Ft. Greene Lit Fest

I went to the literary festival that was held in Ft. Greene Park, Brooklyn on Saturday. The weather was absolutely beautiful, none of that nasty heat we’ve been experiencing. The festival was so delightful. Not only were there six and seven year olds reciting their poetry to a nice size crowd, there was also youth jazz band that played during intermission. It was wonderful to see our children engaging in the arts and presenting their work to the world known as Ft. Greene.

And to wrap-up, there were performances by Marlon James, author of Jim Crow’s Devil, Carl Hancock Rux, Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka. The children were able to see literary icons share the same stage with them.

I have never seen Ms. Sanchez perform live so this was so wonderful to see this little woman with so much power. And I’ve seen Amiri perform on several occasions, but never tire (nor does he) of his performances. His energy is infectious.

I wore the BackList t-shirt (hey have to represent) when I showed it to Amiri (because he’s name is on there) “Show Amini”, he said. So while I blushed, I showed his wife. They were both tickled by it.

Sonia Sanchez gave me a hug (okay I make it sound like I was special, she was giving everyone hugs but nevertheless, it was definitely special). I showed her the t-shirt and she asked me if she could buy some!

It was a great event.