On Saturday, November 19, 2022 our special guest for Fall Fest was Kevin Richardson - The Central Park 5. When 14-year-old Kevin Richardson, a member of the Exonerated Five, entered New York City’s Central Park on a spring evening in 1989, he had a child’s concerns. The eighth-grade student was arrested on his way home that night alongside four other Black and Hispanic teens and faced a nightmarish journey through the criminal justice system. The youths, known as the Central Park Five, spent day after day, year after year, in custody for a brutal crime they did not commit.
Fall Fest also featured performances by:
Students were again invited to participate in Slammin' Rhymes XVI, a contest for all poets, rappers and spoken word artists in grades 6-12. All entries received a gift card and ten selectees read their entries at Fall Fest.
We look forward to seeing you next year at Fall Fest 2023!
This program is made possible by Friends of the Library, the J. Steve and Donna D. Talley Fund and FORVIS through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.
Kwame Alexander
Maya Angelou
Robb Armstrong
Lerone Bennett
Gwendolyn Brooks
Tony Brown
A’leila Bundles
Tamika Catchings
Shirley Chisholm
Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis
Eric Jerome Dickey
Mari Evans
Step Stool Chef-Julian Frederick
Sybrina Fulton
Ernest Gaines
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Nikki Giovanni*
Virginia Hamilton
E. Lynn Harris
James Haskins
Judge Glenda Hatchett
Jeff Henderson
Dr. Lonnie G. Johnson
Etheridge Knight
MC Lyte
Judge Greg Mathis
Nathan McCall
Terry McMillan
Walter Mosley
Kevin Powell
Richardson, Kevin
Rose Rock
Sapphire
Vickie Stringer
Velma Maia Thomas
Omar Tyree
*Two-time Lecturer