In February, I was invited to the Havana International Book Festival to give a presentation on my book “The Cuba Interviews: Conversations on Foreign Investment and Economic Development.”

The moment was thrilling as it symbolized the book’s debut in Cuba. Additionally, it was also the opportunity to give out copies of the book to those people I had promised.

Each year, the Havana International Book Festival takes place in February at the Fortaleza San Carlos (El Morro Fort) in Havana. This year’s event was held from February 15 to 25. Year after year, the event is attended by international and local publishers, agents, authors and throngs of book-loving Cubans. It is one of the major cultural events that the Cubans attend in great numbers because Cubans love books.

My presentation was on the 16th of February at 4:00 p.m. in the Sala Lezama Lima. The staff of the festival were extremely helpful to me.

I received an invitation to the inauguration event that night as well. There were loads of press people there. The country guest of honor was Brazil. Brazil’s Minister of Culture and the president of the Cuban Institute of Books gave speeches. Brazilian and Cuban musicians performed.

For me, the most exciting moment at the Havana International Book Festival was to see Cuba’s president, Miguel Diaz-Canel. After the ceremonies, he left quickly. Suddenly, I found myself less than two feet from him. It is momentous for me because I’ve been writing about his country for almost a decade now. This is the photo I snapped with no time for focusing or composition. It’s my memory of the Festival. It’s not a great photo because I wasn’t prepared for the president to appear right in front of my eyes. I took the photo while I had the chance.