2009 Speakers are being finalized... check back soon!
2008 Featured Speakers
Special appearance by Grand Central Publishing,
Linda Duggins. Linda Duggins is the publicist for
some of this industries leading authors and speakers including Karrine
Steffans, Faith Evans, Lolita Tademy, Terri Woods, Pynk and a lot more.
She is also one of the founders of the Harlem Book Fair. She will
host a special “Questions & Answers” Engagement for upcoming
authors.
The Public Library presents
Terry Brooks
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6:00 pm |
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6:45 pm |
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You can't get better than this...With twelve million books in print,
and eighteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers, Terry Brooks is a
master of the fantasy genre. An avid writer since high school, Brooks
was inspired to write fantasy fiction after reading THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
Whilst practicing law during the day, he wrote at night and in 1977 published
THE SWORD OF SHANNARA.
It became an instant success and became the first work of fiction to appear
on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained
for over five months. Brooks has been unstoppable ever since. After publishing
the SHANNARA trilogy, Brooks retired from law to devote himself to his
writing career. He continued to write outstandingly successful fantasy
fiction, including the MAGIC KINGDOM series, and it was whilst writing
THE WORD & VOID trilogy that George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars,
personally asked Terry to write the novelization to STAR WARS EPISODE
1: The Phantom Menace. Brooks didn't hesitate and a month before the release
of the movie, the book was published with great success. Terry has returned
to the SHANNARA series with two new trilogies - THE VOYAGE OF JERLE and
HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA.
www.terrybrooks.net
Susan L Taylor
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4:00 pm |
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4:45 pm |
Susan L. Taylor has been the driving force behind one of the most celebrated
African American owned business success stories of the past three decades.
She is the senior editorial executive at the venerable communications
company and writes the popular In the Spirit column each month.
A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Taylor was the founder of her own company,
Nequai Cosmetics, before becoming ESSENCE's fashion and beauty editor
and, in 1981, its editor-in-chief. She is the author of three books: In
the Spirit: The Inspirational Writings of Susan L. Taylor, Lessons in
Living and Confirmation: The Spiritual Wisdom That Has Shaped Our Lives,
the latter coauthored with her husband, Khephra Burns. She is also a greatly
sought-after speaker, delivering inspiring messages of hope and possibility
that encourage us to reclaim and reorient our lives and society and create,
peaceful, productive, sustainable communities.
www.essence.com/essence/bios/bio_taylor
Susan Jeffers
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2:00pm |
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2:45 pm |
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Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. has helped millions of people throughout the world
overcome their fears, heal their relationships, and move forward in life
with confidence and love.
She is the author of many internationally renowned books including Feel
the Fear and Do It Anyway®,
Feel the Fear. . .and Beyond, Feel the Fear Power Planner, End the Struggle
and Dance With Life, Dare to Connect, Opening Our Hearts to Men, Losing
a Love...Finding a Life, Thoughts Of Power and Love, The Little Book of
Confidence, Embracing Uncertainty, Life is Huge! plus her "Fear-less
Series" of affirmation books and tapes (Inner Talk for Peace of Mind,
Inner Talk for a Confident Day, and Inner Talk For a Love That Works).
Her latest book is The Feel the Fear Guide to Lasting Love, which was
published in the UK in May 2005 and in the US and Canada by her own publishing
company, Jeffers Press, in October 2005.
As well as being a best-selling author, Susan is a sought-after public
speaker and has been a guest on many radio and television shows internationally.
She lives with her husband, Mark Shelmerdine, in Los Angeles.
www.susanjeffers.com
Dr. Rev. Michael Beckwith & Rickie Beckwith
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1:30pm |
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2:00pm |
Rickie Byars Beckwith
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1:00pm |
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Michael Bernard Beckwith is a world leader and teacher in the New Thought–Ancient
Wisdom tradition of spirituality. He is the founder of the Agape International
Spiritual Center, cofounder of the Association for Global New Thought,
and the Season for Nonviolence, which are extensions of his vision of
one human family united on a foundation of peace, based on the spiritual
origin of every man, woman, and child. As seen on the Oprah Winfrey Show
and part of the movie "The Secret". He and his wife, Rickie
Byars Beckwith will speak at the literary festival. Dr. Beckwith teaches
meditation, scientific prayer, and speaks at conferences and seminars.
He is the originator of the Life Visioning Process, a time-tested technique
offering its practitioners a method for putting a stop to being a passive
tourist in one's life. He is author of Inspirations of the Heart (currently
nominated as a finalist for the Nautilus Book Award), Forty Day Mind Fast
Soul Feast, A Manifesto of Peace, and Living from the Overflow.
www.agapelive.com
Dale Henry
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3:00 pm |
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3:45pm |
He speaks to and trains over 100,000 professionals and executives each year. In the year 2000 alone, he presented to over 40 of the Fortune 50 companies.
Dr. Dale Henry's many experiences in the field of business and education make him a natural when it comes to lively and humorous presentations. Although Dale believes in the importance of laughter, his presentations always deliver a strong message packed with useful tools. A native of East Tennessee and the foothills of the Smoky Mountains he draws heavily on his storytelling background to hold the audience in the palm of his hand.
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills first came to fame as "the little girl with the
big voice" as the star of the hit Broadway play, The Wiz, an adaptation
of L. Frank Baum's classic book, The Wizard Of Oz. She had many R&B
hits such as "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,"
"I Feel Good All Over," "(You're Puttin') A Rush On Me,"
"Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)" and "Home"
along with one certified million selling single, "Never Knew Love
Like This Before." In addition, she also had five gold albums: Whatcha
Gonna Do With My Lovin', Sweet Sensation, Stephanie, If I Were Your Woman
and Home.
The Charlotte Literary Festival will award the “Stephanie Mills
Scholarship” to a student during the “Kick off to Writing”
ceremony during the festival.
Karrine Steffans
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8:00 pm |
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8:45pm |
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Karrine Steffans released her complicated, yet, thrilling former life
and lifestyle are captured in the pages on her memoir, Confessions of
a Video Vixen, making a biography almost obsolete. Since Confessions
debuted on June 28, 2005, Karrine and her enthralling story has been on
the lips and minds of most everyone. Among many other media outlets Paula
Zahn, Donny Deutsch, Tyra Banks, Bill O'Reilly, and the queen of daytime
herself, Oprah Winfrey have sought Karrine and helped propel her into
the limelight. Karrine's current memoir, and yet another New York Times
bestseller, entitled The Vixen Diaries, published September 2007.
With her newfound success, Karrine finds joy in paying it forward. A
constant at University speaking engagements and celebrity panels, Karrine
fights vigorously to raise the awareness of young women across the world
in the ways and dangerous of the entertainment industry and even in their
own neighborhoods. She encourages young women to speak out against
abuse, to stop the cycle and learn how to no longer abuse themselves.
Karrine uses her past as an example of what not to do.
www.Karrine.com
Mike Minter
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7:00 pm |
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7:45pm |
Mike Minter has been a pillar of the Carolina Panther defense since joining
the team in 1997. Known as one of the most consistent performers in professional
football, Minter is a rare breed having spent his entire career with one
organization. He has seen the highs of playing in the Super Bowl and the
lows of a team that won but one game in a 16 game season. As a motivational
speaker, Mike's insights are unique, his delivery impeccable, his credentials
unparalleled. He makes his listeners laugh, he makes them think and, above
all, he encourages them to become everything that God intended for them.
www.mikeminter.com
Terrie Williams
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5:00 pm |
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5:45pm |
After working for a number of years as a social worker, Williams founded
the Terrie Williams Agency in 1988 after meeting Miles Davis in the hospital.
She began representing him, and her next big client, Eddie Murphy. Since
then, Williams has gone on to represent superstars such as Janet Jackson,
Russell Simmons, Johnnie Cochran, Stephen King and Sally Jesse Raphael,
as well as organizations such as HBO and Essence Communications. Today,
the Terrie Williams Agency is a division of PGP Communications, where
she serves as vice chair.
Williams is also the author of three books: The Personal Touch: What
You Really Need to Succeed in Today's Fast-paced Business World, Stay
Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens and A Plentiful Harvest: Creating
Balance and Harmony Through the Seven Living Virtues and her latest Black
Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting. Stay Strong has been
used nationwide in schools, and was the catalyst for launching the Stay
Strong Foundation, a nationwide non-profit organization for youth.
Williams is also a highly sought-after speaker, and has had speaking
engagements with Fortune 500 companies, universities and numerous other
organizations. She is the recipient of several awards, including the New
York Women in Communications Matrix Award, where she was the first African
American woman to win the award, and the Citizen's Committee for the New
York Marietta Tree Award for Public Service.
This year The Charlotte Literary Festival will feature bestselling author,
Terrie Williams along with her mentee Dashaun "Jiwe" Morris(featured
in the April issue of Essence magazine). Please visit www.healingstartswithus.net
for more info on Terrie Williams.
www.thestaystrongfoundation.org
Dashaun
"Jiwe" Morris
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3:00 pm |
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3:45pm |
Dashaun Jiwe Morris, author of WAR OF THE BLOODS IN MY VEINS: A Street
Soldier's March Toward Redemption (Scribner), is committed to mentoring
gang members and sharing his hard-learned lessons to help them make positive
life choices. He has paid his dues in the streets, learned from his mistakes,
and now works with Bloods worldwide to change the organization from within
for the better. For more information about Jiwe or his book, visit JiweEra.com.
Omar Tyree
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5:45pm |
Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image
Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis
Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has
published 15 books and has sold more than 1.8 million copies worldwide.
With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree
has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in
the African-American community. He is also an informed and passionate
speaker on various community-related and in tellectual topics. Soon to
enter the world of feature film making, self-help / business books, and
urban children's books, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few
limitations.
www.omartyree.com
Terri Woods
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3:45pm |
2008 marks the tenth anniversary of the release of True to the Game, the literary phenomenon that cemented Teri Woods’s place as an urban literature pioneer. Her follow-up, True to the Game II, reached the coveted New York Times bestseller list, a rare feat for a street lit title. Now, True to the Game III: Quadir, the final installment in this highly successful trilogy, is sure to continue in the series’ barrier-shattering tradition.
Bruce Williams with Donnell Alexander
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7:45pm |
In ROLLIN WITH DRE, readers are taken on an intimate journey inside the world of west coast hip hop. But not just any ride. Bruce Williams tells it like it was and explains where the genre stands today. Not many people are willing to be as honest as Williams has been in ROLLIN WITH DRE for fear of being ostracized from that world, hurt, or possibly killed. For Williams, he earned the right to tell the truth as Dr. Dre’s loyal top lieutenant.
The “Best of the Best” African American Christian Authors Panel
Including:
Michele Andrea Bowen — author of Church Folks, Second Sunday & the Holy Corner.
www.micheleandreabowen.com
Jacquelin Thomas — award winning, best selling author with twenty-five titles in print including Young Adult.
www.jacquelinthomas.com
Victoria Christopher Murray— Essence best selling author of six Christian-based fiction novels including Young Adults.
www.victoriachristophermurray.com
Sharon Ewell Foster— bestselling, award-winner of gospel novels.
www.sharonewellfoster.com
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12:00 pm |
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12:45pm |
Please submit comments about the festival to Jewel@realeyesbookstore.com. What you liked, didn't like, or would like to see in future festivals!
