BIPOC Book Fest launch!

Friends, family, and fellow book lovers - Hello! We’re writers and the organizers of BIPOC Book Fest, a two-day festival that celebrates books and literary works by Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, Asian American and Pacific Islander and other marginalized groups. 

BIPOC stands for Black Indigenous (and) People of Color.

 

Hosted in Houston — the most diverse city in the country, the BIPOC Book Fest aims to showcase books and other literary works that are representative of various races and cultures — just like our city. Curated by notable writers and readers of color, the festival will combine the nostalgia of book fairs we knew and loved as students with unique programming, artist talks, readings, vendors, book-related memorabilia, must-reads from all genres, and more!

 

Literacy is also a vital component. One in three Harris County adults are functionally illiterate, meaning they lack basic reading, writing, speaking, language and computer skills needed to work or go to school, according to a June report by the City of Houston and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. And Black and Hispanic adults in Harris County are three times more likely than white adults to have low literacy skills, according to a 2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. This makes this festival, which aims to make reading more inclusive, all the more important.

 

So what's the money for? This fundraiser will help to not only spread the word about our plans for the BIPOC Book Fest in Spring 2022, but it will help raise funds crucial to making this event – the first of its kind – come alive!

 

We’ve already begun planning and have solidified partners and vendors, including Brazos Bookstore , Red Planet Books and Comics , Houston Public Library , Arte Público Press , Kindred Stories , SOA Co Books , and Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center ’s Latino bookstore. And now, after months of planning and many more to go, we’re hoping to keep the momentum going!

 

The funds we raise here will help cover the costs of the festival’s venue, artist fees, portions of children’s books giveaways, and other logistics. If we hit our goal, we’ll be able to pay in full for our tentative venue for the festival, schedule artists and pay their fees, solidify programming, and get assistance with the promotion and marketing materials. If we exceed our goal, we’ll be able to expand our festival offerings, including a children’s book giveaway at the Little BIPOC Book Fair. (To be transparent, we’ve also applied for a grant from the City of Houston’s Houston Art Alliance in hopes of having some of our funding costs covered! But we won’t hear back until Dec. 31, 2021)

 

Please participate if you can! Every little bit helps. And if you can't help monetary, please help us spread the word about the BIPOC Book Fest event and fundraiser on your social media! We are grateful for your support and generosity. Stay tuned to this page, our social media and the BIPOC Book Fest website (bipocbookfest.com) for updates. 

 

Let’s get LIT!