Book Festivals, Events, Fair, dedicated to African American literature and Black Literature from around the world, for writers, thinkers and readers
Black Writers On Tour – Los Angeles, California- Website: Black Writers On Tour
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2020
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Purpose: To promote literacy awareness, to give exposure to African-American authors, writers, and to motivate, and develop aspiring new writers and authors. To showcase Black Businesses, provide exposure and to increase their sales.Top
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books – Los Angeles, California- Website: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Dates: Saturday, April 18, 2020 to Sunday, April 19, 2020
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has evolved to include live bands, poetry readings, chef demos, cultural entertainment and artists creating their work on-site. There’s also a photography exhibit, film screenings followed by Q&A’s and discussion panels on some of today’s hottest topics.Top
Yallwest Santa Monica Book Festival – Santa Monica, California- Website: Yallwest Santa Monica Book Festival
Date: May 2020 – Dates to be Announced
Over 113 authors including New York Times Bestsellers along with local and acclaimed young adult and middle grade writers, plus notable Hollywood directors and creators.2 days of panels, book signings, food trucks, bad jokes, rock ‘n’ roll, killer photo ops & general geeky debaucheryTop
Bay Area Book Festival – Berkeley, California- Website: Bay Area Book Festival
Dates: Saturday, May 2, 2020 to Sunday, May 3, 2020
The Bay Area Book Festival is the primary project of the Foundation for the Future of Literature and Literacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in California. FFLL’s Tax ID number is 47-3955286. Its business address is 1569 Solano Ave. #635, Berkeley, CA 94707.FFLL is governed by a Board of Directors. Members include Cherilyn Parsons (Berkeley, CA), Peter Richardson (San Francisco, CA), Mal Warwick (Berkeley, CA), Brooke Warner (Berkeley, CA), and Igor Zagatsky (Berkeley, CA).Top
Go On Girl! Book Club Author Awards Weekend – Sacramento, California- Website: Go On Girl! Book Club Author Awards Weekend
Dates: Thursday, June 11, 2020 to Sunday, June 14, 2020
The first Author Awards were presented in 1992 as a small event held in Brooklyn, New York to recognize those authors and publishers that made significant contributions in the writing and publication of quality books for and about people of African descent. That year we honored Gloria Naylor for Bailey’s Café and New Authors of the Year Barbara Neely for Blanche on the Lam and Barbara Summers for Nouvelle Soul. We gave a publishing award to Beacon Press for their work in publishing authors of color. We were delighted when they all showed up to accept their awards. That was the beginning of a GOG tradition. The annual Author Awards event has traveled the United States from east to west as well as outside the U.S. to Jamaica, West Indies and Toronto, Canada.Beginning in 1993, the one-night event became a three-day weekend where chapters meet and take care of business issues and celebrate the winning authors. It’s also an opportunity for members to meet and reconnect with their literary sisters from all over the country.Each year winning authors are selected from our reading list based upon votes from each Go On Girl! Book Club chapter for Author of the Year and New Author of the Year. They are then invited to receive their awards in person at the annual Awards Ceremony. GOG members and guests have had the honor of awarding in person to Pearl Cleage, Bebe Moore Campbell, Walter Mosely, Jill Nelson, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Diane McKinney Whetstone, Lawrence Hill, Daniel Black, Isabel Wilkerson to name a few.This flagship event is one of the ways of expressing our deep authentic respect for Black literature and authors, reinvigorating our literary sisterhood, and providing a platform for new literary talent to emerge.
Leimert Park Village Book Fair – Los Angeles, California- Website: Leimert Park Village Book Fair
Date: August 2020 – Dates to be Announced
See Press ReleaseThe Leimert Park Village Book Fair was founded in 2006 by Cynthia E. Exum with the goal of promoting literacy and education in Los Angeles. The Leimert Park Village Book Fair was inspired by a project in February 1999 when Ms. Exum partnered with Our Authors Study Club, Inc. to present a ‘Festival of African American Authors’ at Los Angeles Southwest College. Its success in drawing 10 authors participating for an audience of 40 inspired the idea of creating an annual literary event.Today, the Annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair attracts over 200 authors, poets, spoken word artists, storytellers, performers, and literary/educational exhibitor participants – and boasts an audience of over 5,000. Since its inception the Leimert Park Village Book Fair has grown in popularity and prestige becoming a cultural tradition and premier summer literary event.Top
Fall Into Fiction – Emeryville, California- Website: Fall Into Fiction
Date: September 2020 – Dates to be Announced
UCAAB was created as a way for African-American book clubs in California to network, support, and promote our reading groups, black-owned independent bookstores, and the authors we love to read. Many of us live, work, and meet in the same area; but, rarely do we get a chance to come together as ONE! UCAAB is our way of officially creating and sustaining a cohesive environment that celebrates each member’s (book club or individual) uniqueness, encourages community bonding, embraces fellowship, and supports the literary contributions of authors of African descent.One of the primary goals of UCAAB is to bring book lovers and authors together on the west coast. We accomplish this by hosting our annual Fall into Fiction literary event. This is just one of the ways we get the attention of publishers, so they will begin to include California on all of their authors’ book tours.Top
SCIBA Trade Show – Pomona, California- Website: SCIBA Trade Show
Date: September 2020 – Dates to be Announced
The Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) is a non-profit trade association of independent booksellers, book wholesalers, publishers and other industry professionals located primarily in Southern California and Southern Nevada.Top
Sacramento Black Book Fair – Sacramento, California- Website: Sacramento Black Book Fair
Dates: Friday, September 11, 2020 to Saturday, September 12, 2020
This historic two-day book fair and celebration will include a panel discussion among our featured authors, book signings, talks by each of the featured writers, cultural & food vendors, book discussions with each writer listed in the program, children’s activities, poetry readings, art displays, and much moreTop
The High Desert Book Festival – Hesperia, California- Website: The High Desert Book Festival
Date: October 2020 – Dates to be Announced
Wordsmith Productions, a 501c3 nonprofit, launched The High Desert Book Festival in 2016 as a way to add to the cultural and literary awareness of the Mojave High Desert Community.Top
Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention – Sacramento, California- Website: Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention
Dates: Thursday, October 15, 2020 to Sunday, October 18, 2020
The World Mystery Convention is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author.Bouchercon (2019 is the 50th Year Celebration) is an annual world mystery convention where every year readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction gather for a 4-day weekend of education, entertainment, and fun!It is the world’s premier event bringing together all parts of the mystery and crime fiction community, and is pronounced [bough’•chur•con]. The first Bouchercon took place in 1970 in Santa Monica, California. Recent Bouchercons have been held in many cities across the United States.Top
Rancho Mirage Writers Festival – Rancho Mirage, California- Website: Rancho Mirage Writers Festival
Dates: Friday, January 29, 2021 to Sunday, January 31, 2021
The Rancho Mirage Writers Festival is a world class gathering of writers, thinkers, and people contributing to the intellectual vitality of our time — “Coachella for the brain.”Top
Add this events widget to your website or blog.
Source: AALBC is the oldest, largest, and most popular online bookstore dedicated to African American literature and Black Literature from around the world
