BIPOC Book Fest 2024

Presented in partnership with BIPOC Book Fest and Inprint

Schedule

Saturday, May 4, 2024
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Program

The third annual BIPOC Book Fest, presented with Inprint, is a celebration centered on underrepresented voices through a showcase of literary works that feature Black, Indigenous, people of color, and other creatives of marginalized communities. Curated with diversity in mind, the festival combines the nostalgia of the book fairs we knew and loved as children with unique programming, panels, readings, vendors, book-related memorabilia, poetry performances, and more!

The 2024 edition of BIPOC Book Fest builds upon the success of previous years' festivals, offering a variety of wide-ranging panels. Check back for full festival details, including the schedule and speaker lineup!

Festival Schedule

Inprint Writing Workshop

10:15–11 a.m. in the Allen Education Center (Second Floor)
Featuring Reyes Ramiez

Join Inprint for a generative writing activity for a glimpse of the power of creative writing, led by Houston writer, educator, curator, and organizer Reyes Ramirez.

Dollars and Sense

10:30–11:10 a.m. in the Green Garden (Second Floor)
Featuring Jamaul Pride

A financial literacy workshop with Jamaul Pride, COO of Dawson Private Wealth, Financial Services.

A Taste of Houston

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater (First Floor)
Kayla Stewart, Ope Amosu, David Skinner, and Victoria Elizondo in conversation with Erica Cheng, Food Reporter with Chron.com

Food writer Kayla Stewart discusses her newest book Black Texas, a cookbook that highlights the recipes and stories of the many contributions Black people have made to Texas cuisine. Chef and James Beard semifinalist Ope Amosu, whose brainchild ChopnBlok has quickly gained popularity in Houston and attention around the country, will discuss Houston's affinity for West African food and his journey to creating ChopnBlok. Chef David Skinner showcases Indigenous traditions through his new restaurant Ishtia in Kemah, and Victoria Elizondo, who serves Mexican food made with fresh and local ingredients at the successful restaurant Cochinita & Co., also join.

Storytelling in Sequence

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. in the Allen Education Center (Second Floor)
Yu Pei-Yun and Zhou Jian-Xin, with translator Lin King

A showcase with author Yu Pei-Yun and graphic artist Zhou Jian-Xin, the minds behind the graphic novel The Boy From Clearwater, which tells the tortured and triumphant story of Taiwan through the life story of a man who lived through its most turbulent times.

Teen Summit

12:15–1:15 p.m. in the Green Garden (Second Floor)
Featuring Tyrone Void and Summer Xiao

Frustrated by rules and banes that just don't seem to make sense? Feeling like your voice isn't heard in a world that's just too loud with divisiveness? Here's a chance to learn what you can do to push for change.

A Conversation With Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

1:20–2:20 p.m. in the Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater (First Floor)
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni in conversation with Pritha Bhattacharyya

Award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni discusses her novel Independence, which brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters caught up in events beyond their control, their unbreakable bond, and their struggle against powerful odds.

Writing About Us

1:30–2:30 p.m. in the Allen Education Center (Second Floor)
KB Brookins, Neesha Powell-Ingabire, Leslie Contreras Schwartz, and Elba Iris Pérez in conversation with Deborah "D.E.E.P." Mouton

A diverse range of authors discusses how their novels and memoirs inform their identities, cultures, and sense of place. KB Brookins, a Black, queer, and trans writer and cultural worker from Texas, reads from their memoir Pretty while Neesha Powell-Ingabire, a millennial journalist, essayist, and organizer shares Come By Here: A Memoir in Essays From Georgia's Geechee Coast, which traces the genealogy of systemic racial violence while paying homage to the area's long history of Black resistance and culture-keeping. Leslie Contreras Schwartz's memoir From the Womb of Sky and Earth recounts a poet's coming-of-age through a maze of abusive relationships and mental illness, woven with grlimmers of fierce love, and Elba Iris Pérez's lyrical, cross-cultural coming-of-age debut novel The Things We Didn't Know explores a young girl's childhood between 1950s Puerto Rico and a small Massachusetts factory town.

Reading and Q&A With Fady Joudah

2:30–3:30 p.m. in the Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater (First Floor)
Fady Joudah in conversation with Hosam Aboul-Ela

Internationally renowned Houston poet Fady Joudah has published six collections of poems including The Earth in the Attic, Alight, and Textu, a book-long sequence of short poems whose meter is based on cellphone character count. Fady has also translated from Arabic the works of several leading Palestinian poets including Mahmoud Darwish, Ghassan Zaqtan, and Maya Abu Al-Hayyat.

Curtain Call: A Conversation With Houston Playwrights

3–4:15 p.m. in the Allen Education Center (Second Floor)
Tazeen Zahida, Marissa Castillo, and ShaWanna Renee Rivon in conversation with Errol Anthony Wilks

One of the world's oldest art forms, playwriting has been historically and culturally important in diasporic communities of color. Join Tazeen Zahida, Marissa Castillo, and ShaWanna Renee Rivon as they talk about plays and performance as a tool of history, representation, teaching, and healing.

Lit Lounge

3–6 p.m. in the Green Garden (Second Floor)

Unwind with fellow bookish folk, mingle with the authors and speakers in between panels, and enjoy literature-themed cocktails in BIPOC Book Fest's adults-only lounge.

A Conversation With Jasmine Guillory

4–5 p.m. in the Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater
Jasmine Guillory in conversation with Reggie Bailey of Books Are Pop Culture Podcast

Chat with Jasmine Guillory about romance, joy, Black love, and her journey to becoming one of the most celebrated romance authors right now. A book-signing will follow the conversation.

Poetry Showcase

5:15–6 p.m. in the Allen Education Center
Featuring Outspoken Bean

We close out the festival with our annual poetry showcase led by award-winning poet and Houston poet laureate emeritus Outspoken Bean, joined by other Houston poets.

Publishers, Partner Organizations, and Bookstores

Art, Gifts, and Goods Vendors

Food and Drink

Dumpling Haus | Magic Cup | Visit Java Lava Cafe, located on Asia Society Texas' first floor, to enjoy coffee, breakfast, lunch, and snacks!

About BIPOC Book Fest

BIPOC Book Fest was co-founded by Jaundréa Clay, Brittany Britto Garley, and Brooke Lewis. Brittany Britto Garley is an award-winning journalist and editor of Eater Houston, where she loves digging into culture, food, and community. Jaundréa Clay is a senior copy editor and newsletter editor of HouWeAre at the Houston Chronicle, which examines the intersection of identity, race, and culture in one of the nation’s most diverse cities. Brooke Lewis is an award-winning journalist, aspiring author, and newsletter editor of Hey Houston.

About Inprint

Inprint envisions Houston, Texas, as a city where the literary arts are a defining resource. Thanks in large part to Inprint's programs, Houston is a vibrant community of creative writers and readers, rich with workshops, readings, and other kinds of literary activity. Writers from all backgrounds delight in coming to Houston to read, teach, and study creative writing. Thousands of Houstonians, recognizing the value and impact of the written word, join in Inprint programs to write, read, and support the literary arts. The community is enriched by some of the nation's top emerging writers who study at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and teach at Inprint and various local community centers, schools, and universities.

Performing Arts and Culture programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Syamal and Susmita Poddar. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, The Brown Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, The Clayton Fund, Houston Endowment Inc. Generous funding also provided by The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Wortham Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming to Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture Presenting Sponsors

Syamal and Susmita Poddar

Performing Arts and Culture Program Sponsors

Presenting Partners

BIPOC Book Fest

Additional Support

About APAH Month at Asia Society Texas

Beginning in 2021, Asia Society Texas has celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with the Houston community and beyond through a curated calendar of events for 31 ways to celebrate over the 31 days of May. Spotlighting the traditions, talents, and contributions of Asians and Asian Americans, the calendar highlights the month's key Asia Society programming, providing a platform to showcase local artists, performers, educators, and leaders who contribute to the vibrant, multicultural tapestry of Houston while also featuring staff recommendations for our favorite music, books, movies, and more by Asian and Asian American creatives.

At Asia Society Texas, APAH Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor Asians and Asian Americans and to uplift their stories to a broader audience as part of our goal to inspire our larger community to better understand one another through culture, conversation, and connection. For information about sponsoring APAH Month and other projects like this one, please contact Saleena Jafry at [email protected] or 713.496.9939.

Presenting Sponsor of APAH Month at Asia Society Texas

Sponsors of APAH Month
Comcast
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Media Sponsor

APAH Month 2024 Calendar

Digital Calendar Interactive/Printable PDF

Past APAH Month Calendars

2023: Highlights | Details
2022: Highlights | Details
2021: Details

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.