Book ‘Em North Carolina will soon hold its fifth annual Writers Conference and Book Fair at Robeson Community College. On Feb. 27, approximately 75 authors and publishers are expected to sign books and participate in panel discussions. The event is designed to raise much-needed funding for increasing the literacy rate across Robeson County.
The event is free and open to the public, but each participating author and publisher has agreed to donate a minimum of 40 percent of each book they sale to local literacy efforts. Funds this year will be divided between six groups, including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Robeson County, which will supply children ages 5 and younger with books; Communities In Schools of Robeson County, which will give books to schoolchildren in all grade levels; Friends of the Robeson County Public Library, which supplies books to readers of all ages; Robeson Community College Foundation, which offers financial assistance for people seeking a GED; and Robeson County Arts Council, which organizes events to increase the county’s literary rate.
The complete schedule of talks is available online at bookemnc.org. This year’s agenda is packed with lectures and panel discussions designed to appeal to readers and aspiring writers alike. Some of the genres that will be represented are autobiographical/biographical, fantasy, historical, mystery, nonfiction, paranormal, romance, suspense and regional.
Authors of children’s book will be stationed at a special Children’s Corner.
Panel discussions will be held specifically for writers, with topics ranging from how to find a traditional publisher to self-publishing. Authors will receive advice on writing and marketing, as well.
The event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. inside the A.D. Lewis Auditorium, with the first talks beginning at 10 a.m. The event runs until 4:30 p.m., with the final talk wrapping up at 4 p.m.
Headliners include Curtis Aikens, a celebrity chef who ran the White House kitchen; Vik Rubenfeld, a producer and screenwriter who will be traveling to Lumberton from Hollywood; Malinda Maynor Lowery, an award-winning American Indian author; Shelby Stephenson, the state’s poet laureate; and Priscilla Goudreau-Santos, a marketing expert.
Authors travel from across the country each year to attend the event. They pay their own way to help raise literacy funds for Robeson County. This year’s crop of writers are coming from Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.
You can view the books for sale by visiting bookemnc.org. Click on the “seating chart” link to find out where your favorite authors will be located.
When authors and publishers are not participating in talks, they can be found in the hallways of the building attached to the A.D. Lewis Auditorium. They will be chatting with fans and signing and selling their books.
Cashiers will be set up at the doors of the A.D. Lewis Auditorium. Books can be paid for in cash, check or by VISA or MasterCard.
The event is sponsored by a grant from the Lumberton Visitors Bureau and by local businesses. Sponsors include Golden Corral of Lumberton, Friends of the Robeson County Public Library, Rotary Club of Lumberton, Jeff and Ginny Hardin, Comfort Suites, the Law Offices of Bruce Jobe, Leroy Rising of Century 21, Mary Jo Walter of Edward Jones, SpringHill Suites, Lumberton Optometric Associates and S. Preston Douglas & Associates.
The Robeson County Arts Council’s participation is made possible through funding from the North Carolina Arts Council.
Attendees travel from all over to see their favorite authors in Lumberton. If you haven’t experienced the Book ‘Em Writers Conference and Book Fair, you owe it to yourself to see what it is all about. Hope to see you there!
