For me, four more surprises, other than Ted Dekker, landed on my list of who to see this
year as I looked more closely at the line-up of authors. Usually I quickly look
over the list to see if there are any names I recognize. Bad idea, I know. So this
year I am glad I took my time, else I would have missed a tantalizing buffet of
reading material I can really sink my eyes into.
Here's who I am looking forward to reading and hearing for the first time:
Here's who I am looking forward to reading and hearing for the first time:
1. Nelson D. George—one
of the first writers to document hip hop culture and the author of several
award-winning books on the subject, including Hip Hop America and The
Death of Rhythm and Blues; he also coauthored (with Simmons) Russell
Simmons’s autobiography Life and Def.
He directed Queen Latifah in the HBO film Life Support, and is an executive producer of VH1’s
longrunning Hip Hop Honors broadcast.
His newest novel, The Plot Against Hip
Hop, will be his featured piece at the festival. I can't wait to hear his
thoughts about race, culture, and the influence of hip hop in 2012 and beyond.
2. Aliya S. King—contributing
editor and columnist for Upscale,
a women’s lifestyle magazine. She writes about music, relationship and women’s
issues. In 2007 Aliya co-authored the New
York Times’ bestseller, Keep the
Faith, with platinum recording artist Faith Evans. She also
co-authored Original Gangster with
Frank Lucas, on whom the film American
Gangster was based. She wrote and published her first novel, Platinum, released by Simon and Schuster
in July 2010. And her latest novel, Diamond
Life, was released by Simon and Schuster in February 2012.
Aliya and Nelson will be on a panel together at the book
festival at 2:00 in the Author Zone. They will discuss "The Beauty and
Power of Hip Hop.”
3. Jeff Ashton—a
prosecutor for the State of Florida for thirty years, and in that time he tried
more than eighty murder cases. Now retired, he lives in Florida with his wife
and children. He is the first lawyer to successfully try a case using DNA
evidence. His featured title is Imperfect
Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony. This is of interest to me as a
Floridian, but even more because I kept as far from the case as I could when it
was happening. So being now separated by time, I am interested to hear Jeff's
thoughts on what happened beyond the courtroom. Jeff will hold two panel
discussions at 10:00 and 12:00 in the Author Zone.
And last but certainly not least, I must leave myself room for a
little soul food. The Southern gal and foodie in me is looking forward to meeting this
lady.
4. Stephanie L. Tyson—a
creative chef who has turned growing up in the South into the soul of her
restaurant, Sweet Potatoes. Trained in culinary arts at Baltimore
International College, Chef Tyson opened her award-winning restaurant with her
partner Vivián Joiner in 2003 in the downtown arts district of Winston-Salem,
where they live. Stephanie's featured title at the festival is Well, Shut My Mouth! The Sweet Potatoes
Restaurant Cookbook—recipes from the Sweet Potatoes restaurant, recipes from the
families of Chef Stephanie Tyson and co-owner Vivian Joiner, and recipes that are
Southern, plain, and simple. That just sounds so mmm-mmm good. Don't it, y'all?
Stephanie will be on a panel called "Southern Cooking at Its Best" at
3:00 in the Author Zone with baker and author, Nathalee Dupree, author of Southern Biscuits.
For more information about author readings and panels at
this year's book festival, click here.
Which authors are you hoping to see at this year's festival?
Which authors are you hoping to see at this year's festival?
