Black Ink:  A Charleston African-American Book Festival

Saturday, October 5, 2019, 11 am – 5 pm

The Charleston African-American Book Festival is the first and only annual celebration of African-American literature in the Charleston area. Now in its fourth year, Black Ink serves as a platform to support local Black writers, creating a space for them to share their work, discuss their craft, and expose readers of all ages to the great variety of African-American authors in the area. With the support of community-conscious sponsors Black Ink: A Charleston African-American Book Festival will impact the lives of hundreds of readers, both young and old.

The Charleston African-American Book Festival is presented by the Charleston Friends of the Library, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the Charleston County Public Library’s resources, stimulating the use of the Library, and developing and supporting educational and literacy programs. This year, Black Ink is part of the City of Charleston’s MOJA Arts Festival, an annual celebration of African-American culture. The festival is free to the public and will include hundreds of books for sale, vendor exhibits, a keynote address, and more!

Nikki Giovanni, the world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator, will be featured as the keynote speaker at this fall’s Black Ink, Charleston’s African American book festival. One of the most widely read American poets, Giovanni has written more than two dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated children’s books, and three collections of essays. The Academy of American Poets voted Giovanni #1 poet for the spring of 2007. She has received 21 honorary doctorates and a host of other awards, including Woman of the Year titles from three different magazines and the Governors’ Awards in the Arts from both Tennessee and Virginia.

The keynote address will take place at 2 pm during the festival. Admission is free; registration required. Reservations can be made here. Space is limited.

Interested in participating in Black Ink as an author? Click here to be added to our waitlist.

Interested in receiving exposure and benefits by becoming a Black Ink Sponsor? Click here to support Black Ink.

For more information, visit blackinkcharleston.org.

Featuring over 60,000 books, DVDs, CDs, audio books, sheet music, and maps available to purchase for prices as low as $.50

Our next That BIG Book Sale event is scheduled for October 11-13  at the Omar Shrine Auditorium, with our Preview Sale for members on October 10^th .

Membership Preview Sale & Reception

Held the evening before the sale goes public / 5 – 8 PM / Omar Shrine Auditorium
Become a member of Friends and join us for a special sneak preview of the sale! Members get first access to all of the goods. To become a member, please click here.

Volunteer for FREE Books!

That BIG Book Sale is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we are in need of more than 300 volunteers to ensure that it is a success.  You can sign up here.

Volunteer Activities:

• Set up and break down the sale
• Sort and organize items
• Cashier and more!

• Free Books:  volunteers receive a coupon for $10 off a purchase
• The satisfaction that comes with helping your community

Sponsor The Annual Big Book Sale

Want to gain great visibility for your company during the sale? Looking for ways to further support the Library? Become a Sponsor! There are over 5,000 shoppers coming through the doors during the 4 day event.  Become a sponsor today!  Please call (843) 805-6882 for more information.