Experts (5)

AnneLise Sorensen. Writer and editor. Barcelona, Spain. 1 June 2008.

AnneLise Sorensen has written more than a dozen guidebooks for major U.S. and U.K. publishers and contributed to many magazines and websites, from Wallpaper Magazine to About.com. She graduated from UC Berkeley and worked as a television writer and producer before beginning her travel-writing adventures. The majority of her travel writing is about Spain and some of her books include Barcelona (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide) and contributions to Fodor’s Spain 2006. Her Spanish region of expertise is Cataluña. A journalist researching the Spanish fiesta culture may find her writings about the Fiesta de La Merce most useful. This fiesta in Barcelona is one of the most popular and well attended festivals. The main event is held on the 24^th of September each year and the festival is held in honor of the Patron Saint and Protector, the Virgin de La Merce. The event encompasses a wide range of activities over several days, offering sporting events, sailing regattas, religious celebrations, parades, firework displays and dancing.

Fiona Dunlop. Travel Writer. London, England. FionaDunlop.com & FionaDunlop.co.uk. 1 June 08.

Fiona Dunlop earned a degree from the University of Sussex in Brighton, Unite Kingdom. She has written for numerous international magazines and newspapers, including the Observer, The Times, CNN Traveler, and Homes & Gardens. She also wrote several books particularly about Spain, including Spain Chic, New Tapas, and National Geographic Traveller–Spain. Her books, in particular, would be extremely useful tools for any journalist researching the topic of the Spanish fiesta, because that aspect of the culture can be found in all of her books. Her first-hand experiences make the topic very easy to understand for someone who may have never experienced a Spanish fiesta.

Harry E. Babbitt. Professor, Creator of Babbitt Instructional Resources. 10650 Culebra Rd. #104, PMB 476, San Antonio, Texas 78251-4950. 28 May 2008.

Dr. Harry E. Babbitt earned a Master’s and a PhD from the Universidad Nacional de Mexico (UNAM). He taught AP Spanish in Chicago then later at the University of TexasSan Antonio. Babbitt has traveled to every country in Latin America except one. He first went to Spain in 1960 and has made more than 50 trips since then. He started making films in 1965 after deciding that there was a lack of good visual information that is so pertinent to teaching the linguistic and cultural aspects of another country. He created Babbitt Instructional Resources which specializes in filmmaking for foreign language instruction. He is very qualified in the area of this topic, and would be of great use to any journalist doing research.

Kiki Navarro García. C/ Bailén, 20 - 1º, Alicante, Spain, 03001. rrppgestora@yahoo.es. 28 May 2008.

Kiki Navarro García is the Director of Public Relations and Promotion for the major festival in Alicante, Spain called Las Hogueras de San Juan. He has been in charge of public relations and promotion for the event since 2004. He would be a great source for anyone interested in this topic, particularly for journalists interested in understanding the logistics that go into planning such enormous events. He is an expert in the process of planning, implementing and controlling the event. Navarro García would be able to walk one through a step-by-step process that explains what exactly needs to happen for a Spanish fiesta to take place.

Moncayo-Andrade, Abelardo. Professor at Ohio University. Gordy Hall, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701. 740-593-2765. 14 May 2008.

Abelardo Moncayo-Andrade is a professor at Ohio University who specializes in teaching courses about the Golden Age of Spanish Literature and Spanish & Spanish-American Civilization and Culture. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and although he is not a native of Spain, he spent a year in Galicia, Spain as a university professor. In addition to a year in Spain, he has made numerous trips all around Spain, and has become an expert on Spanish culture. Because he is a native of Ecuador, his language skills allowed him to fully immerse himself in the Spanish culture during his time spent there, which adds to his expertise on the topic. He is a person very willing to share knowledge, which makes him an extremely valuable source for anyone researching this topic.