Book fair showcasing new American authors to be held Saturday at Northland library
Columbus Metropolitan Library's Karl Road branch will host a book fair showcasing literary works by new Americans, immigrants and refugees from all over Ohio — and beyond — on Saturday.
Twenty authors with roots in disparate corners of the globe, such as Venezuela, Pakistan, Cameroon, China, Nigeria and Nepal, will read passages and sign copies of their works. The fair will include fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children. The youngest author will be just 9 years old.
The free public event will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the library’s Karl Road branch, 5590 Karl Road, in Columbus' Northland area.
“We want everybody to come,” said Deba Uwadiae, editor and publisher of New Americans Magazine, which is organizing the event in conjunction with the library. “It’s not just for new Americans — it’s for everybody in Ohio. Come see what is being written. Come see history being made.”
A diverse group of authors, young and old(er)
A cohort of young writers will be among those sharing their work at the fair.
Sisters Zalika, Zakiya and Zahara Obayuwana, whose parents came from Tanzania and Nigeria and who range in age from 10 to 13, will present their activity books, such as “Zakira Presents Black History” and “Zakira Presents Ramadan.” The sisters are Columbus City Schools students.
Likewise, 9-year-old Venezuelan-American author Roman German, who was born in New York, will present his book, “The Adventures of Roman German,” about a boy and his friends Matt-the-Monkey and Jerry-the-Giraffe searching the world for hidden pieces of technology.
Davis Oni, a 10-year-old Nigerian-American who lives in Lewis Center, will sign copies of his “Adventures of Jéjé," which was inspired by African-themed stories from Rubies Africa, an app his mother created for short African stories.
For the adult crowd, Imali J. Abala, a professor of English at Ohio Dominican University, will read excerpts of “Fragmented Lives,” a semi-autobiographical novel about a young Kenyan immigrant in the U.S.
Indian-American Srirupa Dhar, a former university lecturer and middle school teacher in Columbus, will present “For a Drop of Rice-Water,” a novel set during the Bengal Famine of 1943.
Other authors with books involving family histories include “Message in a Matchbox,” by California-based Iranian-American author Sara Fashandi, which is about her brother’s struggles growing up poor in Tehran, and “Jasmine and Journeys: The Life Quest of a South Asian Woman,” by Najma Shamsi, a retired English and political science professor who lives in Columbus. The latter book intertwines the author's family’s history with that of Pakistan.
Hellen Yee, cofounder of the American Institute of Alternative Medicine and former vice president of Stonewall Columbus, a nonprofit organization which advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, will read from "I Belong Here: The Life I was Born for in America."
Yee said the memoir is “about my awkward child immigrant self coming to America and experiencing bullying and racism … but (discovering) confidence and self-worth as well as developing math skills and friendships along the way.”
Uwadiae himself will present a new collection of essays he edited with three colleagues, titled “Nigeria's Aborted 3rd Republic and the June 12 Debacle,” which stems from his time as a reporter in Lagos, the African country's economic capital, in the 1990s.
Showcasing immigrants, refugees, and migrants
Uwadiae, who emigrated with his family from Nigeria about a decade ago, said he organized the fair to provide an opportunity for authors whose work does not get the attention it deserves.
He said that many new Americans feel an urge to write to educate others about the immigrant experience. Certain themes run through many of the authors' work.
“People from Asia, from Africa, from South America — there’s that common theme of prejudice, being seen as foreigners, that people want to uncover. But another thing that is common is the determination to work to belong and to be accepted,” Uwadiae told The Dispatch.
“Columbus Metropolitan Library is Open to All,” Keith Hanson, the library’s branch manager, wrote in an email. “Those words are even etched above the entrance of our Main Library. We celebrate diverse cultures and life experiences and work to make our libraries spaces where everyone can feel welcomed.”
Peter Gill covers immigration and new American communities for The Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America here: bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
pgill@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New American book fair to feature immigrant, refugee authors
