(Los Angeles, CA – Promising to be the hottest literary event of the summer, the bigger, better and more spectacular second annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair (LPVBF) will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 31, 2008 in Leimert Park Village, Degnan Blvd. at 43rd Street.
Operating from a futuristic viewpoint under the theme, “Celebrating Our Literary Legacy: Our Heritage, Our Words, Our Stories (Preserving Our Past/Building Our Future),” the 2008 Book Fair will feature a tribute to cartoonists, illustrators and comic writers, in addition to a children’s “Super Heroes” stage, animated film screenings presented by the Hollywood Black Film Festival, special panels, exhibitions and presentations with a science fiction premise, and the posthumous tribute to Octavia E. Butler, considered the first African American woman to gain critical acclaim as a major science fiction writer.
A Pasadena, CA-native, Ms. Octavia Estelle Butler knew at an early age that she was “different,”
“Simple peck-order bullying is only the beginning of the kind of hierarchical behavior that can lead to racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, classism and all the other “isms” that cause so much suffering in the world,” she explained as her reason for creating alternate universes in her popular works, which included Kindred, Dawn, Wild Seed, Patternmaster, Mind of my Mind, Survivor, Clay’s Ark, Adulthood, Fledgling, Parable of the Sower and others.
“I’m not writing for some noble purpose, I just like telling a good story,” she once said in an interview. “If what I write about helps others understand this world we live in, so much the better for all of us. Every story I write adds to me a little, changes me a little, forces me to reexamine an attitude or belief, causes me to research and learn, helps me to understand people and grow…Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself,” Ms. Butler said.
A Pasadena City College graduate, Ms. Butler was the recipient of many top awards including the Hugo Award, Nebula Award and MacArthur grant, before succumbing to a head injury in 2006.
“We recognize and respect the genius of Octavia Butler and want others to do the same,” offered LPVBF creator, Cynthia E. Exum. “We are hoping to have the same type turnout as last year – more than 200 authors, 74 vendors and 5,000 visiting participants – to help us celebrate this creative genius,” she added.
“Last year’s turnout was very remarkable demonstrating clearly the incredible interest in and great support for literacy, the literary arts, and education in our community,” Ms. Exum added. “This year’s event, indeed, promises to be just as exciting and engaging as our first, and we hope the community will continue to support it,” she said.
Produced by Cynthia E. Exum and Associates, in conjunction with Eso Won Books, Helping One Another Progress, Inc., Leimert Park Village Business Improvement District, Leimert Park Village Farmers’ Market, Leimert Park Village Merchants Association and the West Area Neighborhood Development Council, the second annual book fair will feature authors, storytellers, spoken word artists, poets, publishers, booksellers, literary vendors, workshops, panel discussions and musical entertainment.
Public sponsors include 8th District City Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, 2nd District Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke; 26th District Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, among others, along with corporate sponsors, Broadway Federal Bank, KABC-TV Channel 7; Macy’s, KPFK Radio, KJLH Radio Nestles USA, Inc., The Neilson Company, Marvel Comics, Northrop Grumman, Starbucks, DC Comics, Time Warner Cable and Wal-Mart.
For additional information contact 323.730.0628 or visit the book fair’s official website at www.leimertparkbookfair.com.
