Asha Bandele (Part II) - Westchester Library System's Literary Tea

The Westchester Library System (WLS) recently held its 11th annual African American Writers & Readers Literary Tea on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The event kicks off a month-long celebration of African American history, literature, and culture throughout the Countys 38 public libraries. The Tea was hosted by Melvin Burruss, Esq., President of the African American Men of Westchester, Inc., with Honorary Chair Cheryl Brannan, President/CEO of Sister to Sister International, Inc.

Authors honored at the Literary Tea were award-winning writer and journalist Asha Bandele, author of Something Like Beautiful, a poetic, passionate, and powerful memoir about the hard realities of single motherhood; celebrated childrens writer Tonya Bolden, author of MLK: Journey of a King; for which she was awarded the 2008 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children; and New York Times Bestselling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby, who has published twelve novels, including her latest work, The Best of Everything.

Asha Bandele is an award-winning author and journalist. A former features editor for Essence magazine, Asha's articles and essays have appeared in a broad array of publications, from Vibe to the New York Times. Her first book, Absence in the Palm of My Hands, a collection of poems, received wide critical acclaim, as did her next two books, the award-winning memoir The Prisoners Wife (1999) and her novel, Daughter (2003). After an appearance on HBOs Def Poetry Jam in 2005, she returned to poetry with the much-anticipated The Subtle Art of Breathing. Her latest work, Something Like Beautiful, is a poetic, passionate, and powerful memoir about the hard realities of single motherhood. Asha is the recipient of Columbia Universitys Revson Fellowship and has appeared on Oprah, 20/20, Anderson Cooper 360, and countless other local and national outlets. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her daughter Nisa.

Our authors, sponsors, and committee members this year have done an outstanding job of making the 11th annual Literary Tea a truly special event, said Terry Kirchner, WLS Executive Director. Their generous contributions have helped us to aptly kick-off the many interesting, informative programs our 38 member libraries have to offer in celebration of Black History Month.

The Westchester Library System is located at 540 White Plains Road, Suite 200, Tarrytown, NY 10591. For a complete list of programs and events throughout the Westchester Library System, visit the WLS website at www.westchesterlibraries.org.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• books
• library
• African American
• Literary Tea
• Martin Luther King
• Jr.
• Asha Bandele
• Something Like Beautiful
• Author