Author L.L. McKinney (A Dream So Dark) and book publicist Saraciea Fennell are launching the Juneteenth Book Fest, which aims to “celebrate Black American stories, from the Black writers who create them to the Black publishing pros who market them.”
The virtual festival will take place on Friday, June 19, or Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates the emancipation of Black slaves in Texas in 1865.
More than 30 authors and publishing professionals will take place in the event, the organizers said in a news release, including Angie Thomas (On the Come Up), Bethany C. Morrow (A Song Below Water), Mikki Kendall (Hood Feminism), and Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles).
McKinney said that she’d like future iterations of the event to be in-person gatherings.
“Things are hard right now, and my goal is that we take a moment to celebrate us during all of this,” McKinney said. “Eventually, I’m hoping that this will be an in-person festival that happens every year.”
“I am so thrilled to partner with [McKinney] on this wonderful festival that centers Black voices,” Fennell said.
The festival is free, but the organizers are asking those interested in watching it to RSVP.
On Twitter, McKinney praised Fennell, who founded The Bronx is Reading—Bronx Book Festival, for her work in organizing the festival.
“Y'all, @Sj_Fennella real one,” she wrote. “Like, I could not have pulled this off without her help.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
