IULM is for BookCity. The festival of books

Also for the 2025 edition of BookCity Milan, IULM University participates in the schedule and confirms its cultural commitment, opening to the public a series of initiatives ranging from writing to publishing, from visual arts to media, from podcasts to current events.

BookCity represents a fundamental moment for the city of Milan: an opportunity for meeting, reflection and sharing, in which the book becomes a vehicle for culture, relationship and transformation.

Below is the full program of IULM events:

Great Guests

Waiting for BookCity. Life of Forms. Philosophy of reenchantment

nov. 11 - 11 a.m. - Auditorium - IULM 6
Guest: Alessandro Michele
Speakers: Sofia Gnoli, Vincenzo Trione; Moderator: Annamaria Esposito
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Launch event of the initiative IULM is for Bookcity. Dialogue between philosophy, aesthetics and creativity, starting with the volume La vita delle forme. Filosofia del reincanto (Harper Collins, 2025)

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Dialogue with Fernando Aramburu on the short story collection of Ultima notte da poveri  

nov. 13 - 5:30 p.m. - Sala dei 146 - IULM 6
Guest: Fernando Aramburu
Speakers: Bruno Arpaia, Elena Liverani
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Spanish author Fernando Aramburu presents his new collection of short stories, Ultima notte da poveri (Guanda, 2025) in dialogue with Bruno Arpaia.
The meeting will be in Spanish with simultaneous translation.

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From Montaigne to Joyce: echoes and mirrors

nov. 13 - 6:30 p.m. - Sala dei 146 - IULM 6
Guest: Enrico Terrinoni
Speakers: Emilio Mazza, Alberto Mingardi
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A meeting exploring the long tradition of "echoes and mirrors" in literature: from Michel de Montaigne's essays to James Joyce's avant-garde, passing through critical reflections on the contemporary.

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Feminism and resistance in Palestine

nov. 13 - 2 p.m. - Sala dei 146 - IULM 6
Guest: Cecilia Dalla Negra
Speakers: Manuela Borraccino, Enrico Palumbo
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A dialogue on the role of women in the Palestinian resistance. Presentation of Cecilia Dalla Negra's book, Questa terra è donna. Movimenti femminili e femministi palestinesi (Astarte, 2024)

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The metamorphoses of the Leopard

nov. 13 - 4 p.m. - Sala dei 146 - IULM 6
Gianni Canova, Daniela Cardini, Paolo Giovannetti.
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A historical-critical dialogue with Gianni Canova, Daniela Cardini and Paolo Giovannetti to trace the "metamorphoses" of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel Il Gattopardo from text to reception, from transpositions to the present.

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The 3 Ds of Socrates' formula: Doubt, Daimon, Desire (Know thyself and become who you are)

nov. 13 - 8 p.m. - Auditorium - IULM 6
Starring: Cristina Dell'Acqua, Laura Valente
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A theatrical performance by and with Cristina Dell'Acqua and Laura Valente starting with a philosophical reflection on Socratic thought: doubt, daimon and desire as ways to know oneself and transform.

Laboratories, workshops and creative practices

Censorship, self-censorship, political correctness. Rap, trap, horror, comedy trash and other "scandals"

nov. 13 - 9:30 a.m. - Sala dei 146 - IULM 6
Guest: Mastafive
Speakers: Renato Boccali, Paolo Giovannetti, Marta Piazza
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A debate on the boundaries of expressive freedom and contemporary pop culture, between artistic provocations, language and society.

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War and Peace in Aristophanes. Waiting for Lysistrata

nov. 13 - 9:30 a.m. - Room 621 - IULM 6
Guests: Laura Redaelli, Francesca Bortoletti, Maddalena Giovannelli, Marco Martinelli, Martina Treu
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A performance that takes up the dialogue between war and peace through the lens of Aristophanes' classic comedy, updated to contemporary themes and featuring a cast of scholars and directors.

Augmented writing: designing a text with AI

nov. 13 - 10 a.m. - AI Lab - IULM 2
Protagonists: Paola Carbone, Mauro Ferraresi
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An experimental seminar investigating writing augmented by artificial intelligence: how to design a text by integrating digital tools and human reflections.

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Splash! Watercolor and comics workshop

nov. 13 - 10 a.m. - Coworking Room - IULM 1
Guests: Dario Boemia, Alberto Madrigal
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A creative workshop dedicated to mixed techniques between watercolor and comics: an opportunity to stimulate visual imagination and graphic storytelling with manual and digital tools.

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From Paper to Headphones. A podcast workshop

nov. 13 - 5 p.m. - IULM Radio
Guests: Sabrina Tinelli, Tommaso de Lorenzis, Luca Micheli
Speaker: Gaia Varon
The transformation of text into sound narrative: how stories come to life in podcast format. The example of the adaptation of two novels by Gianrico Carofiglio told in the studios and Live on IULM Radio.

IULM Projects

A coffee with

nov. 13 - 9:00 am - IULM Studios - IULM 6
Guests: 30 authors IULM faculty
Thirty short presentations, thirty opportunities for direct and informal discussion with our faculty. Presentation time for each is one coffee.
Live on IULM Play.

Grab a book and go

nov. 13 - from 9 a.m. for the entire day - IULM Atrium 1
Take a book, read it, share it. Books from the scientific production of members of the University's departments and some books as gifts thanks to Libraccio bookshop.

Students write, students publish. IULM, writing and publishing

nov. 13 - 10 a.m. - Room 136 - IULM 1
Guests: Luciana Bianciardi, Beatrice Scapini Borromeo, Daniel Cristian Tega
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A meeting featuring students from the Storytelling Arts and Masterbook masters and the "Young IULM Writers" project, dedicated to new voices and transformations in publishing. Dialogue on what it means to work with words in the age of platforms.

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Between Visual Arts and Media: books by PhDs from the IULM

nov. 13 - 11:45 a.m. - Aula Seminari - IULM 1
Guest: Luca Doninelli
Speakers: Anna Luigia De Simone, Simona Moretti, Vincenzo Trione
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A focus on the publications born from the research of IULM doctoral students, combining contemporary artistic and media languages.

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Some of the meetings are part of the initiative Badge of Honour for all students in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs. Participation in 3 events on the day IULM is for Bookcity - The Festival of Books, among those indicated with the Badge of Honour logo, corresponds to the completion of 1 of the 4 activities (for students enrolled in Master's degree programs) and 1 of the 6 activities (for students enrolled in Bachelor's degree programs) required to earn the Badge of Honour point. To participate, it is necessary to register for the individual forms