The event I attended
this last weekend - The Black Authors & Writers Rock Weekend - was one of those reader-oriented parties I try to be part of
every year. The concept is as simple as it is beautiful: bring a number of book
club members together with several authors so that they can get to know one
another. Sharon Lucas, the lady brave and ambitious enough to execute that
concept has wisely broken it into two parts. On Friday evening she offers a
cash bar and hor d’oeuvres to the roomful of avid readers and has the authors
present in a fairly formal way. This year I was lucky enough to be on a panel, “Men
of Literature” with five other successful writers who are book club
favorites: Dwayne Alexander Smith, EarlSewell, Brian W. Smith, RM Johnson, and Curtis Bunn. Their work deserves your
attention.
Then Saturday 40 or so
authors gathered for an all-day book fair, during which attendees enjoyed
panels in other rooms. With lunch we got a nice keynote address from Dwayne
Alexander Smith, author of 40 ACRES. It turned out to be a great place to
introduce my newest novel, and I signed quite a few for the roomful of
appreciative avid readers.
Everything I’ve said
above would be great for any kind of reader oriented literary con. But why do
we need a BLACK authors and readers weekend? When you pick up a mystery or
romance novel do you really care what the author looks like? Well, we can
debate whether or not anyone should, but the truth is, some people do. Some
readers prefer to read books by people who are part of their own culture. This event
had attendees from at least eight book clubs, all of whom were African American
women. The clubs were as much social groups as literary groups and much of
their reading is about Black culture in the 21st century.
It is also true that
some authors don’t want to speak to a general audience. Personally, I think
this is a mistake that limits an author’s progress, but some of the writers at
this event have proven that targeting an audience and giving them what they
want is one path to a certain level of success.
Another truth: books aimed at the African American reader rarely get the display space and
attention in bookstores that others get. Worse yet, all such books are often
lumped together and displayed with “street lit.” Trust me, none of the authors
at last weekend’s event were writing about thugs, drug dealers or hookers.
So to an extent it is a
vicious circle. Authors who don’t expect fair treatment in bookstores rely on
these book clubs to get the word out about their work, and the word-of-mouth
support of these book clubs really can make an author a success.
So I will continue to
attend Bouchercon and Thrillerfest, but I will also make sure I get to the
Black Authors and Readers Rock weekend. Because it lets me reach an important
audience who are not represented at the mainstream Cons.
