Author Chris Hicks is native Baltimorean who also owns Ravenwood Barbershop. I caught up with the founder of the Baltimore Urban Book Festival (www.baltimoreurbanbookfestival.org) that will take place on July 14th. It isalso referred to as BUBF.
Grove Street: How long have you been writing? What ignited your passion for writing and reading?
Chris: I have been writing for almost four years now. I had an idea in my head and just had to put it on paper. During that time my intention was just to write it down, not actually publish it. After I finished completing the book, it only made sense to publish it. One thing led to another. Now, I’m here.
Grove Street: Please tell us about your book festival. When is it this year, where will it be held, is there a cost to attend, and what inspired you to start an urban books festival?
Chris: Our festival is Sunday July 14,2013. It will be held at Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park and its free admission. What inspired me to start the festival was that after participating in other festivals around the country, I noticed that Baltimore didn't have one for African Americans, so I just took it upon myself to start one.
Grove Street: Who is your target audience?
Chris: We really don't have a targeting audience. We promote on a large scale designed to reach everyone. We feel like the more people who are aware of the event, the better the turn out. But 90 percent that come out are African-American.
Grove Street: Is this the 2nd or 3rd year for the festival?
Chris: This is our 3rd year for the BUBF.
Grove Street: Do you think that the industry needs to be more unified in terms of author collaborations, supporting each other, events based on genre, etc.? If so, what are some proactive measures that you feel can be taken?
Chris: Yes indeed. There has to be unity and most importantly leadership. That’s how the industry gets passed down from generation to generation. It starts with us the authors first. We set the standards and the trend. A lot of us don't realize it, but that's the truth.
Grove Street: What makes your festival different from most that you've attended?
Chris: What makes our festival different is the number of participating authors. We usually have about 30 authors every year, not 60 or 70 all under one roof. I do this because I want everyone to get as much exposure and sell as many books as possible. It’s hard to do that with 80 different authors at one event.
Grove Street: When you started your endeavor, what was your biggest challenge?
Chris: Funding! Funding! Funding!
Grove Street: Moving forward, what additions/ improvements would you like to see happen with future festivals?
Chris: We are working to bring in entertainment with the festival, such as jazz bands/Neo Soul and main stream r&b artists.
Grove Street: Based on previous turn out and response, what would you say about African-Americans, in terms of reading and book buying habits?
Chris: The readers are out there, trust me. The perception that African-Americans don't read books is not true at all. We read.
Grove Street: Is there a youth component?
Chris: Yes, we will have story telling sessions, a free book giveaway table, face painting, and children authors all on one floor. We call it the "Kids Corner."
Grove Street: What is the festival's website and social media information?
Chris: Our website iswww.baltimoreurbanbookfestival.org
Twitter: bubf13
Grove Street: Any additional comments that you would like to share with readers and authors?
Chris: Remember this: the word "urban" doesn't mean black, ghetto or hood. It means "city."
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