Black Ink festival at Chesapeake library celebrates local writers, artists and musicians of color
Outside the Dr. Clarence V. Cuffee Outreach and Innovation Library, tables were stacked with books covering everything from romance to children’s topics — all written by local authors.
Musicians, including Shark City Drum & Dance Corps, played while visitors browsed what the vendors had to offer at the Chesapeake Public Library’s fourth annual Black Ink: Block Party and Lit Fest.
Saturday’s event celebrated local authors, artists and musicians of color. Roughly 60 authors and vendors sold books, artwork, clothing and more, coming together to make a few sales, meet other artists and writers and share what they do.
For Newberry Medal winner and Great Bridge High School graduate Kwame Alexander, it was a chance to release his latest book, “The Door of No Return” in his hometown, days ahead of its official release. He said Chesapeake was the first stop of his 14-city book tour.
“This is a homecoming, and it feels great to be able to come back to the city that helped me become who I was, that raised me, that nurtured me into becoming this writer,” Alexander, 54, said. “It feels good to come back and be able to offer something.”
Alexander’s writing journey included a handful of rejections before finally getting published. He won the Newberry Medal for “The Crossover” in 2015. His message to the crowd before he sat to sign books: say “yes” to yourself. If he hadn’t, he said, his work likely wouldn’t have been recognized.
Aderonke Adeleke, an Old Dominion University student and a Virginia Young Poet in the Community winner, performed her piece, “Imaginary Things,” which highlighted her parents’ experience as immigrants from Nigeria.
The event helps the local community grow and share their stories, she said.
“The greatest thing is there are a lot of people around here that have something to say,” Adeleke said. “And people of color who have that opportunity to give other people of color the opportunity to say that, I think that’s just amazing.”
Other speakers gave advice on marketing on social media, and the public was invited to workshops on publishing, spoken word performance and other writing topics.
“My main goal for these events is really exposure,” said Brittney Nicole Boyd, an author from Norfolk. “It’s to network and to meet other authors.”
Deb Branch, a Chesapeake resident, sold jewelry, photography and prints of her artwork. It was her second year at the event. She said she enjoys events like this because of the community.
“I look forward to meeting new people, seeing things that other people are doing, their writings and books,” Branch said. “There are other people’s artwork, discovering new activities.”
Amanda Jackson, Chesapeake Public Libraries director, said the event has grown over the past four years, though it struggled during the pandemic. This year, she said there were more vendors.
“We wanted an opportunity to highlight authors and illustrators of color,” Jackson said. “We wanted an opportunity to celebrate the success and creativity that existed in our region and also have representation.”
Kelsey Kendall, kelsey.kendall@virginiamedia.com
