What is your goal with the Bayou Soul Writers & Reader’s Conference?
My overall goal is to bring together a community of authors, readers, publishing and film executives, as well as aspiring writers in one place to uplift each other and to promote literacy and reading in New Orleans, where it’s desperately needed.
When did you know that you wanted to do the conference?
Fall of 2010, I realized that I had to do it. The idea was sparked by a conversation I had with Vera Williams of Community Book Center in New Orleans. She wanted to see more of a creative and supportive environment of authors in the city.
How has the comeback of New Orleans contributed to your decision to do the conference?
I am excited that my city is coming back after the devastation of Katrina, but there’s still so much work that needs to be done. We still have whole communities vacant. And there is a lot of violence in the city. We need to uplift the community and do whatever we can to promote positive programs to the young people and to the local citizens.
What impact has the Essence Music Festival had on your decision to do the conference?
It had a big part in me wanting to do something like this. I love Essence and their theme, “party with a purpose.” They understand the importance of giving back to the community and they invest their time and energy into doing that when they are in the city. There’s a cultural explosion taking place in New Orleans when the Essence Music Festival comes to town. I see the literary conference as a kick off to the Essence Festival with the main focus on books — reading and writing — of course. After you get your literary read on, you can prepare to party the rest of the weekend at Essence.
Who are some of the speakers featured at the conference?
We have Kimberla Lawson Roby, Mary B. Morrison, Victoria Christopher Murray, Karen Hunter, RM Johnson, Francis Ray, KC Girlfriends Book Club President Tanisha Webb, Omar Tyree, two-time Academy Award winner Willie Burton and veteran screenwriter Jeb Stuart, who wrote blockbuster movies “Die Hard” and “The Fugitive.”
The Bayou Soul Writers & Reader’s Conference will be held in New Orleans from June 30-July 1. For more information, visit www.bswconference.com/index.html.
