LUMBERTON (WBTW) – Book ‘Em North Carolina will be having it’s 2017 event at Robeson Community College on Saturday, September 23rd from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm.
The event is free, open to the public, and all ages are encouraged to attend.
There will be authors with children’s books as well as authors from a large variety of genres: mystery/suspense, romance, historical, non-fiction, and much more. Meet and greet some of your favorite authors, get autographs and purchase their books.
At the event a series of talks occur between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm and include:
-Writers Conference – for aspiring or published authors of all ages and levels;
-The Children’s Corner – readings for younger children, arts and crafts and special activities;
-Panel Discussions and Talks for readers of various fiction and nonfiction genres, including autobiographical, biographical, historical, mystery/suspense, romance, fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, horror, true crime and othersProceeds from this one-day event are used to increase literacy rates for citizens of all ages and reduce crime. Groups receiving donated funds from previous events include: the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Robeson County for ages 1 through 5; Communities In Schools for all grade levels; Friends of the Robeson County Public Library for adult literacy programs; and Lumberton Police Department. $34,600 has been donated to date. The event is FREE and open to the public. Proceeds for literacy come from the sale of books. Each author and publisher agrees to donate a minimum of 40% of each and every book sale as a condition of their participation in the event. 100% of this money is kept within Robeson County.
2017 Headlining Authors:
Jill McCorkle’s books include The Cheer Leader, Carolina Moon, July 7th, and Life after Life. Her short stories have become part of the Best American Short Stories collections as well as the New Stories from the South. Her essays have appeared in publications such as the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Southern Living, and Our State. She has received the New England Bestsellers Award, the John Dos Passe Prize for Excellence in Literature, and the North Carolina Award for Literature.
LeJuane Bowens is a poet, author, and motivational speaker. He is best known for his work, So Many Things to Say: A Collection of Poems. Bowens has performed in poetry slams across the nation. He has been recognized as the first North Carolina poet to compete and win three poetry slams in 3 different cities (Fayetteville, Charlotte, and Durham). He was been nominated as the Spoken Word Artist of the Year. He is the recipient of the 2016 Rising Star Male Poet Award for North Carolina and the 2016 GANSPA award. Bowens is one of the founders and the director of the Southeastern Regional North Carolina Festival held in Fayetteville, NC.
Also featured at the event:
Chalk artist Katie Bush to create 2D and 3D artwork during Book ‘Emhttp://www.artkatie.com/chalk-art.html
For a list of authors attending the event and for further information, visit Book ‘Em NC.
