PART FIVE Dante Lee is the CEO and president of Diversity City Media, a very successful multi-cultural marketing and public relations firm based in Columbus, Ohio. With annual billings of about $500,000-and clients like Verizon, McDonald’s, Nascar, BET, and Heineken- he has proven that a small person can change the world. Dante is also the author of How to Think Big...When You’re Small, released September 2005. Dr. Jamie Walker is president and CEO of J.D. Publishing Group. An accomplished writer, Jamie has been featured in numerous national publications including Quarterly Black Book Review and Black Issue Book Review. She is currently editing a critical anthology on poet Sonia Sanchez, entitled Sonia on My Mind: A collection of Scholarly Essays and Literary Criticisms. Relentless Aaron is the self-proclaimed author of 30 books and 10 published works and founder of Relentless, LLC which has been able to carve its own niche in publishing. His upcoming projects include a multi- book deal with St. Martin’s Press, and book-movie contract. His titles include Push, The Last Kingpin and more top selling titles. Irene Smalls is the award winning author and story teller who has written over 10 children’s books and produced 3 story telling CD’s chronicling African American Life and history. Her newest title, My Pop Pop and Me (Little Brown) is all the rave! John V. Elmore, Esq. is a partner in the law firm of Harter, Secrest, and Emery. He is also the national best seller of Fighting for Your Life: The African American Criminal Justice Survival Guide. Additional major highlights of the BookExpo also included The Amber Communications Group, Inc. New Title Display at Combined Book Exhibit Area showcasing thousands of titles met with fanfare from avid readers. The Autographing Area was everything a debut author could dream of with ample standing room for fans to await signed copies of their favorite authors and even literary comradery. A green room provided a cold bottle of water and refreshments for signing authors. The patrons were all so courteous and professional. The security was gracious and very polite. New books that were issued to media unknowingly with courteous greetings from the authors who were well spoken and very professional were titles like the Ground in the Word: A Guide to Mastering Standardized Test Vocabulary and Biblical Comprehension by Eugene Williams Sr. and Jr., a beautiful series of books we scouted and found over at the Truthful Words publishing company booth by Sabrina Adams Onoriode, and were not amazed to find out that the publisher had written inspiring poems dedicated and accepted by Dr. Maya Angelou, Sonia Sanchez and many renown poets with gracious replies from these literary legends. Other autographed copies of books collected were Renee Flagler’s book entitled MisGuided, Dorothy Goines latest, A Woman Scorn’d, “I Told You I Can Play,” a children’s book by Brian Jordan and published by JustUsBooks. More must read books included “In the Spirit of Ronald McNair Astronaut: An American Hero” by Carl S. Mc Nair, brother of Space Challenger victim who died in the spacecraft’s explosion over 20 years ago, and newcomer, Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook’s latest, “Live Like You’re Blessed,” which received a review from former president Bill Clinton himself. The African American Pavilion at BookExpo America overall, provided an educational and celebration-filled gala recognizing and honoring the who’s who in the book industry at large from publishers, best selling authors, librarians, bookstore owners, distributors, book buyers, literary agents and booksellers to book clubs, media icons, publicists, literary businesses, small press publishers, event planners, acquisition editors and self-published authors. The BEA’s African American Pavilion area is the quintessential must attend event for serious authors and will continue to grow. Washington, D.C. is noted as one of the cities with the highest gross income per family as well as New York, where the BookExpo America will be held in 2007 according to resources. Over 2000 exhibitors display books annually among over 500 signing authors who bring if not, the entire book publishing industry and some 20,000 to 40,000 visitors minimum annually. Next year’s AA Pavilion will be even bigger and better says resources and many people will be able to come along and witness history in the making as true living legends of the African American literary community show the true meaning of unity. We bid farewell until next year’s Opening Procession & Awards Ceremony celebrating some of the most prominent literary figures from retailers, distributors, publishers, self-publishers and book clubs to bookstore owners, literary agents, media, publicists, librarians, self-publishers and literary professionals given the opportunity to promote their work to book buyers and booksellers from across the globe. Look out for a new television show as announced by Tony Rose (ACGI) and dedicated to celebrating the literary community and produced by Rosette M. Union who conveniently taped the entire. In closing, congratulations to Tony Rose, Adrienne Ingrum and Yvonne Rose for making the African American Pavilion at BookExpo America the greatest indoor book publishing tradeshow for African Americans ever done in America; and congratulations to Haki Madhubuti for his latest title, The Covenant edited by Tavis Smiley, and from his independently black owned publishing company, Third World Press, is now the no.1 book in America on the New York Times Best selling list and all publishers and authors. Since over 3.5 million visitors will read this article this month, we encourage all readers and authors of African American literature to support, Literary Divas: The Top 100 + Most Admired African Women in Literature by Heather Covington, a celebration of YOU, and look out for Literary Dons: The Top 100+ Most Admired African American Men in Literature due Fall 2006. Let the celebration and history of African American literature live on!
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 23:31:49 +0000
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