BOOK FESTIVAL INTRO
 
Greetings from the 3rd Annual Cheraw Black Author's Lab and Book Festival! My name is Michael Strong. My niece Erica Malachi, a Cheraw native, my cousin Clay Scott born in Hamlet, NC and I decided to create the Cheraw Black Author's Lab and host a Book Festival in honor of Black History Month. The event is open to the public. Activities include story telling, poetry, spoken word, jazz, books for sale, meet and greet with the authors and a writer's workshop.

Our featured authors this year are not only authors but amazing and inspiring speakers who have gone above and beyond in their works of art and have truly redefined the writing game. They are a true exemplification of the late Toni Morrison,
 
We feel it is appropriate that authors with southern local roots (Cheraw, Wallace, Hamlet, NC, Bishopville, Charlotte, Lake City and Charleston, SC ) choose the birthplace of the late great Dizzy Gillespie to share our project.

Authors this year are coming in from Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

We all know that knowledge is power, and I’m grateful to be part of an event that inspires young children to recognize the importance of reading while encouraging them to tap into their writing abilities. Chances are some of the kids at this year’s Festival might be among our featured writers down the road.