THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511250236
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Maya Angelou won't be there.
But lots of Hampton Roads' own black writers will be. Homegrown poets, storytellers, novelists and other culture keepers.
They'll all gather today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marriott in downtown Norfolk for the Eighth Hampton Roads African Heritage Book Expo. And it's all free. Except for the books, that is.
Books published locally and in many foreign lands - Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, England - will be on display. Children's books from Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia will also be available.
So, if you're done with all that turkey, here's a chance to feed your mind. Although, a lot of folks have been doing that all along.
Earlier this year, Black Enterprise Magazine declared 1995 the year of the black author. In a cover story, the business magazine reported that African Americans are buying more books than ever and that more black authors are being published than at any other time in the nation's history.
According to Target Market News, blacks spent about $178 million on books in 1993. Analysts say the surge in book buying reflects a cultural and intellectual thirst paralleling that of the Harlem Renaissance era.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Harlem was home to an explosion of black literary, visual and musical composition. Consumers came cross-country to bathe in the culture of West 125th Street.
Others attribute the latest boom to a new generation of black writers coming of age - like Portsmouth's Nathan McCall, who wrote the best selling ``Makes Me Wanna Holler.''
McCall won't be at today's Heritage book expo either. You'll hear from less heralded but no less worthy writers.
Some will tell their own stories. Medina Gebramariam will share her memoir, ``Castaway Pearls.'' It is the story of her journey from a wretched childhood in Ethiopia to a good life in Norfolk.
``I am so glad to be America,'' she says in a deep, gutsy ``Hello Dolly'' kind of way. Her dark brown eyes shine like Christmas lights as she speaks.
Africa is by no means a place of uncivilized beasts as it is often portrayed in America, Gebramariam says. ``But my life there was harsh. My father give me away like a slave. They beat me. I sleep in the barn with animals.''
Others will have fun getting right down to the nitty gritty.
WAVY-TV morning anchor Don Roberts will be there with his book ``Rap To Live By.'' Roberts has a lot of positive messages for today's youth. Earlier this year, I shared a panel with Roberts and was surprised at just how much rhythm he has!
Still others will deal with practical matters such as good health. Talking about health during this high-stress, fatty-food-eating holiday season is a good idea.
Here are scheduled events.
10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Barbara Alexander, author of ``My Kwanzaa Workbook,'' enchants with children's stories.
Noon to 2 p.m., local authors share their work, including Gebramariam and Don Roberts.
1 p.m., a workshop offers tips on publishing and marketing your own book.
2 p.m., small business opportunities on the Internet.
2:30 p.m., a women's health seminar by Dr. Shawne Bryant addresses AIDS, diabetes, lupus and fibroid tumors.
3:30 p.m., a panel of local journalists discusses the ``Media and the Million Man March.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Medina Gebramariam will share her memoir, ``Castaway Pearls,'' at
today's book expo at the Marriott in Norfolk.
by CNB