Black Ink Book Festival featuring Terry McMillan

Main Library - One of America’s most beloved and critically-acclaimed authors, Terry McMillan, will be the featured speaker at this year’s Charleston African American Festival. McMillan became the empowering voice of a generation of women with her New York Times #1 bestsellers "Waiting to Exhale" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." 

She will join 60 authors and hundreds of readers for the third annual festival on Saturday, September 8, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Main branch of the Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun St. The event is free and open to the public. Mark your calendars!

Black Ink Book Festival is free and open to the public but registration and tickets are required for the Featured Speaker: Terry McMillan event.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, please click here.

To support this year's festival with a donation, click here. 

The Charleston African American Festival is a yearly festival held in Charleston, South Carolina. The purpose of the festival is to support local black writers, creating a space for them to share their work, discuss their craft, and expose readers of all ages to the great variety of African American authors in the area.

 

Full Black Ink Author Line-Up 

Marcus Amaker, empathy; Mantra; The Spoken Word: Selected Poems, 2003-2013 (poetry)

Pamela Smalls Ball, Preparing Myself For My Future Husband (Christian advice) and Qhronicles of Qool Qhalil: Shamika's Hair (children’s)

Flose Boursiquot, loudmouth, Close Your Eyes, Now Breathe (poetry)

Kimberly Bowman, The Awkward, Hilarious, Painful Guide on Transitioning Into Your 20s and Surviving and How To Be A Dope Entrepreneur (self help)

Alphonso Brown, A Gullah Guide to History: Walking through Black History (history)

Cleo Scott Brown, Witness to the Truth: My Struggle for Human Rights in Louisiana (history), Raceology 101: Essays on Race for Understanding, Introspection and Change (essays)

Troy Brown, Lois and the Red Balloon, Xavier’s Book of Sometimes, Feathers (children’s illustrated)

Catherine Fleming Bruce, The Sustainers: Being, Building and Doing Good through Activism in the Sacred Spaces of Civil Rights, Human Rights and Social Movements (inspirational, history)

Shakeima Chatman, How To Possess the Land (self help)

Courtnay Coan, Hey, Pretty People (poetry)

Tamra Cole, Yea, Though I Walk (fiction)

Jacquelyn H. Colleton-Akins, E-babe the Outer Space Detective, Prediction Stories, My Experiences (children’s and young adults)

Ron Daise, Gullah Branches, West African Roots; Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage: Legacy of Freedmen on St. Helena Island; and many more

Oneshia Diamond-Green, Beauty for Ashes, Red Lights and Blues, and If I Must

Regina Duggins (Gina Mocha), Black Magic (poetry)

Dr. Ruth D. Edwards, Becoming a Black Woman: A Theory of Internalized Collective Consciousness; Step Into Yourself: Spiritual Affirmations for Embracing ChaFnge

Temaka Ford, The Beauty Of A Rebellious Child, Live Over It

Damon Fordham, True Stories of Black South Carolina (history); Voices of Black South Carolina (history); Mr. Potts & Me: The Power of Storytelling (fiction)

Herb Frazier, Behind God’s Back (history); with Bernard Powers and Marjorie Wentworth, We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel (history)

Savannah Frierson, Being Plumville, Go with Your Heart, Manna Tree, and many more (romance)

Carletta Gathers, Soar (poetry)

Tamia Gore-Felton, Bangles and Broken Hearts 1, 2, 3, Kandee's Crush, and The Hottest Summer 1, 2, & 3 (fiction)

Anthony Green, Eve’s Influence, Days at the Arcade playing far from the tree, and Hat Trick (poetry)

Anoshi Hagood (Queen Anoshi), Soul Mates: Meeting of Twin Flames-Romance; Gemini Breed: Vampire Romance. Queen of Spades, King of Heart, Trump Tight (psychological suspense series), Can I keep you in mind (older woman/younger man crime romance), Her Shifters' Future (paranormal shifter romance)

Christine Hampton and Rosalie Washington, The History of Lincolnville, South Carolina (history)

Joyce Hansen, I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly; The Captive; “Bury Me Not in a Land of Slaves: African Americans in the Time of Reconstruction; and many more (YA fiction and nonfiction)

Angel Harriott, Journey to Nubia and Kemet: Exploring African History, Culture and Contributions (children’s)

Charlitta Hatch, Black Boy Joy (children’s)

Ebony Hilton, Ava’s Big Move (children’s)

Agustus Holt (Cannon Street Y All Stars historian) for Margot Raven and Chris Ellison, Let Them Play (children’s)

Jacinta Howard, Blind Expectations, Finding Kennedy, and more (romance)

Hunt La Jill, She blasted into the literary world in 2003 with her debut novel, Drama Queen. Since then she has penned several novels. Her titles include Jaded, Say It Aint So, and the Best Selling title, Grand Opening 2: A Family Business Novel.

First Lady Rev. Andrea Johnson, Daily Professions, Transform Your Life, Vol. 2 (inspirational)

Nadine Johnson, Peace; I Am; I Love; Last Night I Dreamt series, Bing vs. the J-Crew and LOVE (children’s)

Sudie Johnson, Inspiration for Acceleration: A Devotion a Day to Keep the Devil Away

Shiela M. Keaise, Hannah and Dexter: The First Meeting, Hannah and Dexter Go to the White House, Order in the Body (with Magdline Monroe (children’s)

Anthony Kelly (poetry)

Yusef Marshall, The Heart of A Stepfather, Skipping the STEP (relationships, spiritual leadership)

Lillie K. Mazyck, Jessica’s Secret, God Will Take Care of Us!, Granny Was Right, Compassionate Runners (children’s)

Karen Meadows, Pedagogy of Survival: The Narratives of Millicent E. Brown and Josephine Boyd (history)

Nicole Montez, The Corporate Kid: Rainbow After the Storm, Sleepwalkers, Just Passing By

Horace Mungin, Truth and Absurdities: Social and Political Commentary, Poetic Portraits: The African People of San Juan Hill (memoir), … Or Does It Explode (fiction), and many more

Sybil Nelson, Priscilla the Great Presents Twin Shorts (and many other Priscilla the Great titles); Dark Marco, Volumes 1 and 2; Ebonee and Ivory (all children); Pride and Prejudice in Space (science fiction); and many titles under Leslie DuBois

Michael T. Owens, Burned: Conversations with a Black WWII Veteran

Rod Palmer, A Pimp in the Pulpit (Christian fiction), The Work-Husband Caper (Romance), and The Harvest Series (Mystery/Suspense)

Bernard Powers, Black Charlestonians: A Social History, 1822-1885 (history); with Herb Frazier and Marjorie Wentworth, We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel (history)Taneka Reaves and Johnny Caldwell (Cocktail Bandits), Holy Spirits! Charleston Culture through Cocktails

Patrick L. Riley,  “That’s What Friends Are For: On the Women Who Inspired Me,”

Sally Ann Robinson and Jenny Hersch, Daufuskie Island (history)

Mattie P. Sanders, Look Beyond the Smile (memoir, child abuse)

Arlecia Simmons, Diggin’ for Treasure: Jewels of hope when pressure & time collide (advice), Shakin’ Dust

Kimberly Snipe, Casualty Of Spiritual Abuse (Spiritual health)

Larry Spann and Madelyne Spann, May Learns to Pray (children’s)

Stacie Thompson, The Words That Heal: Encouragement for the Soul (spiritual)

Olivia Washington, Jupiter, Astraea: Book II of Jupiter, and Canis:  Book III of Jupiter (science fiction)

Tyeis Washington (Mel Dau), Justice’s Rose, Khiaere & Phy: A Charleston Love Story, Khiaere & Phy 2: A Charleston Love Story

Gaynelle Whittle-Ship, The Spoken Word: A Proven Power for Life in You (self-help)

Edith Martin Williams-Oldham, What Grandma Forgot To Tell You: A Story of Forgotten Treasures in St. George, South Carolina

Synithia Williams, Trust Me With Your Love, Guarding His Heart (romance)

 

Children’s Room

Troy Brown, Lois and the Red Balloon, Xavier’s Book of Sometimes, Feathers (children’s illustrated)

Angel Harriott, Journey to Nubia and Kemet: Exploring African History, Culture and Contributions (children’s)

Charlitta Hatch, Black Boy Joy (children’s)

Ebony Hilton, Ava’s Big Move (children’s)

Agustus Holt (Cannon Street Y All Stars historian) for Margot Raven and Chris Ellison, Let Them Play (children’s)

Nadine Johnson, Peace; I Am; I Love; Last Night I Dreamt series, Bing vs. the J-Crew and LOVE (children’s)

Shiela M. Keaise, Hannah and Dexter: The First Meeting, Hannah and Dexter Go to the White House, Order in the Body (with Magdline Monroe (children’s)

Lillie K. Mazyck, Jessica’s Secret, God Will Take Care of Us!, Granny Was Right, Compassionate Runners (children’s)

Larry Spann and Madelyne Spann, May Learns to Pray (children’s)

Savannah Mitchell, Be Yourself, Be Unique

 

This is event is brought to you by the Charleston Friends of the Library and their partners and sponsors.