The beauty of our present moment where more of our lives are convening on screens is that you can catch more author events and panels than ever before. On Juneteenth this year an incredible array of Black authors for readers of all ages met as a part of the Juneteenth Book Fest to discuss their writing, publishing, readers, the state of the world, and how important it is to celebrate and uplift Black voices in books.
The Juneteenth Book Fest offered a full day of panels featuring Black authors and their stories. You can find the full series here, but here are some highlights:
The “Capturing the Moment: What it Means to Write Black Stories Right Now” panel features authors Tiffany D. Jackson, Angie Thomas, Bethany C. Morrow, and L.L. McKinney, moderated by Julian Winters, “discuss what it means to write Black stories in this moment, during this movement, for change.”
The “Black Love: Writing Black Romance” panel with Alyssa Cole, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Beverly Jenkins, and Farrah Rochon is a delight! They share insights on traditional publishing versus self-publishing, the challenges Black romance writers face, and the joys of writing Black love stories. Oh, and Beverly Jenkins starts smoking and singing the praises of speculative fiction towards the end!
The “Light It Up! FIYAH Magazine and Black Short Stories” panel featured DaVaun Sanders, Eboni Dunbar, Brent Lambert, Danny Lore, and L. D. (LeKesha) Lewis discussing Black speculative fiction. Their discussion about the present moment and how to practice self-care, the rich possibilities of speculative fiction, and tips for writers navigating writing and publishing.
The “Queer On and Off the Page” panel featured YA authors Julian Winters, Claire Kann, Roya Marsh, Candice Iloh, and Ashley Woodfolk, moderated by Leah Johnson, talk about queerness, bi-erasure, Blackness, and writing the characters they wish they could have found in their youth.
I could list each and every Juneteenth Book Fest panel here, but I encourage you to go explore, listen, absorb, and support Black authors!
~posted by Misha S.
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