Local Author Expo

The annual Local Authors Expo held at the Birmingham Public Library's Central Library is expected to showcase up to 100 Alabama authors, including many from the Birmingham area. This year's free event will be held on Saturday, February 2, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Authors will be on hand to discuss their work, sell and autograph their books, and talk about their writing process.

This year's event will feature two speakers.

Carolyn Maull McKinstry is the author of While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement, a poignant and gripping eyewitness account of what it was like to grow up in the Jim Crow South. Her book covers everything from the the bombings, riots, and assassinations to the historic marches and triumphs that characterized the civil rights era. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn McKinstry was just a few feet away from a bomb, which had been planted by the Ku Klux Klan, berore it exploded at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in September 1963. Four girls were killed. In her book, she shares how racial relations have evolved over the past five decades and gives an incredible testament to how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go. McKinstry will speak at 1 p.m. in the Arrington Auditorium.

BPL librarian and author Jared Millet will present a workshop for aspiring writers titled Show, Don't Tell: How to Breathe Life Into Your Writing. "Show, don't tell" is the most common piece of advice that beginning writers get from professionals, teachers, and industry insiders. Millet will clarify what "show, don't tell" actually means and demonstrate how to use writing to give readers a strong emotional experience. The workshop begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Arrington Auditorium.

Authors who wish to sign up for a booth at the event may do so online at the EventBrite registration page. There is a $5 booth reservation fee for participating authors, but attending the Expo is free for the general public, no registration required. For more information, contact Jared Millet at (205) 226-3727 or jaredm@bham.lib.al.us

While the World Watched book jacket Local Authors Expo
February 2, 2013
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Central Library - 1st Floor

Writing Seminar
Show, Don't Tell: How to Breathe Life Into Your Writing
February 2, 2013
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Central Library - Arrington Auditorium

Carolyn Maull McKinstry, Author
While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement
February 2, 2013
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Central Library - Arrington Auditorium