Leimert Park Village Book Fair Returns To Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, Featuring Writers From Smash TV Show Empire

LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For a second year running, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw will host the annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair this Saturday, featuring an exclusive panel discussion with writers from Fox's hit television show Empire, as well as special exhibitions, book readings and signings, musical performances and other activities for the whole family.

Recently honored as one of "LA's Five Best Annual Book Festivals," the 9^th Annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair (LPVBF) will honor the literary legacy of African-Americans with more than 100 authors in attendance, accompanied by a packed schedule of events and activities for book lovers of all ages. The event will take place this Saturday, August 1^st, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, and will be free and open to the public.

The Empire panel at 2:00 p.m. will feature writer and producer Attica Locke (Black Water Rising, Pleasantville) with several other esteemed writers from the show, including Joshua Allen (Hostages), Eric Haywood (Private Practice, Soul Food and Hawaii), JaNeika and JaSheika James (Desperate Housewives, Dexter, Seinfeld, Scrubs) and Carlito Rodriguez (The Leftovers). The writers will discuss what goes on behind the scenes on the show. Acclaimed author and film-maker Tananarive Due (My Soul to Keep, The Living Blood, Blood Colony) will moderate the panel.

The theme of this year's fair is "The 1980s: The Decade That Made Us"; accordingly, the event will include a display of classic cars from that decade curated by the Petersen Automotive Museum, a vinyl album display curated by Amoeba Music, and a collection of 80s vintage toys. The fair will also host "Writers and Their Typewriters," an exhibition showcasing Ernest Hemingway's personal typewriter from Steve Soboroff's celebrated collection, among others. Finally, an exhibit from the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection, entitled "Hip Hop Revolution, Roots Rhythm & Rage," will display images of early artists from that genre.

Returning Chairpersons Dr. Bernard W. and Shirley Kinsey are renowned art collectors, philanthropists, and historians. Their coffee table art book, The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey – Where Art and History Intersect, will be available at the book fair. Several celebrity authors from a variety of genres will also be in attendance, including: Actress Garcelle Beauvais  and Sebastian A. Jones (I am mixed, I am Awesome); former model and author Kathleen Bradley (Backstage at the Price is Right:  Memoirs of a Barker Beauty); attorney and award-winning author Pamela Samuels Young  (Anybody's Daughter, In Firm Pursuit, Murder on the Down Low); actress Erika Alexander and her husband, screenwriter Tony Puryear (Concrete Park); and celebrity chefs Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams (Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family). LPVBF will commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Watts Riots, with a panel discussion on the main stage at 11:30 a.m.

Before the main event this weekend, the LPVBF is also hosting a special screening celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the iconic film adaptation of Alice Walker's 1983 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning book, The Color Purple. The screening will be held on Thursday, July 30^th at BHC Rave Cinemas, in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America West/Committee of Black Writers & Pan African Film Festival.

 "With the support of our festival partner, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, our sponsors and numerous supporters, we are able to offer a full literary experience for the community" said LPVBF Producer and Founder Cynthia E. Exum. "The Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall is one of our community's most revered and respected institutions and has been a dynamic partner and supporter of the Book Fair. They have helped us take it to a new level and have our deepest appreciation for their commitment."

"We are thrilled to host the Leimert Park Village Book Fair for the second time, and honored this outstanding event has found its home in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Community," said Rachel Freeman, General Manager for Baldwin Hills Crenshaw. "This event is part of our ongoing commitment to bring high-quality activities to our neighborhood. We hope the entire community will come out and enjoy this event, where there really will be something for everyone to enjoy!"

For more information about the Leimert Park Village Book Fair, visit www.leimertparkbookfair.com. For more information about events at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, visit www.baldwinhillscrenshawplaza.com/events.

About Leimert Park Village Book Fair

Produced by Exum-Casey and Associates with sponsorship provided by corporate partners Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, The Southern California Gas Company, Time Warner Cable, KABC-Channel 7, and Nielsen.  Festival partners include: The Petersen Automotive Museum, Amoeba Music, Post and Beam Restaurant, Strategic Counsel PLC, Writers Guild of America West | Committee of Black Writers, and The Kinsey Collection. Promotional Partners include:  Los Angeles Sentinel, the Los Angeles Times, KJLH Radio 102.3FM and Metro. The mission of LPVBF is to promote, encourage and advocate literacy, education and the love of reading throughout the Greater Los Angeles areas, as well as produce year-round educational programming, in collaboration with our partners.

About Baldwin Hills Crenshaw

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw (BHC) is an 870,000-square-foot retail destination located at the intersection of Crenshaw Blvd. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Los Angeles, California.  Anchored by Macys, Sears and Wal-Mart, with over 100 specialty stores, state-of-the-art cinemas and dining options, BHC has long been recognized as the hub of the surrounding communities. From a signature concert series known as BHC Live!, monthly Kid's Club and a weekly Farmers' Market to the many public services offered at the mall, it is clear that BHC is more than just a place to shop, it's a central gathering place for the local community. BHC is entrenched in the local lifestyle, and is committed to making this neighborhood an even better place to live, work, shop and just BE! BHC partners with several leading community partners to support a variety of worthwhile events throughout the year, and continue to support programming that reflects the history and interests of its local residents.

SOURCE Baldwin Hills Crenshaw

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