Miami for the bookish

MIAMI -- Once a year, this city, more famous as a place to party than as a literary mecca, becomes the destination of choice for the country’s literati. They descend upon Miami and breathe life into its book fair.

Sunday through Nov. 16, the Miami Book Fair International will mark its 25th anniversary. Salman Rushdie, Nathan Englander and Joyce Carol Oates are expected to attend.

James W. Hall, who has put South Florida into his 15 novels, said that after the book fair was created, Miami became a destination for writers.

“It’s a national stage where people meet people that they wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s a very unique platform,” he said.