The 8th annual Harlem Book Fair will be held on Saturday, July 22, on West 135th Street, between 5th and 7th Avenues, from 12 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Publishers, writers, literacy vendors will exhibit and author panel discussions will be televised  by C-Span’s Book TV. This year’s program will launch on Thursday, July 13th at the Harlem Book Fair Media Reception, held at Commerce Bank, 300 West 125th Street in Harlem at 7 p.m.  Opening the book fair’s festivities will be the Wheatley Book Award ceremony on Friday, July 21, from 7pm to 9pm, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a branch of the New York Public Library.  The Wheatley Book Award was established to recognize literary achievement that transcends culture, boundary, and perception.  Past recipients of the award have included Maya Angelou, Chinua Achebe, Maryse Conde, Terry McMillan, John A. Williams, Sonia Sanchez, Ishmael Reed, and Albert Murray.  This year’s awardees will be announced on Friday, July 13, at the Harlem Book Fair Media Reception, held at Commerce Bank in Harlem.             

This year the Harlem Book Fair proudly inaugurates the International Pavilion, broadening the scope and footprint of the fair. Publishers from Africa, Australia, England, and Canada will be in attendance offering provocative and scholarly titles of interest to the most discerning of readers.

On Sunday, July 23, from 11am to 1pm, the book fair closes with the Harlem Book Fair Author/Book Club Brunch at the Schomburg Library. Authors hold court with lively discussions and readings over a tasty  brunch in a relaxed, informal setting. The entry fee is nominal.

The Harlem Book Fair is free and open to the public.  Please email to rsvp@qbr.com to reserve seating for the Wheatley Award program and the Sunday author brunch.