Librarian Mychal Threets to Headline The Center for Black Literature & Culture’s 8th Annual Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration

05/21/2025
Librarian Mychal Threets to Headline The Center for Black Literature & Culture’s 8th Annual Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration
This year's theme is Liberating Minds: African American Literature and Libraries.
This year's theme is Liberating Minds: African American Literature and Libraries..

The Center for Black Literature & Culture at Central Library invites the public to the 8th Annual Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration, taking place on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year's theme is Liberating Minds: African American Literature and Libraries. The event will celebrate the role of books and music in telling stories of Black culture. Event highlights include a local author book fair (10 a.m.–1:30 p.m.), drop-in children's activities (10 a.m. – noon), music from the Nu Destiny Christian Church Choir, and a moderated conversation at 2 p.m. with librarian and literary advocate Mychal Threets and New York Times bestselling local author Ashley C. Ford.

Tickets to the moderation conversation with Mychal Threets are free but extremely limited and will be available to the public beginning Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m., while supplies last. Sign up for a reminder on Eventbrite to secure your free ticket. Tickets are not required to attend the local author fair or the children's activities.

With roughly 2 million followers across social platforms, Mychal Threets is well-known for his viral social media videos promoting “library joy.” He has been featured in Time magazine and Rolling Stone, spreading the message that “We all belong in libraries.” Threets will join us in the Clowes Auditorium at Central Library for a moderated conversation about his work and advocacy.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Mychal Threets, who has been a powerful advocate for the value and impact of libraries,” said Bryanna Barnes, public service librarian at Central Library. “We’re just as excited to showcase our local authors and to highlight the creativity happening here in Indy’s literary scene. Celebrating Black storytelling is more important than ever, and we invite everyone to join us. Bring the kids, bring the whole family, and take time to celebrate the history of Juneteenth and the importance of the Black community sharing our stories.”

The Library will host more than 30 local Black authors at the Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration, showcasing a wide range of genres, including children’s books, fiction, and nonfiction, and providing a free space for creatives to share their work with the Indianapolis community.

Juneteenth, officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, has long been celebrated to commemorate the day federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865, two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, to take control of the state and ensure that more than 250,000 enslaved people were freed by executive decree.

The CBLC Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration is sponsored by The Center for Black Literature & Culture at Central Library in support of The African American History Committee. The program is made possible by The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund through a grant to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.

Participating Authors Include:

Taiwo Ajumobi

Ariyan Alexander

John F. Allen

Almuunet Ashã

Boubacar Balde

Angela Barnes

Carlotta Berry

Taylor J. Bridgeforth

Shelia, Sylvia, and Melissa Burlock

Denola Burton

Carmen Davenport

Tanasia Dube

Elizabeth M. Gore

Lonna Hardin

Denise T. Harris

Demond Hicks

Breanya Hogue

Alisia Jackson

Davita Johnson

Dr. Mattie Jones

Larissa McCormick

K. R. S. McEntire

Nichelle J. Miller

DaTerious DT Neal

DeErious DD Neal

Derrick Neal III

Darren DJ Ricks Jr.

Darius Rico

Jamaal Shabaz

Montrez Smith

Scott Smith

Qiana Tucker

Wendy Tucker

Valerie Wade

Montez Williams

David Woods


About The Indianapolis Public Library

For more than 150 years, The Indianapolis Public Library (IndyPL) has continuously adapted and expanded to serve the evolving needs of our city and its residents. The Indianapolis Public Library strives to be indispensable to our growing number of visitors and stands as a vital public resource to our community. The Indianapolis Public Library has more than 280,000 cardholders and a total annual circulation of 8,737,602 at our 25 branch locations and bookmobile. More information at indypl.org.