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THE HARLEM BOOK FAIR EVENT SCHEDULE
THE HBF MAIN STAGE
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Hosted by Bob McNeil
10:00 AM Intro: HBF Host Bob McNeil
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10:30 AM Kerry Lee Bowser - Bus 3609: Driving Bad/Living Worse - Life Rhythm Poetry
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10:45 AM Zenobia Lundy - Reflections of Us
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11:00 AM Joe Mack - Reflections of the Winbrook Years, 1960-1975
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11:15 AM Ngozi Zoe Adebiyi - Growing The Book!
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11:30 AM Omali Yeshitela - The Verdict Is In: Reparations Now!
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11:45 AM AFRO/NEXT - WE SPEAK OUR FUTURE
It’s our next iteration of Cool. Join author Clarence Haynes (Nubia: The Awakening), for a dramatic reading of an envisioned AfroFuture. We are Afro/NEXT.
12:15 PM Ajuan Mance - Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance
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12:30 PM AND THE WINNERS ARE..! Hosted by Alice James (Black Authors Hall of Fame)
and Richard E. Ashby (Literacy Nation)
The inaugural Black Authors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, the Young Writers Contest Winners Announcements, and the 2023 Phillis Wheatley Awards in Fiction and Nonfiction.
Join us for the Young Writers Contest winners, the Black Authors Hall of Fame inaugural Induction ceremony memorializing contemporary writers, followed by the 2023 Phillis Wheatley Awards in Fiction and Nonfiction.
2:00 PM David Lee Morgan, Jr. - Breaking Through The Line: David Lee Morgan
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2:15 PM Carla M. Cherry - Gnat Feathers and Butterfly Wings
2:30 PM Jamaican Writers in the African Diaspora
A conversation with four Jamaican writers, telling Jamaican/Caribbean stories with authors Andrene Bonner (A Long Walk To Cherry Gardens), Lynda Edwards (Redemption Songs), Dawn Forester Price (Run to Freedom: Hinterland), and Dr. Julius Garvey (The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey).
3:00 PM Andrew Frazier - Running Your Small Business as A Pro
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3:15 PM Audrey Edwards - American Runaway: Black And Free In Paris In The Trump Years
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3:30 PM Carmen Fields - Going Back To T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band
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4:00 PM Jamal Abraham - 21st Century Vision For Black America; From America To A New Africa
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4:15 PM HBF BOOK LAUNCH!
Free Speech Ain't Free: Comedians on the Front Line of Free Speech, Controversy, and Cancel Culture
Comedy dominates pop culture, but you probably didn't know that comedians get dragged to court aplenty, with lawsuits for what they say or even do. Join journalist and comedian Robert A. George for the launch of Carl Unegbu’s Comedy Goes to Court: When People Stop Laughing and Start Fighting for the lowdown on Free Speech, Political Correctness, and Joke Theft; to managing the ups and downs of fame and fortune, and to being in a romantic relationship with comedians or being their family member.
WHAT COLORS YOUR BLACK?: How Reading Shapes Our World
Time: 11:30 AM
Moderator: Queen Taese, Founder Liberated Minds (U.S.)
Participants: Itah Sadu (A Different Booklist; Toronto, CN); Lynda Edwards (Redemption Songs; Jamaica, WI); Dora Owusu (The Majestic African Hair Show; Ghana); Mélissa Francisco (Learning About My Heritage: 4 Awesome African Figures, France)
Join a lively and informative conversation on what ideas, images, and perceptions of Blackness are projected throughout the African Diaspora.
4:30 PM
5:00 PM
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5:30 PM
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6:00 PM THE GATHERING: HBF CLOSING CEREMONY @ THE HBF MAINSTAGE
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BOOKS ARE POP CULTURE
Hosted by Reggie Bailey - Co-Host, Books Are Pop Culture
12:00 PM Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - Chain Gang AII Stars
12:30 PM Clarence A. Haynes - Nubia: The Reckoning (The Nubia Series)
Reggie Bailey and Akili Nzuri are Books Are Pop Culture. They host a YouTube show that covers the latest and the greatest in Book News, as well as conduct interviews that ask demanding questions of the authors who create pop culture. Join Reggie Bailey for this frank and (maybe too?) honest discussion with fiction and nonfiction writers.
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MEN DON'T TALK; ARE WOMEN LISTENING?: A DISCUSSION
Panelists: Carolyn Wilson, Dr. Fatima Abdul Johnson, and Jay Williford
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Featuring the men and women of Carolyn Wilson's anthologies H.I.M Story, H.E.R.Story, and H.E.R.Story Too, "Men Don't Talk" is a conversation about lessons learned through healing, balance, and an understanding of one another through our stories.
CONVERSATIONS, READINGS, AND SIGNINGS
Host: Juliette Jones
Join our author conversation and reading series on the HBF Booklover’s Stage. Enjoy our gathering of notable and award-winning authors as they share their stories, their inspirations for writing, and future work, followed by a book signing at the Sisters Uptown Bookstore tent. Open to All.
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1:30 PM Elizabeth Nunez – Now Lila Knows
Nikki Grimes – A Walk in The Woods; Black Authors Hall of Fame Awardee;
joined by Brian Pinckney, Illustrator
Afaa Michael Weaver – Black Authors Hall of Fame Awardee
Edgar Ridley – Black Authors Hall of Fame Awardee
Kia Corthron – Moon and the Mars
Walter Mosley – Black Authors Hall of Fame Awardee
3:30PM Eriq LaSalle: Meet the Martyr Maker - A Conversation and Book signing
HOST: New York Times Notable Author Elizabeth Nunez (Now Lila Knows)
Join Eriq LaSalle, highly acclaimed Actor, Author, and Producer, in a conversation with New York Times Notable author Elizabeth Nunez (Now Lila Knows) in a revealing conversation about managing the creative process. Followed by a book signing at Sisters Uptown Bookstore Tent. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
4:00 PM
5:00 PM HOW TO TURN A LITTLE BOOK INTO A BIG BOOK: Meet the Black Books Collaborative
Panelists: Max Rodriguez, Founder - Harlem Book Fair; Alice James, Executive Director - Black Authors Hall of Fame; Richard E. Ashby, Director - LiteracyNation, Inc.; Simone Adjei, co-Founder - iReadify.com.
After 20 years of independent publishing, what is the state of black books? Are our stories still being "gated" by mainstream presses? How does one create a break-out book? It's these panelists' combination of know-how that creates bestseller-level results. Four organizations have joined forces to lead in the development, delivery, and leadership of the Black reader market. Join us, and witness history.
6:00 PM THE GATHERING: HBF CLOSING CEREMONY @ THE HBF MAINSTAGE