After a two-year hiatus, the Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair – the Southwest African American experience in books and story – returns on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, from noon-4 p.m. at the African American Museum, Dallas in historic Fair Park (3536 Grand Ave., Dallas, TX 75210). The family-friendly event is free and open to the public,
Tulisoma – a Swahili word that means "we read" – is a community-based festival promoting literacy and the arts in the South Dallas/Fair Park area. With numerous authors and illustrators participating, the Saturday event includes author presentations and readings, writing and art workshops, open mic poetry, performances, book signings, panel discussions, children’s story time, kids activities and more. Also, workshops and seminars will be presented on "how to organize book clubs" and "how to publicize and market your book."
The Tulisoma weekend kicks off with the Sutton E. Griggs Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature Dinner on Friday, August 19, at 7 p.m. honoring literary icons Tina McElroy Ansa, an award-winning novelist, publisher, filmmaker, teacher and journalist, and Carole Boston Weatherford, whose books have received three Caldecott Honors, two NAACP Image Awards, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor and many other honors. WFAA anchor Cleo Greene will emcee the event. Tickets for the dinner are $50.
Noted authors confirmed to attend Tulisoma are Griggs Award honorees Tina McElroy Ansa and Carole Boston Weatherford; Brian W. Smith, award-winning author of 30 books and short stories; Dr. Helen Benjamin and Jean Nash Johnson, authors of How We Got Over: Growing up in the Segregated South; Nancy Churnin, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and author of Martin & Anne, the Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank; Antong Lucky, author of A Redemptive Path Forward: From Incarceration to a Life of Activism; Rosalyn Story, author of Sing Her Name; and Sanderia Faye, author of Mourner's Bench. Other featured authors include Delores Elder-Jones, Lisa Ross, Jeffery Weatherford, Tina McElroy Ansa, B.K. Hotchkins, Phillipia Williams, Travis Wortham and Clarence Glover.
Tulisoma was founded in 2003 by the late Dallas City Councilmember Leo V. Chaney, Jr. and Dr. Harry Robinson Jr., president and CEO of the African American Museum. The goal of Tulisoma is to engage local families, avid readers, aspiring writers and visitors to the region. The African American Museum serves as the lead partner along with many community supporters and sponsors to continue the tradition of celebrating reading and the importance of literacy.
Sponsors of the African American Museum , Dallas, are Atmos, Eugene McDermott Foundation, Fair Park First and Spectra Venue Management, Friendship West Baptist Church, Oncor, State Fair of Texas, and the City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture.
HOURS. The African American Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free self-parking is available in nearby lots.
For more information about Tulisoma, go to Tulisomabookfair.org or call 214-565-9026
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