Black Romance Book Fest

Part 1

This post ended up being so long that I decided to break it up into two parts!

To revise the iconic quote from Sidney Shaw on Brown Sugar, “When did you first fall in love with reading?” Long before I became a writer, I was a reader. My dad required me to read and great thing for me, I fell in love with it. Nothing made my reader insides tingle more with excitement and pride than getting to attend Black Romance Book Festival in Atlanta, Georgia!  The festival took place May 30^th- June 1^st, 2026 at the Omni Hotel and it was a sight to behold and an amazing experience! Me and my girls went and had the best time, lines aside, lol!

Last year was the inaugural event and there I quickly recognized that we had something monumental. I was so thankful that we were able to snag the coveted and highly sought after tickets for this year. Word on the street is that tickets sold out in 15 minutes last year. And that is even with doubling the number of attendees. So if you’re hoping to be in attendance next year, you will need all the patience, prayers and preparation of garnering a Beyonce concert ticket and nearly the fortitude of a Hunger Games participant.  

BRBF is what happens when an untapped need becomes recognized. Imagine being on the quest for something great and knowing it is out there but not quite sure how to find it and then one day while digging a well you realize that it’s an oil mine. Cue Biggie’s “It was all a dream.” BRBF made the dreams of many come true and with endless possibilities.

The Event

A beautiful festival and culture collision of black books, black authors, black narrators, black vendors, black businesses, black celebrations and us, the attendees! Ahh, greatness at its finest. Being there was reminiscent of my HBCU experience on “The Hill” of Alabama A & M University. Not since graduating from undergrad have I been immersed in such a space that gave elevated HBCU vibes. I was surrounded by books I WANT to read not have to read, lol and by the authors of those very same books plus some of the voices who brought them to life! Amazing!

The Authors

Never have I attended (until this festival last year) a book event where I was literally surrounded by my favorite authors. I felt like a kid at Disney World seeing Mickey or Minnie for the first time. It is a surreal experience to finally meet some of the authors whose books I love, whose work I admire, whose stories resonate and transcend beyond the pages and beyond my imagination. Then there are the authors who I wasn’t familiar with prior to the festival or who I had only heard about from others. By the time I left the festival, I had them added to my TBR (to be read) list. It was empowering and enriching. There were a lot of authors represented and I mean A LOT. So before going, I made myself a priority list of who I wanted to meet for sure if given the opportunity. I also knew that I wanted to see some of the authors who I feel like I’ve known personally for years, lol or that I have met previously. So I know you are asking who did you meet sis? Get to it! Well, how about a roll call? I wish I could name them all but that is impossible.

I caught up with my OG favorites like Rhonda McKnight and Vanessa Miller and am patiently waiting on Writer in Residence and The Ladies Hall. I swung by to check in on Sheryl Lister to express my anticipation about the release of All My Sisters And Me. Saw my girl and Busy Bee Taj McCoy who is not only a great author but a literary agent too! Caught T’Lyn again this year! Got to chat with Jasmine Guillory who I met very briefly last year at Kennedy Ryan’s event. Grabbed a picture with Kristina Forest who I didn’t get to meet last year and discussed her new release Summer Girlfriend!

Back to that priority list of authors who I had never met but have now thanks to BRBF:

Alexandria House- the fairy godmother of black romance. She is the reason that I made sure to get a Keynote add on because I knew that she would be a part of the panel even before the BRBF team announced it officially. How did I know? Because it is impossible to say black romance and not say Alexandria House. PERIOD.

Brenda Jackson- who I affectionately call the Auntie and OG of black romance. She’s the author who has been writing black romance so long that you, your mom and your grandmother have both read her books.

Along with Rhonda McKnight and Vanessa Miller noted above, this next group of authors renewed my reading passion and helped me maintain my faith. Unbeknownst to them, they were instrumental as I was going through my mom’s cancer journey, the loss of my first son and my mom's death. Their work allowed me to still be fed with God's word even when I didn't want to talk to him because of hurt and anger. To meet them in person further healed a piece of my heart.

Jacquelin Thomas- She is one of the authors whose messages of inspiration and faith in her resonate so much. With over 100 books in her catalog, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Reshonda Tate- I’m pretty sure that I have read every book in her catalog from her Christian fiction to her recent historical fiction.

Kimberla Lawson Roby- two words, Curtis Black. But aside from that landmark series she has also written women’s fiction and most recently a faith-based nonfiction that I’m excited to dive into.

Tiffany Warren- I’ve been rocking with her since her debut in 2005 and if she’s written it, I’ve read it. Her recent works are historical fiction and if she had not told the story I would not have learned so much. A Harlem Wedding needs to be made into a movie!

Pat Simmons- If any author is going to point you to God directly while giving you entertaining and relatable stories, it's going to be Mother Pat.

But that's not all. Look who else I got to meet!

Toni Shiloh- this author writes the sweetest Christian romance with relatable characters. I can always count on her to point her characters back to faith or introduce them to Christ. 

Mel Dau- the queen of informational dramas with a hefty dose of humor. Ever heard of Mega Man? Love her pen!

Regina Black- This was a newer author who’s second book became one of my favorite books of last year. August Lane made such an impact that I was excited to track her down for a signed copy and picture. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Terah Shelton Harris- Where The Wildflowers Grow is easily one of the best books that I have read this year. I was excited to meet a fellow Alabamian whose literary fiction is complex, rich, engaging while being both heartwarming and heart wrenching at times.

Michelle Lindo-Rice- She has kept our book club busy for several years dating back to her Christian fiction and now with her more recent Women's fiction.

Vanessa Riley- A guru of historical fiction and fascinating stories of real people and experiences!

Of my priority list who I didn’t get to meet were Christina C. Jones and Stephanie Nicole Norris. I did at least get to see Christina C. Jones on a panel so I won’t fret too much. And there were plenty more who I would have loved to meet personally but hopefully there will be a next time.

The Narrators

Another fantastic thing about BRBF is meeting your favorite narrators. It took me a minute to catch on to audiobooks, but when I did, it’s been up and stuck or whatever Cardi said ever since. Audiobooks are how I read about 90 percent of the time due to the convenience and the ability to easily work it into my busy lifestyle. Therefore, as excited as I was to meet some of my favorite authors, I was just as excited to meet some of my favorite narrators. They are truly gifted and bring books to life in a way that is so engaging that the experience feels like a movie in your head.

I met some of them last year, but it was great catching up with them again such as Trei Taylor, Ja’Air Bush, Charlie Wood and Wesleigh Siobhan (not pictured) along with Myles Washington and Midnite Michael.

This year I got to meet the elusive Emmanuel Ingram (not pictured), the ultra-talented Angel Pean and the first narrator that I ever listened to, Adenrele Ojo! I was also excited to meet JY Kora, iikane and more. Interacting with the narrators is one of my favorite parts about BRBF!

That about wraps up part one! I'll tell you more in the next post!

Have you ever attended a book festival or author event? Share the details!