Minnesota Black Authors Expo
Jasmine Boudah approached me about the idea of hosting a Black Author's Expo in North Minneapolis. We both have a strong passion to ensure north Minneapolis residents have the same opportunities to purchase Black literature and to sell it, as other communities. We recognized that other expos don't cater to Black literature and we realized how important and how very necessary it was for us to create our own spaces. Within 30 days we had chosen a date (November 18, 2017) and secured a venue and began advertising. This event will give Black authors an opportunity to sell their books, promote literacy, display their talents, network, and meet other authors. To date, we have secured 26 authors with hopes of having at least 40 authors featured at this event. Author booth rentals have garnered a total of $1975 in funding to offset costs of the event. So far over 205 community members have confirmed attendance.
Community members will have a chance to meet, greet, buy books and get them signed from a diverse group of Black authors in the Twin Cities. There will be a wide selection to choose from. Non Fiction, Self Help, Urban Fiction, Christian Fiction, Empowerment, Hip Hop Love Stories, Coming of Age, and Children Books. We will have performances, live readings, and great panel discussions with the authors themselves. This event is free and open to the public.
Insight news is providing advertising pro bono, we have several volunteers who have confirmed attendance, and we look forward to being able to fund this event on a larger scale next year. This year we need help.