AAMBC, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization whose primary goal is to expose literature written by Black creatives, announced that Terry McMillan will be honored at its 14th Annual Literary Awards. Recognizing McMillan’s talent and impact exemplifies AAMBC’s mission to celebrate the work of Black literary creatives.
The awards are the final event for Black Writers Weekend, experience the only weekend where you’ll meet your favorite author, screenwriter, and film & television stars. Meet up with friends at one of the Lit crawl locations; just before you step into the Lit social for a drink. You can enjoy live readings, parties, movie screenings, and masterclasses.
“It was in 2008 that I created AAMBC. I discovered so many emerging and new writers that I had never heard of before…I wanted to start talking about their books. That became the premise of AAMBC: to talk about the writers who are sometimes overlooked or forgotten,” said Tamika Newhouse, founder of AAMBC.
The need to recognize emerging Black creatives drove Newhouse to create the Literary Awards. Popular award shows often fail to highlight the work of many emerging creatives. “It was always the traditional or the expected winner,” said Newhouse, “and I wanted to give writers the opportunity to be seen and win too.”
This year, over the course of three days, Black Writers Weekend boasts several literary giants and filmmakers from Kimberly Jones, Cas Sigers Beedles, Darlene McCoy, Tia Williams, Booker T. Mattison, with media personalities like MiAsia Symone and Symphony Thompson. Friday programming is dedicated to writers wanting to connect with publishers and filmmakers. Attend workshops, creative clinics, and masterclasses, and pitch your projects to agents. Saturday is dedicated to readers, enjoy over a dozen book signings, panels featuring best-selling authors and award-winning filmmakers, and a party on the rooftop overlooking downtown Atlanta. Sunday we celebrate our Black Creatives at the AAMBC Awards, a red carpet gala, honoring literary legends and media icons.
When one of us wins, we all win,” said Newhouse. “If we create this platform and continue to encourage ourselves to create and celebrate our own, then it’s like we’re all winning.”
Register for free passes at BlackWritersWeekend.com
AAMBC is an Atlanta-based non-profit organization and online community whose primary goal is to expose literature written by black creatives. Since its inception in 2008, AAMBC has celebrated more than 10,000 writers through its annual events, local meetups, and virtual chats. Between our online communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we have over 15,000 active members and hundreds of authors. Learn more about this organization at aambc.org