Black Ink: A Charleston African American Book Festival received $5,000 from the Literary Arts Emergency Fund (LEA Fund) last month for its January festival, to be held Jan. 14-16, 2021.
The money from the LEA Fund was administered by the Academy of American Poets, the Community of Literary Magazine and Presses and the National Book Foundation, which distributed more than $3.5 million in emergency funding to 282 nonprofit organizations.
In a press release, Black Ink’s committee chair Djuanna Brockington said, “Because of the LAE Fund, the Black Ink Festival can continue to demonstrate that diversity in storytelling is all around us. And you don’t have to look far to find it.”
This year’s Black Ink is a free, virtual festival that features New York Times bestselling author Kwame Mbalia as its keynote speaker. The middle-grade writer is the author of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky and his sequel, Tristan Strong Destroys the World, will be published in October.
“Now more than ever, the festival’s impact is even greater due to the existing public dialogue taking place about equality and race. There is a current shift occurring in the book publishing industry with a greater focus on diversity among writers,” said Brockington. “Amid this movement, Black Ink is positioned to continue highlighting the importance of diversifying our literary landscape and amplifying those voices.”
Now in its fifth year, Black Ink will feature, as always, dozens of African-American authors from the Lowcountry and beyond. Stay tuned for more information on workshops and programs, held throughout the two-day virtual event.
Interested authors can soon apply to be featured at the festival at blackinkcharleston.org.
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