The Harlem Book Fair is an annual summer event hosted by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Located at West 135th Street between 5th Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, the Harlem Book Fair showcases authors of African descent and authors who write about the African world experience.
Max Rodriquez organized the event in 1999 as a community affair, but it has become a major cultural activity that attracts thousands of patrons. The notable program Book TV on C-SPAN broadcasts the event live every year. Literary materials, panel discussions, and guest celebrities are part of the tranquil, festive affair, which, this year, happened on Saturday, July 23.
On the Way from Home To Fair
As I prepared for the fair, two of my friends called me approximately ten minutes apart to confirm our meeting time and place, which was 2pm at Malcolm X Boulevard and 135th Street. After I got myself together or, in layman's terms, put on the appropriate clothes, the urge to turn on the television to watch C-SPAN was too strong to resist. When I finally found the station after going through half the channels, a panel of authors in the main auditorium of the Schomburg filled the screen.
The literary theme was not clear, but President of Bennett College for Women, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, was a panelist. She is a well-known economist, and because she often appears on major talkshows discussing politics and economics, people refer to her as a “public intellectual”. Dr. Malveaux wrote a book entitled Surviving and Thriving – 365 Facts in Black Economic History. After I listened to her explain African-American economic achievements for several minutes, a glance at the clock let me know it was 1:30pm, which meant it was time to go.
Although I wanted to hear the panel discussion, it was important to leave the apartment immediately if I intended to meet my friends at 2pm. After I came downstairs and stood in the street for a few minutes, a cab stopped in front of me. Before I seated myself comfortably in his car, the driver requested my destination, so, of course, my reply was, “One Thirty-Fifth and Fifth”. Because the driver did not say anything else as he made a u-turn, my interpretation of his non-response was that he either did not know about the Harlem Book Fair or he was all business. Nevertheless, the ride from the Bronx to Harlem was pleasant and it took only approximately 15 minutes.
An Array of Choices at the Fair
Although the event technically started at Malcolm X Boulevard, cars could not go past 5th Avenue on 135th Street. As I walked toward the activities, the sun felt warmer in Manhattan than it did in the Bronx. On a seasonably sunny afternoon with a soft, soothing wind blowing occasionally, no-one could have asked for a better day to attend a literary event, especially one in which most activities take place out of doors.
When I reached Malcolm X Boulevard, the first thing I noticed was a well-constructed, small stage, but no-one was on it. However, the street was crowded with people of different ethnic groups from all walks of life. Booksellers, authors, and publishers had tables at the edge of the sidewalks on either side of the street, and a few of them had stations in the middle of the street. A variety of vendors were all over the place. With books, hand-made jewelry, clothes, posters, memorabilia, compact disks and food for sale, it was nice to have an array of choices at such an affair. The vendors looked happy, too.
As I walked deliberately through the crowd, one of my friends, Anthony, called me from a short distance away. A few minutes after we greeted, our other friend, Kathy, joined us. After a short, impromptu dialogue, our group spontaneously moved about, walking in the direction of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard where we momentarily stopped to peruse the tables.
One Poet Was Especially Invigorating
Although several poets displayed stands, unlike past years, they did not take turns reciting poetry to promote their spoken-word talents. One poet in particular named Blue was especially invigorating. His delivery and language command were outstanding as he recited from his book Corner Stores In The Middle Of The Block – The Urban Look. In one of his poems, he lyrically told the audience that he gets on the D Train at 59th Street nearly the same time everyday to peddle his books, but after he boards, the passengers look up at him, impulsively sigh as if to say, “not him again,” and quickly look away.
The poets were “droppin’ it” as people on the street profess, so the return to Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard brought back nice memories. The scenery made me think about how I should have been droppin’ poetry, like Blue, especially my poem, Something About the Blues, 'that caused James Baldwin to write Mr. Charlie in Lena Horne’s Stormy Weather, which Led-Belly to turn it so Bobby Blue Bland, Phyllis Hyman couldn’t spit out Billie Holiday’s experience of paintin’ the town red ‘cause her heart was blue'.
Guest Celebrity Engaged the Audience
As I continued to reminiscence, Anthony nudged me and pointed toward Malcolm X Boulevard as Kathy watched. Because they started walking in that direction expecting me to follow, it is safe to conclude they did not detect my nostalgic disposition. Nevertheless, when we reached the corner, actress Bern Nadette Stanis was on the small stage engaging the audience. Everyone knows her from the 1970s sitcom Good Times. She played Thelma Evans, the daughter of Florida Evans, played by Esther Rolle. Stanis commented about the role Esther Rolle played in helping her advance her acting career.
Stanis wrote a book entitled Situations 101 – Relationships. It is a self-help guide for people who need assistance with different types of relationships. After we listened to the Good Times star for a while, Anthony reminded us about the next panel discussion in the Schomburg, which was due to begin in a few minutes. Although advice about relationships is helpful, a literary panel discussion always outweighs relationship recommendations at a book fair. Therefore, Kathy led as we navigated our way into the Schomburg.
Panel With Excellent Writing Credentials
Inside the main auditorium, C-SPAN’s cameras were obvious as the moderator introduced the panelists shortly after we sat down. The authors were Dan Charnas, Craig T. Williams, Mark Johnson, Carla L. Peterson and Gregory V. Jones, Jr. They had excellent writing credentials, and they looked confident. The panel’s theme was individual triumphs in the face of adversity.
Charnas wrote a book entitled The Big Payback - The History of the Business of Hip Hop. According to the author, one essential point of his book is several African-American hip hop artists and managers reaped excessive amounts of financial benefits from the music industry even though the industry manipulated and exploited most hip hop artists. Charnas named P. Diddy, Jay Z and Russell Simmons as examples of African-Americans who benefitted from hip hop. According to audience commentators, however, such financial gains are not an indication of group progress. Nevertheless, they conceded the author’s point that those particular financial accomplishments for African-Americans were unprecedented in the music industry.
First African-American Gold Medalist
Craig T. Williams wrote about the first African-American gold medalist in his book The Olympian - An American Triumph. As the author discussed his book, it did not seem to interest the audience as much as he thought it would. A book about the first African-American gold medalist should be interesting and inspiring but, probably without realizing it, Williams touched on the inner-duality issue most African-Americans feel but rarely discuss.
According to The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, the nature of American society forces African-Americans to live with a “double-consciousness”. In other words, when the Olympian won the gold medal, it was a great individual triumph. However, African-American achievements for the country are insignificant to a large degree because African-Americans inevitably must face institutional racism, which is an integral part of America’s cultural baggage. Therefore, some people in the audience probably asked themselves: “What is the importance of any African-American who accomplishes something great for America?”
Mark Johnson wrote Basketball Slave – The Andy Johnson Harlem Globetrotter/NBA Story. The book is about Johnson’s father, Andy Johnson, who was a Globetrotter and a NBA (National Basketball Association) player during the 1950s. Johnson uses the term “slave” to denote the low pay his father received in contrast to the numerous games he had to play each year in the States and around the world, especially with the Globetrotters. His book was of interest to the audience because it covers the social history of the NBA and the Globetrotters.
One main point of Carla L. Peterson’s book Black Gotham - A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth Century New York City is African-Americans primarily lived in Midtown and Lower Manhattan during the nineteenth century. The audience did not seem enthusiastic about her book, perhaps because few African-Americans live in those areas today. Gregory V. Jones, Jr. wrote a book entitled JOB, which drew inspiration from the story of Job in Holy Scripture. Although he infrequently referred to his book, his theological background became clear as he stirred the audience with his powerful, charismatic orations about striving in the face of adversity.
Poet Requested a Review of Book
Everyone returned to the street after the panel discussion. Unlike me, however, Kathy and Anthony waited for the authors at the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard to buy their books, and they curiously watched me walk away and disappear in the crowd. My intention was to check out tables I missed. One poet’s table near the end of the block caught my attention. As I looked at the book Past, Present, Future – The Life And Times of A Bronx Poet, the author, David Colquitt Hover, told me it costs only 10 dollars. After I handed him the money, he requested a review of the book on Amazon. Although I have yet to review the book, Hover’s rhythmic, introspective, urban-based poetry is eloquent.
Among the booksellers and authors, approximately forty per cent displayed “street novels”, sometimes called “urban literature”. After I stopped to survey a bookstand full of street novels, a gracious, articulate woman assisted me. She asked about my preference, which I did not understand because, to me, a street novel is a street novel. However, she politely educated me about the two types of street novels, which are: straight violence with drugs, gangs, or whatever; and violence with romance intertwined.
She, again, asked for my preference. The choices surprised me. Therefore, because I wanted to buy a book for Anthony to critique, my answer was: “Give me one of the popular books.” She showed me Never Go Home Again by Shannon Holmes, which is a story about a teenager who gets into the drug business, goes to jail, and rehabilitates himself.
Anthony and Kathy often speak disparagingly about street novels because such books exhibit raw language, grammatical inconsistencies and, in many cases, detrimental content. Although their criticisms are valid, they do not explain the genre’s steady, supportive audience. It appears the strength of street novels is the stories; they captivate readers. Writers of this relatively new genre have created their niche in the publishing industry.
Nonetheless, Kathy and Anthony eventually found me exploring tables. As we recapped certain events with books in our hands, the signs of a fading day highlighted our conversation. As shadows accompanied the late afternoon sun, the Harlem Book Fair day ended when we reluctantly left to see what else Saturday would bring.
Sources:
- Blue, Corner Stores in the Middle of the Block. NY; Persuader Publishing, 2003.
- Lewis, David L., W.E.B. Bu Bois. NY; Henry Holt and Company, 1993.
William Cook - Mr. Cook is a graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York. He is pursuing a Ph.D in History and Education.
