Some friends and I had the opportunity to meet Heidi Durrow and Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant when they visited Denver last week. Unfortunately, I spent a quick minute with Heidi before I had to dash to my own book club event and didn't get pictures! But I did get pictures of Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant's visit.
Not many authors get tours from their publishers these days and fewer still can afford to send themselves around the country. So when they do show up at a book store in your city, please collect a friend or two and go out and support them. For writers, attending signings is a great opportunity to ask questions about craft and the biz.
Besides asking at your bookstore, looking in the paper and checking the website of your favorite authors to see if they're coming to your city, you can also meet authors at conferences and book festivals. Here are just a few opportunities to meet some of your favorites or learn about writers new to you:
The National Black Book Festival is May 21-23 in Houston.
NAACP Authors' Pavilion at the NAACP conference is July 10-15 in Kansas City, MO.
The California Book Club Summit is September 9-12 in San Ramon.
The Congressional Black Caucus hosts its Authors Pavilion September 15-18 in Washington, DC.
I'm heading to the Virginia Festival of the Book this weekend where I'll be on panels with Heidi, Adam Bradley, Major Jackson and others. Look for pictures next week!
Authors, if you're on tour and want to let readers know about your dates, feel free to leave it in the comments.
