Authors, music and food will come together for the first IWE Festival on Saturday, June 10.
More than 21 authors, 10 marketplace vendors and multiple food-truck vendors will participate in the free urban cultural festival. It runs noon-6 p.m. on the Bluff of Southern University at Leon Netterville Drive.
The IWE Festival’s main stage features panels with authors, including Detroit Lions’ safety Don Carey and his wife, Lakeisha; children’s author Joy Williams; and poet and artist Donney Rose. Musical acts Sweet Southern Heat, Coppertop and April Louise are also appearing at the festival.
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East Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman Erika L. Green, founder of the new festival, saw a need for an event that focuses on reading.
“This festival was birthed from a desire to bring culture and literacy to the citizens of North Baton Rouge,” Green says. “As a millennial, I’m always trying to be innovative with programming. My passion for reading, music and festivals collided.”
Literature and literacy are the festival’s main focus.
“There needed to be a space for an intergenerational experience that made it popular to discuss literacy for my community,” Green says. “Other metropolitan cities provide these spaces, and I had to use my platform to make it happen.”
IWE Festival featured authors
Don Carey
Don Carey is in his seventh year with the NFL’s Detroit Lions. A graduate of Norfolk State University in Virginia, Carey is the author of I’m Not Better Than You, a book about his life and the principles he applies to his career. He’s also studying for his master’s degree in theological studies at Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago.
LaKeisha Carey
Louisiana native LaKeisha Carey is the wife of Detroit Lions football star Don Carey. A graduate of Southern University’s law school, she’s the author of the inspirational children’s book, Cankeyo: You Can Keep Your Dreams Alive.
Nicole Thomas
An educator and motivational speaker who’s worked in healthcare management, Nicole Thomas focuses on female healthcare professionals. She’s the author of In Health, On Purpose: Awakening to Your True Calling in The Healthcare Profession.
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Brian W. Smith
Brian W. Smith is the bestselling author of 17 novels, including If These Trees Could Talk, Quagmire and the Sleepy Carter mystery series. A native of New Orleans, Smith is an adjunct professor of creative writing at Collin College and Dallas Community College. He’s also the host of the internet radio program The Scribe Spot.
Donney Rose
Donney Rose is a Baton Rouge poet, teacher, artist and community activist. His work as a performance poet and writer has been featured at AtlantaBlackStar.com, Blavity.com, All Def Digital, Slam Find, Button Poetry and in 225 magazine.
Joy Williams
A children’s author from Baton Rouge, Joy Williams published Olivia and the Land of Extra-Ordinary last year. One of Williams’ daughters inspired the story about a girl who believes that any girl who wears glasses can’t be a princess.