’s various editions, reprints and translations total approximately 820,000 copies distributed throughout Inter-America, Africa, the Philippines and other territories.

“This is the best-selling book of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division,” Espinoza said. “God bless this legacy that will transcend this generation and the generations to come.”

Cortés was presented with a special recognition from the Inter-American Division for his decades of service as an editor, writer, teacher and pastor and his contribution to Publishing Ministries. GEMA Editores, Mexico’s Adventist unions and Montemorelos University also honored him.

“As a university, we want to say that we thank God, because He is the one who chooses and inspires people to write messages that are so important to us,” said José Luis Olmos, president of Montemorelos University, as he presented Cortés with a gift on behalf of the institution.

The program also introduced “Más allá de la cumbre” (Beyond the Summit), Cortés’ latest work, a collection of reflections on individuals who faced adversity and moved beyond their circumstances.

Publications and Student Literature Evangelism

The festival’s final day included a historical overview of the role of publications in sharing the Christian faith, followed by a forum with Adventist institutional and publishing leaders on the development of GEMA Editores in Mexico, editorial production and the current state of literature evangelism. The discussion also highlighted students from Mexico’s four Adventist universities who distribute publications during school breaks.

“Literature evangelism is a vibrant and growing movement,” said Jorman Méndez, who works in publishing in Mexico City. “Every year, hundreds of students go out during the summer and winter to share the gospel; while financing their university education, they are also developing leadership skills.”

Abdiel Juárez, director of GEMA Editores bookstores, described books as a means of opening doors to relationships with people.

“Students know that books do not have life on their own, but they can become a bridge to reach people and share a message of hope,” Juárez said.

The experiences shared during the forum connected the publishing process discussed earlier in the festival with the students who ultimately carry those publications into communities across Mexico.

Bringing Print and Digital Together

As the festival concluded, GEMA Editores president Ignacio Navarro urged participants to integrate printed publications with the digital tools increasingly shaping how people access information.

“It is not literature versus technology; it is literature plus technology,” Navarro said.

He emphasized that the festival’s impact would depend on what participants put into practice after returning to their churches, classrooms and publishing ministries.

Organizers hope to expand future editions to include all Adventist universities in Mexico and develop the festival at Montemorelos University into a national gathering focused on publishing and literature evangelism.