8th Annual Harlem Book Fair
Go to a book fair for a great way to catch up with new books by African-American writers.
The eighth annual Harlem Book Fair took place on Saturday, July 22, on a rather soggy, rainy 135th Street in Harlem. It was hosted by QBR: The Black Book Review. The rain showers, however, didn't dampen the spirit of the event.
The on-going poetry readings, author signings, and the diversity of the exhibitors and publishers proved the exciting vibrancy of today's African-American writing. The publishers ran the full gamut from self-publishers, small publishers to major publishing corporations. All kinds of books were represented-children's, urban, romance, literary, crime, science fiction, nonfiction, audio books, religious, and more.
Lawrence Johnson Sr. published his science fiction novel Escape to Earth with iUniverse.com. Young writer Java Weathersby wrote what she calls her "true story," Crazy Men Can Make You Do Crazy Things, about her college experience. Urban novel, Crime Pays, is produced by Twinz Publishing. Harlem Moon Books published Lyah Beth LeFlore's novel, Last Night a DJ Saved My Life. A novel about an upwardly mobile woman, Chasing the 400, is by Sheilah Vance, an author who heads The Elevator Group.
Walk Worthy Press, a publisher of books for Christian women, presented a line of almost 40 books that fit the contemporary woman's lifestyle. Triple Crown Publications, an Ohio-based company, featured among others Dirty Red, a new novel by Vickie M. Stringer.
Third World Press, a longstanding independent publisher in Chicago, highlighted new books by Gloria Naylor (1996), Haki R. Madhubuti (Yellow Black: A Memoir), and Mari Evans (Clarity As Concept: A Poet's Perspective).
Larger publishers like Hachette, Simon and Schuster, Kimani Press, Dafina Books and HarperCollins were also represented. Just Us Books was among the children's publishers.
Panel discussions were scheduled at indoor venues near the fair. They covered topics from comics, children's books, and Diaspora world writing to urban writing, media, and biographies.
A very important online database-The Oxford African American Studies Center--was introduced. This research project, headed by Henry Louis Gates Jr., is updated three times a year. Subscribers can access thousands of articles and other resources related to African-American studies.
On Friday night, before the book fair, the 2006 Phillis Wheatley Awards were presented at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The winners were Walter Dean Myers, Omar Tyree, Chester Higgins Jr., Victoria Christopher Murray, and Jan Carew.
QBR sponsors other book fairs around the U.S. Check your listings and plan to go when one is in your area.
