points

Publishing panel: John Jennings (moderator), me, Tim Fielder, and Alex Simmons. Photo by Melissa Blemur

I’m still having trouble weaving words together so I’ve decided to summarize yesterday’s Black Comic Book Festival in point form (you can watch our publishing panel here). Whenever I’m on a panel, my mind somehow gets wiped clean as soon as I step off stage. Fortunately folks on Twitter were taking notes! I have no idea how anyone can Tweet and pay attention at the same time, but reading their tweets will make you feel like you were right there with us at the Schomburg. Check out Black Nerd Problems (@blknrdproblems), H.H. (@HEYHashimotosan), and Prof. Jonathan W. Gray (@elmcitytree). You know I can’t keep up with Twitter but I’m grateful that so many people tweeted and retweeted the important points made by the panelists and moderators. And thank you, Melissa Blemur, for taking such great photos. Now—on to my random points:

I’m an introvert but that doesn’t mean I’m shy. It does mean that I’m not comfortable approaching strangers, however, so one of the things I love best about presenting in public is that moment when the event ends and people come up to continue the conversation. I got off stage and immediately sold a copy of The Deep (but to a graphic novel scholar, which makes me nervous) and when I looked up, a queue had formed in the auditorium aisle—writers, parents, educators, and students. Actually, one of the first attendees I spoke to was an 11-year-old boy named Dior who asked about my books and told me a bit about his experience at Excellence Boys Charter School here in Brooklyn. His mother took a photo of us and hopefully I’ll get to present at his school in the coming weeks. I never met an author when I was a child and I love that Dior’s mom a) brought him to the Black Comic Book Fair and b) brought him up to the stage after our panel so he could meet the people who are creating stories for and about kids like him!

Photo by Melissa Blemur

We had to clear the auditorium almost immediately and so we all moved to the lobby area and folks patiently waited as I sold a few more books and answered questions. The best part of meeting new people is being able to provide information that will help them advance their writing goals. Several young women wanted to know how to connect with a writing community and I encouraged them to attend the upcoming Children’s Book Writers conference organized by Kweli Journal . Two kind church ladies invited me to present before their youth group, and one intrepid white woman—the only publishing professional to attend our panel—waited to have a frank discussion about book sales and the “formula” for acquiring new titles. Her professor friend purchased two books and then started up a conversation with Jordan and Omar about the merits of Black-ish. They then walked me out and kindly asked to interview me for Black Nerd Problems; in return I helped find Jordan’s lost hat, which he needed because it was FREEZING outside. When I got back to Brooklyn in the evening, I laughed out loud at their tweets—this one in particular:

 

“*waiting*… It’s not easy being the only woman up here”- Zetta Eliott. Zetta Eliott Da Gawd!!!! #blackcomicfestnyc #MagicalAfroPunkWomen

— Black Nerd Problems (@blknrdproblems) January 17, 2015

From the Schomburg I walked over to Tio Luca and met MY community of Black women writers for brunch. Ebony came up from Philly; Kya flew in from LA; Ibi took the train from Brooklyn, and Renee, Dhonielle, and Jenn walked over from their Harlem homes. There’s really no way to convey the energy we generate when we gather around a table to break bread and dish about our favorite books, TV shows, films, bloggers, etc. Then we get down to the real work of “fixing” the publishing industry and surviving the microaggressions leveled at us by editors and/or reviewers. We were in the cafe for at least two hours and then we walked over to a cake spot on St. Nicholas Ave. before hopping on the train. Ibi bought a new hat at a little boutique we passed along the way, and I dreamt about the hat I’ll wear while hosting a literary salon over at Weeksville (more on that later, so stay tuned)!

2015 is off to a good start! I’ve got 4 school visits coming up and then January will end with ALA Midwinter’s Day of Diversity in Chicago. In February I head to Austin to tape a ten-minute segment for BlackademicsTV. I tried to do a little online shopping (don’t want to look like an academic when I’m not one) and got an email this morning telling me my order has been canceled. Sigh. Still plan to wear my new “Wonder Woman boots”…