Open & Welcome Remarks

Saturday, October 16th – 10:00 am PT

International Speaker, Life Coach, Author and Honorary Co-Chair Barbara A. Perkins shares history of Leimert Park Village Book Fair and acknowledges partners who support the event.

Coffee Talk with Author Tyler Merritt

Saturday, October 16th – 10:15 am PT

Hear Nashville based actor, comedian, activist, and author Tyler Merritt read excerpts of his New York Times Newspaper Best-Selling Book “I Take My Coffee Black.”

“Make Me Rain”

Saturday, October 16th – 1:45 pm PT

Celebrated poet Nikki Giovanni has a conversion with photojournalist and USC Associated Annenberg Professor Miki Turner about Nikki’s latest book ‘Make Me Rain” and her musings about life in these times.

“What Passes as Love”

Saturday, October 16th – 12:45 pm PT

GIVEAWAY: Masterclass (www.masterclass.com) Pass to first 200 registered attendees 

Author of the bestselling Nappily Ever After and finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction, Tricia R. Thomas discusses her heartrending and breathtaking new novel “What Passes as Love” about a young woman pays a devastating price for freedom in nineteenth-century South.

“The Marathon Don’t Stop”

Saturday, October 16th – 1:00 pm PT

Rob Kenner, a founding editor at Vibe magazine, followed the career of famed hip-hop artist Nipsey Hussle for 10 years. After reading an excerpt from his book, Kenner has a conversation with noted hip-hop journalist Sheena Lester about Nipsey’s legacy and his efforts in community empowerment that lives on.

“Art of a Guest Pass”

Saturday, October 16th – 1:45 pm PT

Visual Artist and Photographer Cheryl Fox discusses her new table book “Art of a Guest Pass” and shares the backstory of many of her iconic photos with titans of the music industry in a conversation with Artist, Curator, and Photographer, Karen Bystedt.

Children’s Storytime Hour

Saturday, October 16th – 2:00 pm PT

GIVEAWAY: Taschen Publishers “Sneaker Book” 

Description: Chudney Ross, creator of Books and Cookies, hosts Leimert Park Village Book Fair’s Storytime Hour with special presentations by Lantana Publishing authors Krina Patel-Sage and Michael Catchpool, storytelling/dance by Binnie Tate Wilkin, musical song performance by Lionel Jean Baptiste along with a special reading and digital illustration demonstration by celebrated children’s author, Don Tate.  

Sponsored by SoCalGas Company.

“Ode to My Parents”

Saturday, October 16th – 3:00 pm PT

Journalist, TV and Radio Host Dominique Baraka DiPrima shares poems written by her father, New Jersey Poet Laureate, Amiri Baraka, and her mother, San Francisco Poet Laureate, Diane di Prima.

“Hell of a Book”

Saturday, October 16th – 3:30 am PT

GIVEAWAY: Collection of “Books That Got Us Through 2020” 

Author Jason Mott recounts how his latest tome originated and his thoughts about the plight of young black men in a conversation with Orsayor L. Simmons, Founder, Book Referee blog.

“The Personal Librarian”

Saturday, October 16th – 4:00 pm PT

Victoria Christopher Murray in Conversation with Los Angeles County Public Librarian Binnie Tate Wilkin – “The Personal Librarian” Victoria explains her shift from writing fiction novels to one based in historical facts and describes the journey of writing her latest book as well as the struggle of the book’s protagonist to pass as white in early 20th century America.

“Awakening”

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16TH – 5:00 PM PT

Civil rights attorney, activist, media personality, and author Areva Martin In conversation with media personality Dominique Baraka DiPrima discusses Areva’s new book entitled– “Awakening: Ladies, Leadership and the Lies We’ve Been Told.” In this dynamic one on one discussion, Areva discusses societal norms for gender roles within America’s average working environment.

Reading by Yvonne Orji

Saturday, October 16th – 5:00 pm PT

GIVEAWAY: “Winner Takes All” – Collection of Marquee author books

Nigerian-American actress, comedian, and Primetime Emmy Award and three-time NAACP Image Award nominee Yvonne Orji reads from her new book “Bamboozled by Jesus” and shares with viewers her life lessons and inspirations.