Brooklyn Book Festival

Photo: me with Beverly George of the Friends of Antigua Public Library at the Brooklyn Book Festival Gala Mingle and Awards Ceremony, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the festival – location Irondale Centre. Special thanks to Antiguan and Barbudan designer Miranda Askie Designs for my jewelry and outfit.

Update! This is from the Brooklyn Book Festival page.

I’m in New Orleans at the moment so hopefully I won’t be online hardly at all (#tearsupthebucketlist)… but just wanted to dip in to share with you some visual highlights from the Brooklyn Book Festival where I was invited to be a panelist

After the panel – me with from left Ian, Matthew and Tanwi. Photo by Beverly George.

alongside Matthew McGevna, author of Little Beasts, Tanwi Nadini Islam, author of Bright Lines, and panel chair Ian Maloney who after individual readings led us through questions about how we write, what inspired these particular works, and the unique challenges of bringing them to fruition in a panel dubbed Confronting Tomorrow. And because you always, always have to be grateful, I have to thank the organizers of the Brooklyn Book Festival for inviting me, Musical Youth publisher CaribbeanReads for making it happen (seriously, Carol Mitchell, you go the extra mile), Beverly George and the Friends of Antigua Public Library (especially Peter) for once again making my time in the Big Apple stress free, my co-panelists for a wonderful shared experience, Caribbean Cultural Theatre for all they do to promote the artistes from the region, everyone who came out, family, friends etc etc (thanks…and apologies because mistakes have and will be made, and I don’t ever intend to be presumptuous with or neglectful of anyone though I don’t doubt that I have much as I don’t mean to) and not just thanks but big big props to talented Antiguan and Barbudan designer Miranda Askie of Miranda Askie Designs for outfitting me (in jewelry and clothing) for the event (#crosspromotiontotheworld) – for more of Miranda’s fashion, check out this write-up by sistren Antiguan-Barbudan blogger/author/designer Tameka. Here are some of the moments captured by FOAPL (Bev and Peter).

So that’s me in the other pic and this is the back of me, in conversation at the Fair’s marketplace with Beverly George of the Friends of Antigua Public Library – who when I asked her to recommend places to stay in Brooklyn came back with we got you, and she/they did. This and most of the pictures posted tonight are by Peter, another member of the FOAPL.

With Bev and E Wayne McDonald of the Caribbean Cultural Theatre (at the CCT tent where Caribbean books were showcased).

The Caribbean Cultural Theatre booth with Carol Mitchell author and publisher via CaribbeanReads Publishing of my book Musical Youth. That’s her daughter on the job with her.

Bev and me dolled up for one of the festival galas. And thanks to Miranda Askie Designs, Antiguan and Barbudan clothing and jewelry designer extraordinaire for my fest ensemble in this and all other pics.

Of course, one of the beautiful things about these events is you never know who you might run in to. Like the lovely and always gracious Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow.