– The publication is the result of a participative solidarity initiative through the 1st Literary Competition of Micro-stories ‘A de Alzheimer’s’, for which more than 200 texts have been submitted.

– The book  has been published thanks to the collaboration of NPQ Editores, the Editorial Sargantana Group, and the profits from its sale will be used in its entirety to cover the lines of work and projects of AFAV with people  with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

– The  campaign ‘Un Pósit Por El Alzhéimer 2024’ (A Posit for Alzheimer’s 2024) will come to a close on  Friday 27 September, with the solidarity concert by the choir Les Veus de la Memòria and the group  Los de Marras, at 7:30 p.m., at the Palau de la Música de València.

The Association of Relatives of Alzheimer’s Disease in Valencia (AFAV) has presented ‘A de Alzheimer’, a book of micro-stories with which it wishes to give  visibility and normality to the situations faced by people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, their families and those who care for them. The most moving moment of the book presentation event, held at the Casino de Agricultura de València, was the reading of twelve texts by the authors.

The three best rated micro-stories, and awarded in this first edition of the  ‘A de Alzhéimer’ contest, are ‘Te amo de memoria’, written by  Francisco Javier Fernández Pérez, ‘Almas gemelas’, by Francisco Javier Parras Álvarez and ‘Si no vuelvo’, by Alicia Sarrión Mocholí. In addition, diplomas were also awarded to nine other finalist stories.

The publication, published thanks to the collaboration of NPQ Editores, of the Grupo Editorial Sargantana, brings together the one hundred best entries in the  Literary Competition of Micro-stories ‘A for Alzheimer’s’, selected from among the more than 200 submitted by a jury made up of renowned and prestigious professionals with literary experience. These are stories of life, reflections and teachings that bring us closer to a different and complex reality, through respect, love, nostalgia and also humour. A co-created work whose profits will be entirely allocated to support the work of AFAV.

At the selection of the micro-stories that make up this book, the jury has taken into account criteria such as originality, argumentative and narrative coherence and the narrative coherence and their contribution to raising awareness of the disease, raising awareness of Alzheimer’s and dementias. With between 100 and 200 words, these are unpublished stories, in both Spanish and Valencian.

The book can be purchased at the two therapeutic centres of AFAV (in València and Moncada) as well as on the website and the online shop at Amazon of Editorial Sargantana. This is a participatory solidarity initiative.

” Art and culture are pillars of the therapeutic work that is carried out via AFAV’s therapeutic work with people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, as well as different  awareness and sensitisation actions. Through creativity, multiple possibilities open up for transmitting, connecting and, above all, communicating, give visibility to people with dementia. “, explained Ana María Ruiz, president of AFAV, during the book presentation event, held at the Casino de Agricultura in València. It was led by Raúl García, physiotherapist of AFAV and who has been the coordinator of the ‘A for Alzheimer’s’ micro-story project.

Iván Álvarez de Toledo, vice-president of the Casino de Agricultura, has expressed the institution’s commitment to important social causes, in particular, he highlighted the solidarity vocation of the entire  Board of Directors towards raising awareness of illnesses such as  dementia and Alzheimer’s, which significantly affect our society, without forgetting the constant support for any initiative that promotes awareness of  prevention and health awareness too. In this context, Álvarez de Toledo specifically acknowledged the work of AFAV (Alzheimer’s Family Association of Valencia) in promoting these causes:

“Sargantana has been collaborating with AFAV for years, with different initiatives, and when we were approached with this initiative, we didn’t hesitate to join in. It has been a very beautiful and emotional project, which we hope will have a very positive impact for people with Alzheimer’s and their families and that it will contribute to the objective of raising awareness, bringing the reality of Alzheimer’s to society through literature,” said Rubén Soriano, publisher of the Rubén Soriano, editor of Grupo Editorial Sargantana.

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’