On Saturday, March 1st, Wesleyan hosted its inaugural Community Book Fair, celebrating Black Representation in literature and the media. The event welcomed over 40 families and included tabling, read-alouds, a panel on the importance of diverse literature, and exciting giveaways.
Throughout the day, families had the opportunity to meet local Black authors, businesses, and organizations while K-12 students engaged in activities catered to their age range.
For younger audiences, several dynamic authors brought stories to life. Local author and CT native Patricia Bellamy-Mathis highlighted positive Black stories stemming from her own lived experience through her independently published books like Down South for the Summer. Similarly, Caela Collins shared her book Food is Love through Novel Effect, creating an immersive experience with voice-activated interactive music and sound effects. Poet Laureate Nzima Hutchings also led a workshop where students celebrated self-love through Ekphrastic poetry, and author Kahseim Outlaw imparted mindfulness techniques while reading aloud We Are Enough.
Older students took part in workshops aimed at fostering social awareness and storytelling. Through her “Change Workshop,” Lanea Sellem invited students to watch music videos and write a community poem representing what they stand for. In addition to writing poetry, middle and high school students were able to develop their own comic creations with nationally recognized cartoonist Joe Young and craft personal narratives with Barbara McClane.
Aspiring author and Allbritton volunteer Xavier Samuel ‘26 found Dr. Melissa Sue John’s presentation was especially impactful.
“My favorite part of the event was the publishing of your manuscript talk! It was very informative on the different avenues one can take to publish their story,” said Xavier.
Sonya Hadley, who was instrumental in planning the Community Book fair, was thrilled with its success.
“Throughout the day, people would approach me to express their excitement for next year’s book fair and offer suggestions on who to invite next year,” she shared.
