As an extension of the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas, the mission of this 3-day festival is to showcase emerging and established local artists of African descent who are creating, innovating and producing extraordinary work in the literary arts. 

Under the leadership of festival director, Marsha Mills, the James Baldwin Festival of Words is scheduled for August 25 – 27 and offers a full weekend of events that will provide engaging, educational and entertaining activities for readers, writers and supporters of the arts of all ages and all backgrounds.

On Friday evening, prepare to laugh, dance, make new friends and be inspired as we kick off this festival with SIP, PAINT & SPIT: OPEN MIC POETRY MEETS PAINT which combines a sip and paint experience with an interactive open mic show. Nathan Stepney is the featured visual artist who will provide art instruction. This event is hosted by Brie the Brand and features live music by the NuBreed Band at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre Circle Theatre.

Saturday’s events are held at the Downtown Branch of the Chattanooga Public Library. This day is filled with engaging and informative events including the Literary Lounge: Black Author Marketplace, which gives festival goers an opportunity to meet, support & engage with local Black authors who will have booths set up to sell and promote their books and merchandise throughout the day. Concurrently, there will be interactive sessions featuring speakers who are at the top of their profession. This includes a writer’s workshop with author, teacher, speaker, publishing coach and creative strategist, Coach Laura Brown of the Write Womb Inkubator. This session will be followed by a mastering marketing, promotion and business management info session led by none other than “The Business Plug”, Linda Bullard, as she will equip attendees to market and sell their books. Local author, researcher and historian, Rita Hubbard, will present in a special session called, “Always Do A Double Take” where she will share tips on researching and writing about our history. Later that afternoon, we will be visited by the lead actors of the James Baldwin play, “The Amen Corner”, as performed at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre under the direction of Ricardo Morris in 2019 as they bring a segment of the stage play to the library auditorium stage. We will wrap up the day with an interactive game show and panel discussion led by professional speaker, consultant, equity trainer, moderator and facilitator, Donivan Brown. The panel will consist of Ricardo Morris, festival chair; Earl Braggs, author, poet and African American studies professor, and others.

The festival will climax at the Chattanooga theatre Centre-Circle Theatre on Sunday, August 27, by bringing all six arts disciplines together in a memorable, immersive experience that is like none other–Shades of Poetry Showcase featuring poetic narrator and creative strategist, Erika Roberts.

For more detailed information about the only literary festival of its kind in Chattanooga visit our website at : https://www.blackartsandideasfest.com/festivals/james-baldwin-festival-of-words