African American Authors and the Black Diaspora to Make
Huge Presence at Miami Dade College’s 28th Miami Book Fair International
Award-winning artist
and activist Harry Belafonte will present and discuss his memoir My
Song at the 28th
Miami Book Fair International.
Miami, November 2, 2011 - The 28th edition of the Miami Book
Fair International(MBFI), presented
by Miami Dade College’s (MDC) The Center @ MDC, will kick-off on Sunday, Nov. 13 with live presentations by several of
the country’s most celebrated contemporary authors in the black diaspora.
A few of the authors, though not of African descent, have
written about the black experience in their work, such as Alan Cheuse and Peter
Godwin. Others, including award-winning artist and activist Harry Belafonte, as well as noted
hip hop historian Nelson
George, are
African American and have maintained a loyal fan base for many years. During
the Fair, the authors will participate in book signings, readings, and
one-on-one discussions.
Here’s a list of this year’s featured authors of African
American descent, as well as those whose work highlight black culture and
interests:
Harry Belafonte: One of several authors taking part in the Fair’s popular Evening With series,
Belafonte will present and discuss his memoir My Song (Knopf,
$30.50) at 6
pm.Tuesday, Nov. 15. In the book, Belafonte shares his
poverty-ridden childhood, his rise to one of the world’s most popular singers,
how he broke racial barriers, achieved equal popularity with white and black
audiences, his lifelong involvement in the civil rights movement and countless
other political and social causes.
Alan Cheuse: Novelist, essayist, and short-story writer, Cheuse has been
described as “The Voice of Books on NPR." His latest novel, Song of Slavesin the Desert (Sourcebooks Landmark, $25.99), is the
story of one man’s struggle with the legacy of slavery and the loyalty of
family. Beginning in Timbuktu in the 1500s, Cheuse traces the history of
slavery to the American Civil War, and evokes life on a Jewish plantation in
the 1800s.
Nelson George: His noir novel, The Plot Against Hip Hop (Akashic, $15.95), is set in the world
of hip hop culture. When the stabbing murder of an esteemed music critic is
dismissed by the NYPD as a gang initiation, bodyguard/security expert D Hunter
suspects there's much more to his death. George is the author of Hip Hop
America and The Death of Rhythm & Blues.
Peter Godwin: In The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe (Little, Brown, $26.99), Godwin
explores Robert Mugabe's isolated Zimbabwe. Returning to his native Zimbabwe in
2008, Godwin hoped to dance on Mugabe's political grave. But though Mugabe had
been voted out as president, he did not concede power, instead sponsoring a
brutal campaign of violence to crush his political opponents and suppress
dissent. "Godwin's skills as a journalist and his personal
connection to Zimbabwe combine to create an astonishing piece of
reportage," says Publishers Weekly. Godwin worked as a foreign correspondent
in Africa and Eastern Europe for The Sunday Times of London, and contributes regularly to National
Geographic, New York Times magazine,
and BBC Radio.
Helon Habila: Representing Nigeria, Habila's novel, Oil On Water (Norton,
14.95), is told
through the eyes of a 25-year-old rookie reporter, who takes readers deep into
the Niger Delta and into the furnace of a brutal war raging between government
forces and indigenous rebels. Fiction blends with the real-life tragedy of one
of the world's most overlooked environmental and humanitarian catastrophes.
Habila is the author of Waiting for an Angel and Measuring Time.
Jessica B. Harris: In High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to
America (Bloomsbury,
$26), acclaimed cookbook author, Harris, tells the story of the African
diaspora through food, from the foodstuff brought along with African slaves to
barely maintain them on the Middle Passage to the undeniable imprint of African
American cuisine on southern American and Caribbean food. "Plenty to savor
in Jessica B. Harris’s latest book," says Saveur
Magazine. Harris is the author or more than 20 cookbooks on
Southern, African, South American, and Caribbean cuisine.
Marlon James: In the novel, The Book of Night Women (Riverhead, $26.95), James explores
the ferociously cruel and dehumanizing practice of slavery in Jamaica. The book
is narrated in a lilting Jamaican patois that at once underscores and eerily
conflicts with the disturbing images of violence and degradation that James conjures.
"Night Women will keep readers up at night,"
says Bookmarks magazine.
Mat Johnson: In his novel, Pym (Random
House, $24.00), a professor of African American studies devises a mission to
find the lost, black-inhabited island near Antarctica described in Poe's only
novel. They discover that something else described in Poe's narrative is also
real: giant, yeti-like, albino humanoids living in large colonies below the ice
in Antarctica. "Funny, insightful...Pym is a death-defying adventure,” saysBooklist. Johnson is the author of the novels Drop and
Hunting in Harlem, the nonfiction novella, The Great
Negro Plot, and the graphic novels,Incognegro and Dark Rain.
Tayari Jones: Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, Jones'
novel, Silver Sparrow (Algonquin, $19.95), explores family
secrets and lies, revolving around James Witherspoon’s two families – the
public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet
and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a
relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions
shattered. “A graceful and shining work about finding the truth,” says Kirkus.
Kadir Nelson: A presentation and discussion with award-winning
author/illustrator Nelson on We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (Hyperion Books for Children, $18.99),
followed by a tour of an exhibit of Nelson’s paintings, will be held at 6:30 p.m.Monday, Nov. 14, at
MDC’s Wolfson Campus, Auditorium, Building 1. Accompanied by Nelson's vibrant
illustrations in a narrative tribute to the spirit of the Negro Leaguers, We Are
The Ship is divided
into nine innings, beginning with Rube Foster and his formation of the first
Negro League in 1920 and closing with Jackie Robinson breaking the color
barrier into white major league baseball. Nelson is the also the author of Heart and
Soul: The Story of America and African Americans.
Elizabeth Nunez: Nunez's novel, Boundaries (Akashic, $22.95), is the story of
Anna, the head of a specialized imprint at a major publishing house, who is
challenged for her position by an ambitious upstart. Accused of not
understanding American culture, particularly African American culture, Anna
turns for advice to her boyfriend, a Caribbean American, who attempts to
convince her that immigrants must accept limitations on their freedom in
America. Nunez is the award-winning author of seven novels, including Anna
In-Between, a New York TimesEditors’ Choice.
Nell Irvin Painter: In The History of White People (Norton, $17.95), eminent historian
Painter guides us through more than two thousand years of Western civilization,
illuminating not only the invention of race but also the frequent praise of
“whiteness” for economic, scientific, and political ends. Painter is the author
of Sojourner
Truth: A Life, A Symbol and
several other scholarly works on the history of slavery and race relations in
America.
Randall Robinson: Makeda (Akashic, $15.95), a novel by Randall Robinson, takes place in 50s
Richmond, Virginia. Makeda, a woman blind since birth, begins to confide in her
grandson, Gray, the things she "sees" and remembers from her dream
state. Gradually, Gray begins to make a connection between his
grandmother's dreams and the epic life of an African queen described in the
Bible. "Hypnotic," says Essencemagazine. Robinson is an author and activist,
noted as the founder of TransAfrica, an advocacy organization that seeks to
influence the foreign policy of the United States concerning African countries
and the African diaspora.
Randall Kennedy:The Persistence of the Color Line:
Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency (Pantheon, $26.95), by Randall Kennedy is the first book by a
major African-American public intellectual on racial politics and the Obama
presidency. “A carefully calculated, sober discussion of why race will continue
to haunt American politics,” says Kirkus Reviews. Kennedy is the Michael R. Klein
Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He attended Oxford University as a
Rhodes Scholar, and is a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood
Marshall. He is the author of four other books, including Race,
Crime, and the Law.
Martha Southgate: Southgate’s new novel, The Taste of Salt (Algonquin, $13.95), captures the
struggles of living with alcoholic family members. The Henderson family repeats
a cycle of excessive drinking that is devastating and, in many ways,
unavoidable. Southgate is also the author of the novels, Third
Girl from the Left and The Fall
of Rome.
Touré: In Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be
Black Now (Free
Press, $25.00), iconic commentator and journalist Touré tackles what it means
to be black in America today. "Perceptively analyze[s] a new
sensibility in black art and culture to illustrate the complex and fluid racial
identification Touré dubs 'post-blackness,'" says the San
Francisco Chronicle. Touré is a novelist, essayist, music
journalist, cultural critic, and television personality. He is the host of
Fuse's Hiphop Shop and On The Record. He is also a contributor to MSNBC's The Dylan
Ratigan Show and serves
on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.
Deborah Willis:Posing Beauty: African American Images
from the 1890s to Present (Norton, $35) draws on Willis's 10
years of research and photos from archives, galleries, photographers, friends,
and family. The photographs, organized thematically, reach back to the 1890s
and forward to the current first family. ". . . this is a dazzling
eye-opener," says Publishers Weekly. Willis, a MacArthur Fellow, is professor
and chair of the department of Photography and Imaging at New York University.
Dr. Paul Farmer: A medical anthropologist and physician, Dr. Farmer has dedicated
his life to treating some of the world’s poorest populations, in the process
helping to raise the standard of health care in underdeveloped areas of the
world. He is a founding director of Partners In Health, an international
charity organization that provides direct health care services and undertakes
research and advocacy activities on behalf of those who are sick and living in
poverty. In Haiti After the Earthquake (Public Affairs, $27.99), Dr. Farmer,
who has worked in Haiti for nearly thirty years, describes the earthquake’s
impact on that country, both as a physician in the days and weeks immediately
after the event, and over the subsequent year, when he and his colleagues
worked along with the UN to try to marshal international support for Haiti’s
recovery efforts. President Bill Clinton says of the book, "Once you’ve
seen Haiti through Paul Farmer’s eyes, you’ll never see Haitians or any of the
world’s poorest people, quite the same way again." Dr. Farmer is the
Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard University and Chair of the
Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Cedella Marley: Written by Bob Marley's oldest child, Cedella, and adapted from
one of Marley’s most beloved songs, the illustrated children's book, One Love (Chronicle
Books, $16.99), brings the joyful spirit and unforgettable lyrics of his music
to life for a new generation. Cedella performs internationally with the
three-time Grammy Award-winning Melody Makers. She is also the author of a
number of books about her father, including 56 Thoughts from 56 Hope Road and Bob Marley: My Son.
Geoffrey Philp: Philp's new children’s book, Marcus and the Amazons: A Story of Resistance (Mabrack Press) combines the values of
Marcus Garvey and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. into the story of a courageous
ant that saves his colony from an evil tyrant. Philp also contributed an
afterword to I'm the One With the Blue Cap On (Rock Press, $15.00) a posthumous
collection of Jeffrey Knapp's poems, edited by John Dufresne, with a Forward by
Michael Hettich. Culled from typed manuscript pages going back to the sixties,
the poems span the length of his career, showing the early influence of the
Beats and his fondness for the visual arts and pop culture. Throughout the
range of his poems, Knapps's voice reveals itself as consistently strong,
energetic and uniquely his own. Philp is an award winning Jamaican poet and
fiction writer.
Colson Whitehead: Whitehead's novel, Zone One (Doubleday, $25.95) is a zombie-horror
story, which also serves as a pop-culture, satirical send-up. Mark Spitz and
his squad of three ‘sweepers’ move through Zone One of lower Manhattan, a
walled-off enclave scheduled for resettlement in the aftermath of a zombie
plague. "A fresh take on survival, grief, 9/11, AIDS . . . and the many
other disasters . . . that keep a stranglehold on our fears,” says Publisher’s
Weekly in its starred
review. Whitehead, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award and Pulitzer Prize,
is the author of the novels Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, and Apex Hides the Hurt.
Isabel Wilkerson: The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story
of America's Great Migration is Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Wilkerson's
study of the "great migration," the exodus of six million black
Southerners out of the terror of Jim Crow to an "uncertain existence"
in the North and Midwest. ". . . magnificent, extensively researched . .
.," says Publisher's Weekly in
its starred review. Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her work as Chicago
Bureau Chief of The New York Times, making her the first black woman in the
history of American journalism to win a Pulitzer Prize and the first
African-American to win for individual reporting in the history of American
journalism.
Important facts about the 28th edition of the Miami Book Fair International:
Unless otherwise noted: All Evening
With presentations
will be held in the Chapman Conference Center (Bldg. 3, second floor) at the
Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Ave. Tickets for each session are $10 and must
be purchased in advance. To
purchase tickets, visitwww.miamibookfair.com.
Kick-off festivities will begin at 5 p.m. with the Miami Book Fair International
Inaugural Ceremony in
the Wolfson Campus Auditorium (Building 1, second floor). Immediately following
the ceremony, the Chinese Pavilion will officially open its doors and host an
opening reception. Both events are free and open to the public.
The Fair will take place November
13 - 20, 2011, at
the college’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. Free parking is available in
the Building 7 garage (500 N.E. Second Ave). The popular Street Fair runs Friday, November 18 through
Sunday, November 20, featuring more than 200 exhibitors from
around the country. This year, the Fair will celebrate the literature and
culture of China.
Plus, Twilight
Tastings every weeknight –
delicious morsels and drinks courtesy of popular Miami restaurants – and a
wealth of activities, from folk dancing to calligraphy demos and more, at the
Chinese Pavilion.
For updates on Miami Book Fair International, please visit
www.miamibookfair.com, call 305-237-3528, or email wbookfair@mdc.edu.
ABOUT MIAMI BOOK FAIR INTERNATIONAL AND
THE CENTER
Miami Book Fair International is the
largest and finest literary gathering in America. It is the premier event of
The Center for Literature and Theatre @ Miami Dade College. The Center promotes
reading and writing throughout the year by consistently presenting quality
literary activities open to all in South Florida. Literacy projects target
children of all ages — from kindergarten to high school — as well as college
students and adults. Additionally, established and emerging writers from all
over the U.S. read, lecture, and teach workshops. The Center is also the home
of the Prometeo Theater, a Spanish-language conservatory style program that
presents full productions and dramatic readings; in addition to offering a
professional training program in theatre arts, continuing education acting
classes for adults as well as Prometeitos, dancing and acting program for
children. The Center envisions South Florida as a nexus of literary activity in
the Americas and beyond, and will continue to champion its mission of promoting
the advancement and appreciation of literature in all forms.
Miami Book Fair International is made
possible through the generous support of the State of Florida, Department of
State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, the National
Endowment for the Arts, and the Recovery Act; Miami-Dade County Department of
Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor
and Board of County Commissioners; The Children’s Trust, Peacock Foundation,
Inc., Publix Super Markets Charities, Miami Dade County Public Schools; the
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Miami Downtown Development
Authority, the Green Family Foundation, the Alvah H. and Wyline P. Chapman
Family Foundation, Inc., the Kenneth A. Lattman Foundation, and the Friends of
the Fair.
The Book Fair’s corporate sponsors as
of this date include: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, American Airlines,
Bank of America, Miami Parking Authority, Miami Dade Transit, Mystery Writers
of America, Southeastern Recycling, Cafeina Wynwood Lounge, City Hall the
Restaurant, Graspa Group, Hyatt Regency Miami, Barefoot Wine, Florida Power
& Light, First and First Southern Baking Company, Scholastic Books, South
Motors, Jackson Health System, Kork Wine & Cheese, Tri-Rail, Costco
Wholesale, and the Doral Chamber of Commerce. The 2011 media sponsors
include: The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, Comcast, CBS4 and TV33,
Univision23 and Telefutura69, BookTV on C-SPAN2, Univision Radio, WLRN Public
Radio & Television, WPBT Channel 2, WDNA 88.9 FM Public Radio, Classical
South Florida 89.7, WIOD Newsradio 610 AM, WEDR 99JAMZ, Diario Las Americas,
Caribbean Today, Miami New Times, South Florida Times, The Miami Times,
Bookreporter.com, FUEL Outdoors, and the Welcome Channel.
ABOUT MIAMI DADE COLLEGE
Miami Dade College has a long and rich
history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a
vast array of artistic and literary offerings including the Miami Book Fair
International, the Center @ MDC, the Miami International Film Festival, the MDC
Live! Performing Arts Series, the Cuban Cinema Series, the Miami Leadership
Roundtable speakers’ series, numerous renowned campus art galleries and
theaters, and the nationally recognized School of Entertainment and Design
Technology. With an enrollment of more than 174,000 students, MDC is the
largest institution of higher education in the country and is a national model
for many of its programs. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers
offer more than 300 distinct degree programs including baccalaureate, associate
in arts and science degrees and numerous career training certificates leading
to in-demand jobs. MDC has served nearly 2,000,000 students since it opened its
doors in 1960.
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