Brooke Obie

In 2016, Brooke Obie published her debut novel Book of Addis: Cradled Embers, through For the People Press. hailed as “brilliant” by award-winning author Susan Cheever.

In this epic tale of love, loss and the cost of liberation, Addis, a 17-year-old enslaved girl, escapes from her enslaver, the first president of a young country. On the run for her life, with unlikely friends and a nation of enemies, Addis becomes the most wanted person alive and a global symbol of hope to enslaved people longing for freedom.

Brooke launched her book at an unforgettable reading, book talk and party in her home state of Virginia (video here) in July 2016. The following week, she headed to Oxford University, Oxford, U.K. to begin work on the Book of Addis sequel, Book of Addis: Burning Plains with the Callaloo Journal’s Writers Workshop, where she also gave a reading from Book of Addis.

CHECK OUT THE BOOK OF ADDIS SYLLABUS!

After another stop in Virginia for a private book club reading and discussion, Brooke headed to New Orleans for a reading and book talk at Community Book Center, the only Black-owned bookstore in the city, and a cultural landmark. One distinguished guest in attendance was Doratha “Dodie” Smith-Simmons, one of the last living Freedom Riders.

Next, Brooke returned to her “Home by the Sea,” her alma mater Hampton University, where she gave a reading and book talk in the Meeting Room of Harvey Library. Her novel is now a part of the Harvey Library’s historic Peabody Collection.

 

The next day, she traveled across the bridge to Norfolk State University for another reading and book talk before returning to New York City where she led the book event Black Women and Identity in Literature, featuring Black Lotus author Sil Lai Abrams and Simon & Schuster editor Ebony LaDelle.

 

Next, Brooke attracted her largest crowd yet at North Carolina A&T University’s packed GPB Auditorium. The next day, she was honored as the Author of the Month at Elon University, where she had a full day of events with the African and African American Studies department’s faculty and students, as well as a public reading and talk.

Next, Brooke had a great event at Howard University bookstore during Howard’s homecoming weekend. Her reading and book talk were moderated by Octavia Butler scholar Dr. Gregory Jerome Hampton.

During the Black Law Students Association Alumni Weekend at her alma mater Mercer University School of Law in Georgia, Brooke was invited to read and discuss Book of Addis with BLSA students and faculty. Her novel is now in Mercer Law Library’s fiction collection. Best of all, a very distinguished guest stopped by her talk: Civil Rights icon Congressman John Lewis!

Brooke headed back up to NYC for a stop in Brooklyn for the Animal Farm Reading Series, followed by her final 2016 stop at Barnes & Noble in Seattle, Washington, where she participated in an all-day author festival followed by her book talk, moderated by activist and journalist Marissa J. Johnson.

Find all of the photos from the 2016 tour here.

SIGN UP TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE 2017 ‘BOOK OF ADDIS’ NATIONWIDE TOUR DATES:

Comments

comments