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8th Annual Black Book Expo to feature author talks Feb. 27 and 28

2/25/2021, 6 p.m.
Tables full of new books and an opportunity to meet various authors. Those will be among the highlights of the ...
Ms. Bell

Tables full of new books and an opportunity to meet various authors.

Those will be among the highlights of the 8th Annual Black Book Expo this weekend at the Elegba Folklore Society in Downtown and virtually on Facebook Live.

“Everyone is welcome,” said Janine Y. Bell, founder and director of Elegba, which will stage the expo at Elegba’s cultural center, 101 E. Broad St.

It will be held 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, and 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28.

Ms. Bell said, as usual, the center will be packed with books by Black authors on topics ranging from Black history, culture and politics to science, health, cooking, spirituality, personal development and fiction.

She said COVID-19 protocols will be observed in presenting the society’s first in-person event since the pandemic began nearly a year ago, though she noted that people also can tune in through Elegba Folklore Society’s social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram.

This year’s expo already has been underway, Ms. Bell said, through interviews with authors over Facebook Live.

Talks by authors also will be featured on both days. Here is the schedule:

Saturday, Feb. 27: 3:30 p.m. J. A. Rollins, “ii-V-I: A JassOdyssey,” fictional journey through jazz history ; 4 p.m. David Miller, “Chef Toussaint,” children’s book on a 9-year-old becoming a master chef; 4:15 p.m. Hollee Freeman, “Muddy Ballerinas,” story on interracial friendship; 4:30 p.m. Kerwyn Phillip, “Malik’s First Job: Financial Tips for Teens and Young Adults” and 5 p.m. Y.B. Taylor, poetic works.

Sunday, Feb. 28: 3:30 p.m. Melissa Fanning, “Sea Lessons with Daddy,” tribute to a veteran; 4 p.m. Jewel Peterson, “We Will Gaze at the Sun to Find Her: Poems for the Reclamation of the Black Female Body from Fabrication;” 4:15 p.m. Braxton Byerson, “Stay on the Tracks: The Journey of Patience & Perseverance,” personal development; 4:30 p.m. Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher, “I Had No Idea You Were Black: Navigating Race on the Road to Leadership,” an autobiographical commentary on the University of Richmond president’s work to bridge America’s racial and cultural divides.

Details: www.efsinc.org or (804) 644-3900.