Good evening everyone! Hopefully this weekend has been as productive for you as it has been for me. I had the chance to attend the IndyPL Author’s Fair this weekend as a literary vendor and it’s been an amazing experience for me. I even got to meet more authors in this city and see how they market and produce their own works. I can’t wait to start attending more of these in the coming years!

I had a blast connecting and networking with the author’s here and would like to showcase a few standouts. It’s a community after all and we gotta show support from within whenever we can! The first author I spoke to at this event was Charles Kelley who had a selection of books available to buy, including his children’s book My Ship Don’t Sink (which came with a floatable boat!). Very cute book and a very resourceful author who even assisted me with some work regarding bulk orders! I’m glad to have met him at this very fortunate time of my career! It’s unfortunate I forgot to photograph him at the time I was there.

The conception of this book is probably my favorite thing about it! The author, DeShane Reed, had a brother who wrote an award winning poem in 1972 and he turned it into a children’s book dedicated to reserving black heroes and the moral standards they hold. You can see the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama, Tyler Perry, and even Oprah Winfrey! Very creative brother and a great display! Please check him out here and be sure to follow him wherever he goes!

My table buddy Crystal Mason (Also goes by crystaldawnwrites on WordPress, and located right here) had a fantastic children’s book called The Dog That Was Different that apparently captivated both my wife and daughter. She’s a good author with a great head on her shoulders that everyone should be supporting. You don’t find many like her and I’m so glad to have been paired with her. Now, hopefully this leads her to a plentiful harvest of Poke’ and Jamaican food in her future!

With multiple books and people I’ve met, it’s just a lot to cover! Special shoutout to LaNesha Tabb for her book, Alpert. I haven’t had the chance to read it, but the illustrations are my utmost favorite next to Pete the Cat. I also want to give another one to Leah Lederman for being an amazing person and someone ya’ll should really be following!

All in all, a great Saturday in the books! While I was here, I was even able to showcase the JAZZ Manga Kickstarter and even meet potential publishers (that’s for another day, don’t even ask!). I’m glad I took the opportunity that my good friend gave me about this event and because I’ve been taking notes I’m preparing myself for the bigger stage next year: GenCon. Stay tuned and as always, subscribe to this page if you’re enjoying the content!