Black Ink: A Charleston African American Book Festival is being awarded $5,000 from the Literary Arts Emergency Fund for its next festival, which is taking place Jan. 14-16, 2021. The event will be virtual in the interest of public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. While not in person, the free festival is still sure to inspire and enlighten participants.
Stay up to date on the schedule of events, by visiting https://www.blackinkcharleston.org/
About Black Ink:
Black Ink: A Charleston African-American Book Festival is the first and only annual celebration of African-American literature in South Carolina. Celebrating its fifth year in January 2021, Black Ink serves as a platform to support local Black writers, creating a space for them to share their work, discuss their craft, and expose readers of all ages to the great variety of African-American authors in the area. With the support of community-conscious sponsors, Black Ink: A Charleston African-American Book Festival will impact the lives of hundreds of readers, both young and old.
Black Ink is presented by the Charleston Friends of the Library, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the Charleston County Public Library’s resources, stimulating use of the Library, and developing and supporting educational and literacy programs. Previous Black Ink sponsors have included the Charleston County Public Library, College of Charleston’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, Library Foundation of the Lowcountry, College of Charleston Friends of the Library, South Carolina Humanities, Avery Research Center of the College of Charleston, T-Mobile, Lagunitas Brewery, Law Offices of David Aylor, Palmetto Surety, Statehouse Report, South State Bank, Rotary Club Charleston, and YWCA and YMCA of Greater Charleston.
Previous festivals have welcomed hundreds of attendees and garnered positive publicity. The previous keynote speakers have included Nikki Giovanni, Terry McMillan, Kwame Alexander, and Marcus Amaker. In 2020, the Black Ink Committee created new programming and adjusted the date of its major annual event. To maintain engagement and momentum during this time of transition, we have been hosting smaller, but more regular, events including cohosting National Book Award nominees Akwaeke Emezi and Jericho Brown, an African-American Poetry Panel discussion, a book giveaway and virtual book club discussion with Kwame Mbalia and more.
Charleston Area Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History 