Good morning everybody. Going to start you off with a wrap cold i love books. We have any book lovers in the audience. [applause]. I need to hear you. Doing a book lovers in the audience. We will ask you to join us with refrain. I love books by, i love books by, i love books by seasons of candy, i love books by loves hops. And because we have brandon house, im inviting you to offer us a verse of why you love books. Here we go. I love books by mode i love books like, other books by authors. Other books by, authors. I love books like i love the moon. I love books by, i love books by, i love books by , i love books like kids love candy. I love books like i love pop and i love books like kids like to hop. I love books like authors. I live books like i love books like i love books like and i love books like i love books like i love books like kids like candy. I love books like kids like to hop. I love books like i love salad, i love books like i love books like i love books like i love books like i i i i love books like one more phrase. Who is in the house. I love books like i love books like i love books like i love books like kids like to hop i love books like i love books like. [laughter]. I love books like i love books like molybdenum. I love books like round of applause. [applause]. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you pretty well under the Second Annual lack authors breakfast party. An africanamerican region. This is the 30th anniversary of the African American reading and this is an international event. I am the founder of this event and i am grateful to be here with our host, financial credit union, lets give them a round of applause. [applause]. So we are going to ask signal to come up and give you a nice warm welcome. And they can do a little wrap if they want to. [laughter]. Thank you caroline, i just love my coworkers. Thats why we are Holding Hands here. This is an exciting time and were exciting to have a against no annual, but right here, and we left it open at our branch venue for events like this. Which is why we designed space like this. I will work on the walls. We are with the our school and we do art shows. The first thursday evening and every month. We do artist bookmark up to the entire month. So we have a lot going on here. And doesnt look like a traditional financial institution. Not also just want to introduce ourselves. Im Vice President of Marketing Digital pr here. Most of the Childrens Book author normally would look in my hand. Im a creative just like all of you here. Originally to introduce yourself. Built, senior Vice President. Im responsible for the branches, or if you call our call center. And i love what i do. And i want to as the rest of the second team to come to the front. [applause]. So we just wanted to everyone here so we can see the signal is truly part of the community and if youre a creative and you are looking a new banking institution, signal is diverse, for families and we look at people and people come into the branches and they know all of us by name. And you have a home here. If youre looking for anything, regarding Financial Empowerment, wealth building, or displays we feel like you are going to be hard. Signal is really the place to be. Just come up and talk to anyone of these people. We will be happy to talk to you more about how we can help enable your Financial Empowerment for your creative journey. [applause]. [background sounds]. Thank you so much and another around of applause for signal financial articles today. [applause]. Awesome. So we hope that you will follow signal Financial Federal Credit Union on twitter, on linkedin, and also on facebook. As well as authors that youre going to be hearing from today. So again, i am caroline and im here to tell you a little bit about why we are here. So we are here because of a woman during, she was a professor of english and more than 30 years ago, is a member of the black carcass of the National Council of teachers of english, it became clear to her, that she was not seeing a lot of black others represented in the places that she presented and in the universities that she was aware of. And she understood that it was important for us to see black authors and see them, to get to know their stories, to connect with them, to bond with them. This was happens when you read authors were in your here in authors songs, you start to connect with them and bond with them and you get to experience life from their perspective. Because africanamericans are essential to what the United States of america is today. And she knew that it was essential to find a way for us to seek more authors and for us to hear more africanamerican authors and so she founded the africanamerican region. It was initially a oneday event. And people from all communities from the very beginning, indicted to post, readings and gettogethers. Featuring the works of black authors pretty she invited schools to participate in churches and Community Organizations and even from the very beginning, prisons participated in having credence where people gathered around to hear the works of africanamerican authors. And today, years later, more than 6 Million People all around the world, celebrated the africanamerican regions, and celebrated in the institutions as this one we are participating in today. In one of the things that doctor scott also wanted was for local authors to be known. As of that is why this event is happening because this is a tremendous amount of talent in washington dc as you guys are all aware ands certainly throughout the month to present. Priests so you so we are here because we want to celebrate those people who are poets and historians and or fiction writers, who are Childrens Book authors did who are newspaper journalists, so with lots of exciting writers who are here today to share the works with you. I hope you will sit back and relax. Just open your mind to a wonderful literature journey. Another end of the laws for signal financial for being our house. [applause]. And we are going to invite our first author to come up. Good morning, i am here with a book that grew out of my story experience. Im a singer and storyteller. And some 25 years ago, i was in a play in my native new york, home christmas comes to harlem. In the director, needed a black night before christmas. And i said, im a researcher, i will find one. I cannot find one. And it may still be there but i couldnt find it. Sonic event, i sent dont like, i will write one pleading she said oh good. So he did. And they used to form of it. But this is what i wrote at the beginning. And i want to tell you that people are big on saying, that africanamericans, black english is all about style. And its nothing about substance. And i beg to differ. Our language, not only bears are history, and also bears our intellectuality. Our ability, our range. This is a black night before christmas. Christmas was just a break. What were studying christmas was just right. There was nothing checking. I kicked back and we were all ready to cut some slack. We went on the street some full got there first. So i went to check out. In the light from the remsen the streets filled with ice, so they cut these old eyes playing tricks on me. And i looked, and i went, they said, no pretty cant be. Eight dogs biggest renders, they were pulling his leg. When the big man inside of it just mostly red. And then talk to each one, the child a name which was good because to me they all look the same. All good names, i was like a zombie when all of this went down. Only was in town. So start making sense. It is just a moment try to climb your blacfence. You should act your age not your shoe size. We are decent people. Anyway, he picked up his face and give me a smile. Look like somebody had not seen for a while. He said, hello woman. We talk about. I came by to say Merry Christmas and if you cant act good. And then everything started to fall into place. And then the voice, it sounded familiar. It is been 40 years, i think thats right. On Christmas Eve night. He yelled, get up and get rock in. Ive got a Little Something for your christmas stocking. And my sisters face was steady. He went and left us so many years ago and hurt us in ways she would never show. But she started to glow with this deep inner light the went out when he left on the Christmas Eve night. So we come back, i guess its okay. Merry christmas baby, im going to sleep all day. The end. [applause]. Did morning everybody. That was awesome. She gave me like five different sports analogies why number two is really important. [laughter]. Im just trying to embrace all that as i read to you for my novel. In many ways it is about the main character, but a mans relationship to his family, and his community. As he tries to follow his dream of becoming a big bluesman in chicago. Right now, hes in arkansas, and he is on his porch and he is playing his guitar. He is a conversation with his son. He grabbed his guitar, and let it out a sigh and commenced to humming the blues. It wasnt too long after that, when his peace was interrupted. This time by his young son. In the listing from his bed, i was drawn towards the music augustines, is making outside. He was making his way inside. The sounds, were something deeper than him and he did not understand but whatever it was, it made him want to get right up under it. Write it under the source. To feel the vibrations as close as daddy would allow. This is really didnt mind having an audience and he kept on strumming his guitar, and humming until he came to a stopping point. Charles asked him, what is it that you are humming about danny, i home the blues son. What. The blues. The blues is what concerns you repeat. What you mean that concerns you, what bothers you, that you and god, that keeps you from getting what you want. It could be a piece of change, some of her, a goodlooking woman, person and threads. And he has the person i reckon. You see whats ever on your is between you and your guitar, your guitar lessons for your playing and it talks back to you. Most times it is trying to tell you what to do god. And depending on your moods, youll might have lessons, sometimes you have to see i did i saw whole another tune together. Cement which way you go, you see, all of this beyond your comprehension. Right now. Keep on living. Like your mama, you will understand better byebye. Keep on living. Augustine strays his guitar into the by the neck and he shook it in the air. He was feeling real proud about putting his words together. Like it smart talking preacher man or bigcity lawyer. Teddy, but you aint god. What you and your guitar talk about. Stu of did not just tell you thats between me and my guitar. You have to listen to the music and try to figure out if it is for each figure. When can you teach me how to play. Before its all over i reckon that i can but right now, you aint got no blues. Just mind mean your mama and get your listens and thats all you got to worry about. Charles thought to himself, but he sure enough did know about the blues. His brother was always the blues. Sometimes his mama was the blues. Everybody picking on his little sisters, calling her slow and having having to fight all of the time is a list. Not being smart like on, was the blues. One sweet potato pie, was the blues. Wanted to go far far away from this town, was the blues. Having music inside him that he wanted to let out but didnt know how, was the blues. He promised himself that he would play music one day, just like his daddy, by then it would figure he had plenty of blues startup. But augustines return to his guitar and played. Charles closed his eyes and took it all in. And the son, and to feeling unwanted all day long, finally switched places with the moon and sing its own blues. [applause]. Good morning everyone. I am alan king, author event and point blank. But im going to be, reading a poem from a forthcoming checkbook. Cricket is smiling like coming the bargain bins, a woman who is not your wife, marches beside you asking if the cd youre holding is any good. She is close enough for you to smell her body wash and the angle she gives you and your mother bomber jacket. One unzipped showing a white tee retracing her athletic stomach and arms the jacket with its color flared, makes for a right blossom burning his tomb along its neckline. In your fathers voice from who went before warned you about gorging on everything you see. You are 16 the first time he told you when your hunger hungers like that summer at myrtle beach, starting the boardwalk, in the honey barbecue son who sweet light made each of them, a long stretch of marinade. A chromatic skill delivers alone which, her son was burning to play. And is a temptation always lurking deeper, be on our common sense hostage. You saw the flower the woman that you married after she points to a flyer and said you should go. When she asked that you if youre happy and you remember a brother was asking how you love one woman when the world work possibilities of pleasure laid out by jumbo crab cake and buffalo wings. Whats gluttony if not a symptom of our own hunger consuming is. Was it hate selling his substance for a handful of being spread that was jack. Youre never the story the start, it almost made him a hungry giant. You still. The past preaching about boston wearing the rags of drowsiness. Which is how your wife and you. Sibling, through the days and he left before, was a stream of violent in a dark garden of wilted some flowers and a camper trailer resting against the moldy brick wall. You were once a city of powerlines, boardedup and junked cars, and blazing drunk barrel fires, but she saw in use, only her cartels. Just like it new, watching the automatic doors close behind you, and 16, you saw other was to living, was filling your appetite. Too young to know, love is the everyday meal that the lack of it, kills quicker than the absence of food. Thank you. [applause]. [laughter]. [background sounds]. Good morning everyone. My name is now likely limit the author of bobo. The death of a chocolate city. Gogo has been in the news because theres this movement. His from back in the spring and i, and activists and ronald posted the petition and got 80000 signatures to break the return of the music on the Street Corner in washington dc read and what was amazing about the 80000 signatures, as they came from 94 different countries. All of the world. Everything, and places that i was not really united i didnt even really know they were checking for it which is a very local music form. But the chapter that i will read for my book which actually came out several years ago and i am so excited that people are still interested in is called calling response. Just talking about sort of just that kind of Global Dimensions of gogos art form. It is local but it is not local. So open with the quote from floyd. His lead talker and a familiar face and also he said evolution from the past of the president , that is where the whole thing comes from. Africa. Drums was used to talk from tribe to tribe, call and response of the holding, so this basically the condition of gogo. On a visit to west africa, i saw a lot of rhythms rhythmic combos and brooms, a lot of call and response. They just dont call it gogo. It is one of those hot sticky summer days in washington, when i and my mother and my six yearold daughter, emma nine yearold call me maverick and headed to the dc carnival. The annual festival parade of george avenue. In red green and yellow flight from my parents, low memory sported a bracelet with a tiny black and yellow flight for my parents stated like jamaica. My son soft as we made our way down to the football field set up with food vendors and concert stages. He wanted to stay at home. And it is hot. And when i try to hold mavericks had to avoid being separated in the crowd, if all the way for me. Early onset teenager. I ignored this is the cross george avenue near Howard University campus and thats the main of about 50 in a diaper hoisting a beer in one hand and an oxygen tank in another. We walked past the mud splattered mask mastering camps, represented in the woods representing haiti. We passed the glenridge peacock costumes and rose and rose at dancers. And we take sees before the mobile stage on benjamin Academic High School field which is filled with people waving umbrellas and colorful flags. A jamaican mc in a white and jeans and tshirt tying on his head faces the stage. In my money from the jacket and of one another from trinidad. I want them to come up on the stage would group a quick. He beckoned this. About a dozen women quickly scale the states gauge and harmony pipes out of the loudspeaker as the mc, call out there countries the cities as they stiffened up. He said, trinidad, puerto rico, panama, belize, one by one, the women take turns on center stage. The rumbling begins in their thighs and shoulders and moves like an earthquake. Raritans jet out in the ripples of cellulite into motion. One leg up and headstand, skinny hip shake on the spin cycle but flesh jiggles of this beta popcorn. My 61 yearold mother exchanges a look for the woman sitting next to her was about the same age. This will my grandson over there, she tells the woman pointing towards maverick. His job drops is the woman drops into a pushup position and bryce perhaps up against the stage. It will be all right the woman says. Yes he will be all right my mom agrees. As believers these divisive food, my son clapped his hand in my shoulder, peace offering. I am what a game he said. But he was. I we get home, the report to the first dc carnival to our neighbor of white gate doctor in his 30s. In her eyes growing big and he responds generally, that is the best kind. In egypt the soundtrack a little bit in the scene could easily have been any any given night at any gogo in washington. Even same frenzies movement in the exuberance, the same overtly sexual commanded by mlk. In the same too loud sound system the grinds melodies into gravel. And rhythm, lots of rhythm. A lot of people asked me about gogo and how i can spend ten years now 20 years, thinking and writing about it as a journalist, the best i can do is shrug because its a caribbean thing. Along with the church, the caribbean greatly influence the gogo creator but the connections are more of a state of the mind. When i heard my first live gogo broadcast, on radio my freshman year in 1994, mike is part of in