Saturday, Nov 11

Midday | Arrive in Havana

3 pm | Check-in at the hotel.

5 pm | DiscussionDiscussion with Rafael M. Hernández, writer, political scientist, researcher, and professor. Rafael is the Chief Editor of Temas, Cuba’s leading magazine in the social sciences. He has been a professor at the University of Havana and has published on Cuban and U.S. policies, inter-American relations, interna-tional security, migration, and Cuban culture.

7 pm | DinnerEnjoy a traditional Cuban meal overlooking the Straits of Florida at the Hotel Nacional. Tasty Cuban food served family style with a great view of the Havana sea wall and the old Spanish fortress.

Saturday, Nov 12

9 am | DiscussionDiscussion with Cuban poet and novelist Wendy Guerra, described as the “diva of contemporary Cuban literature.” Praised by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Wendy is the author of several acclaimed novels, includ-ing Todos Se Van (Everyone Leaves), Posar desnuda en la Habana (Posing Nude in Havana), and Domin-go de Revolución (Revolution Sunday). She has won recognition in international circles, and her works have been translated into thirteen languages. Guerra has been a guest lecturer at Princeton University and Dartmouth College.

11 am | Walking tour of the Old CityWander through the Plaza de Armas, a scenic tree-lined plaza formerly at the center of influence in Cuba. It is surrounded by many of the most historic structures in Havana as well as important monuments. See the Plaza de San Francisco, a cobbled plaza surrounded by buildings dating from the 18th century, dominated by the baroque Iglesia and Convento de San Francisco dating from 1719. Visit the Plaza Vieja, surrounded by sumptuous houses of the Havana aristocracy from the 18th and 19th centuries. Visit Plaza de la Catedral and the Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana.

Tentative program for Cuba November 11-18, 2017

1 pm | Lunch at El FigaroLocated in the Barbers Alley, it offers a “hairless” food (so says its slogan) and cuisine that is stylized and has the seal of the Smith family.

2:30 pm | DiscussionSocio-economic discussion with urban planner Miguel Coyula, whose presentation will touch on housing, infrastructure, investment, and restoration programs. The lecture will help us understand the reasons Ha-vana looks the way it does today and what changes we should anticipate in the future.

4 pm | PerformancePrivate performance and lecture on Cuban Music at Bar Asturias by Musicologist Alberto Faya. Professor Faya has been working as a musician, archivist, and researcher within the Cuban musical world for over thirty years. He will be joined by a quartet of some of the finest young jazz musicians in Cuba who will take us on a lively journey through the country’s musical history.

Evening free

MoNday, Nov 13

9 am | DiscussionMorning discussion on Cuban culture and literature with Susana Haug, professor of Latin American Literature at the University of Havana. Professor Haug is widely known in Cuba for her essays and books of poetry.

10:30 am | Visit to La Finca VigíaFormerly the home of Ernest Hemingway, today it houses his expansive collection of books, furnishings, art, and other memorabilia. It was at La Finca Vigia (The Lookout farm) where he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. The home, built in 1886 by Spanish Architect Miguel Pascual y Baguer, was purchased by Hemingway in 1940, who lived there until 1960, part of the time with Martha Gellhorn, his third wife.

12:30 pm | LunchEl Aljibe, a government-run restaurant famous for its black beans, baked chicken and large family style por-tions.

2:30 pm | Reina y RealVisit with the Reina y Real, a female hip hop/jazz duo. The group’s music and community activism focuses on breaking down gender and racial stereotypes in Cuban society. The duo will open up their modest home, share their music, and discuss the challenges young Cubans currently face.

4 pm | Visit to Casa de las AméricasOriginally a publishing house and information center, Casa de las Américas has developed into one of the best-known and most prestigious cultural institution in Cuba. Founded by Haydée Santamaría, a member of the 26th of July Movement and one of the few women directly involved in the revolutionary brigades, the organi-zation awards the Casa de las Américas Prize, one of the oldest and most prestigious prizes in Latin American literature.

5:30 pm | Discussion Discussion with Marta Nunez, prominent Cuban sociologist and cultural critic, about the Cuban education sys-tem and her recent research on how current economic reforms are affecting women in Cuba. At the hotel

Evening free

tueSday, Nov 14

9 am | Depart for CienfuegosDepart for Cienfuegos, one of the country’s oldest and most beautiful cities, which is located approximately three and a half hours from Havana. Cienfuegos, referred to as the “Pearl of the South,” is one of Cuba’s only cities to display French and Spanish architecture. Housed on one of the country’s largest Bays, the city offers beautiful ocean front landscapes, and is deeply rich in culture.

12:30 pm | Lunch at las MamparasA family run paladar. Quick and simple, the food is extraordinary and the family that runs it even better.

2 pm | Music and Discussion Music and Discussion with the local chapter of UNEAC, the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, a social, cultural and professional organization of writers, musicians, actors, and artists.

3 pm | Tour of CienfuegosTour of Cienfuegos by the City Historian’s Office, including visits to the main square, the beautiful Palacio Del Valle and Punta Gorda.

4:30 pm | Continue to TrinidadContinue to Trinidad, a UNESCO world heritage site, known for its cobble-stone streets, pastel colored homes and colo-nial-era edifices such as the Santísima Trinidad Cathedral and Convento de San Francisco

6 pm | Casas ParticularesCheck-in at bed and breakfasts, known as “casas particulares,” or “private homes.” Since the 1990s Cuban families have been permitted to rent rooms out of their family homes to foreign-ers. Featuring comfortable accommodations and ample priva-cy, the casas provide an excellent way to interact with everyday Cubans.

Evening free

WedNeSday, Nov 15

8:30 am | City Tour City tour with a local architect, historian and restoration spe-cialist, who will provide an overview of the city’s history from an architectural, economic and infrastructural point of view.

10 am | San Isidro de los DestiladerosVisit to the archeological site San Isidro de los Destiladeros, near the city of Trinidad. The site represents a typical sugar plantation, operated with slave labor in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Remnants of this thriving and historically underappreciated industrial heritage survive: an impressive owner’s house, three-story tower, cistern, main sugar factory, ancillary buildings, and dikes. Almost all are in ruins or in imminent danger of collapse. Our guide will discuss the relationship between sugar cane and slavery in Cuba.

Afternoon free to explore Trinidad or the nearby Playa Ancon.

8 pm | Enjoy a home cooked meal prepared by your hosts.

thurSday, Nov 16

Morning free to explore Trinidad or the nearby Playa Ancon.

12 pm | Enjoy a home cooked lunch prepared by your hosts.

1 pm | Check-out of casas and return to Havana.

5:30 pm | Check-in at hotel. TBD

Evening free

Friday, Nov 17

9 am | DiscussionMorning discussion with Cuban poet, critic, novelist, and essayist Nancy Morejón, the most internationally successful and widely translated Cuban woman writer of the post-revolu-

tionary period. The author of many novels and poetry anthologies, Nancy was awarded the Cuban “Premio de la crítica” (Critic’s Prize) and the National Prize for Literature. Her work has been translated into at least ten languages.

11 am | Vistar MagazineMeeting with Vistar Magazine, Cuba’s first independent music magazine, produced in Havana and created by Robin Pedraja in 2014. The magazine features articles on Cuban music and cultural events. The owners will talk about the significant challenges facing the publication and distribution of independent magazines.

Free time and lunch

3 pm | UNEAC Visit to the UNEAC (Cuban Union of Writers and Artists) accompanied by Marcelino Feal, a member of the Union who he has worked as a writer for radio, film, theatre and cabaret for almost 40 years.

6 pm | PerformancePrivate musical performance by renowned singer and songwriter Frank Delgado at Café Madrigal. Café Mad-rigal, owned and run by film director Rafael Rosales, is housed in a beautiful colonial mansion with the walls lined with captivating artwork. Enjoy tasty tapas and cocktails while discussing about the nueva trova move-ment in Cuba.

8 pm | Farewell dinner at Paladar AtelierThis restaurant is equally known for its atmosphere and ex-quisite cuisine. The lighting and textures of the house, which was home to a pre-revolutionary senator, coupled with walls adorned in modern art, create a cozy, but modern setting.

Saturday, Nov 18

TBD | Check-out of hotel, and depart for airport in Havana.