On Saturday, June 14, we proudly presented our curated series of literary panels at the Schomburg Center Literary Festival in Harlem. As part of the center’s centennial celebration, this year’s festival honored 100 years of championing Black history and intellectual life. Being part of one of the most significant book events in the U.S. literary world was an immense honor. We deepened the festival’s diversity by spotlighting African authors whose storytelling expanded the conversation around identity, memory, and imagination. The event, filled with vibrant energy from 11 AM to 7 PM, featured author talks, workshops, cosplay, live music, a moving tribute to Nikki Giovanni, a keynote by activist Raquel Willis, and a block party finale by DJ D-Nice and Slick Rick on the Octavia E. Butler Stage.

Among our standout panels was This Could Be Love, which explored queer love, longing, and intimacy in contemporary African fiction with authors Chukwuebuka Ibeh (Blessings) and Ani Kayode Somtochukwu (And Then He Sang a Lullaby), moderated by B.A. Parker of NPR’s Code Switch. Future Histories: New Ways of Telling Difficult Histories of Violence featured Chigozie Obioma and Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, whose speculative and historical fiction reimagined Africa’s past, cosmologies, and traumas. Another highlight was Storytelling and Suspense in Contemporary Fiction, where Iris Mwanza, Yasmin Angoe, and Rama Sana Mansa delivered a riveting conversation on thrillers with complex African female protagonists, moderated by Brittany Luse of It’s Been a Minute.

Below are moments from the memorable festival!

Credit: Isseu Diouf/ Schomburg Center 100 and Afrikan Spot Photo and Video Agency