Last year, I implemented the first Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival at Otterbein University. The festival was created to encourage individuals to read more, write more, and support local authors by purchasing a copy of their book.
We had authors from all across Ohio participate in the event. The authors were given an opportunity to read a portion of their work to others. Attendees were presented with the opportunity to win prizes, such a gifts cards, kindle, and possibly a free book.
This event was absolutely amazing and we loved everything about it. We hope you join us for this event this year.
Meet the winners of the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival Scavenger hunt. This past Saturday, attendees were given a chance to win prizes for a scavenger. This family of five (Three pictured here) were the first and only attendees to complete the scavenger hunt successfully. It was only right for them to win the prizes.
They won six items, which were:
Kindle Fire Tablet
Kindle Fire Tablet Cover
Trader Joe’s Gift Card
Cash
Target Gift Card
Starbucks Gift Card
Not to mention this family also was gifted a book from Tyler Porter at the event on Saturday. If you know them personally, please wish them congratulations.
This past Saturday, I hosted the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. The book festival was geared towards helping individuals with making reading and writing a part of their daily activities. The event also spotlighted authors in Ohio and an author from Indiana.
Authors were given the opportunity to read their books in front of other people. The readings were amazing. We were presented with stories about unwrapping your gifts, God, overcoming harmful situations, suspense, 80’s Rock, and much more. We even had a book reading that included rhythmic drums and a host of other organized production techniques to tell a love story “that’s not a romance novel.”
This was the first book festival for some authors, while others had already attended 2 or more. The energy in the building was astounding. A reporter from the T&C spoke with me about the event and interviewed a few authors.
If you happened to miss the event, check out pics and videos here.
Author Tyler Porter gifts his book to this familyAuthor JAWS gifts this book to Author Alicia Wiggins Author Colette Harrell is supported by this beautyAuthor Sarah Johnson reads her bookAuthor Jamilah Ewing is supported by a patronThe Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival Authors Author Sarah Johnson is supported by Author Alicia Wiggins Author Colette Harrell is supported by Author Siarre Lashelle Massey Tyler Porter discusses his bookAuthor Siarre Lashelle Massey discusses her bookAuthor Colette Harrell is supported by Alicia WigginsJAWS talks to patrons about his booksAuthor Ron Cunningham gifts his book to this beautySupporters of the festival and Author Colette Harrell Author Colette Harrell is supported by a patron Author Colette Harrell gifts her books to these patronsPatron displays her goodies on social media appsVideo from Festival #VistaCreateBook Readings #VistaCreate
Today is the day! The Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival will be at The Point at Otterbein University from 1 pm to 4 pm. Come meet the authors, grab a book, enter to win a prize, and enjoy all the fun. Hope to see you there. #bookfestival #westerville #ohio #readtolead #writetoenlight
We are officially in count down mode until the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. Every day, until the festival, I will provide 5 things I am grateful for regarding the festival. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the gratitude.
Music from VistaCreate
5 days away- I am grateful for the organization, Black Children’s Books and Authors (BCBA). Because of them, I am able to support there efforts. In the next few days, I will make a donation to the organization on behalf of the festival. Each year, a new literary organization will be chosen to support and uplift.
Welcome James A. Wright Sr. (Jaws) to the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. He was born in Lima Ohio. Raised in a military family, he traveled a lot throughout his childhood. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio, where he works in various engineering fields, such as electrical and Information Technology (I.T). He has received 8 film festival awards, named a finalist 7 times, and received an honorable mention.
Quote from Jaws “My audience of my books will like the up and downs, twist and turns. There is a positive message in all the stories. I hope the readers can find it, through all the insanity and emotion of the book. Ultimately, having readers that like my creativity and the twisted style of the writing, is enough one could ask for.”
Pharafaneelya Thriller Book Series Synopsis: The most recent series takes place in an asylum. An asylum that exits in a world of cursed pages of a cursed book. An asylum that consumes tricked souls as its victims. Victims that are specifically chosen by the spirits that cursed the book, which lands in the town of Pharafaneelya . The first book was released on Amazon in April 2018. The book is packed with action and suspense that is guaranteed to keep reader’s interest from the beginning to the end.
Welcome Ron “Buster” Cunningham to the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. He is a newcomer to the title published author. Although Unwrapped Gifts is his first book publication, his writings span 37 years, beginning with poetry. His haikus and sonnets won middle school writing contests, and his talent would eventually progress him into a lyricist, writing both R&B and Hip-Hop. Ron, or Buster to some of us, would rekindle his youthful passion for poetry, engaging in community readings and developing a passion for the spoken word. His desire to write expanded further into script writing for the NuTalkNow podcast. From here, his writing creativity would further grow into ideas like the NuLeague for Freedom, which was his rendition of our freedom fighters as superheroes with superpowers fighting for freedom in both modern and historical contexts.
Buster, or Ron to some of us, has been grooming his various artistic gifts for years. Musically he was a member of Greenhouse Effect, PipeDown, and the Prophetionals. He also partnered to create Weightless Recordings and would eventually create GyeNyame/God Only Recordings, where he was either a featured lyricist on albums or collaborated with others to bring musical art to its fruition.
“I no longer fear the responsibility of my purpose. I love helping others, which allows me to live in my optimum self. So, when I wrote Unwrapped Gifts, I found my freedom. I found confidence in my authentic self, which is a sense of liberation that is euphoric – borderline indescribable. More importantly, I now know that this euphoria is something that belongs to you also. Therefore, I encourage you to Unwrap your own Giftsand LIVE!”
Synopsis of Unwrapped Gifts: Have you ever asked yourself, “What can I give to make this world a better place?” Your answer may lie within the talent or gift you possess. You may not know what that talent is yet, or maybe you do. If your goal is to leave a legacy by sharing your talent or gift then you should read Unwrapped Gifts to help guide you through the journey while overcoming pitfalls such as fear, self-doubt, procrastination, and distractions. We all need a boost to remind us of our capabilities of doing great things in life. A wake-up call is necessary to cue our urgency in this lifetime. It is critical to know how we impact others and ourselves when we share our gifts and when we do not. You are not too young or old. You can conquer your fears, excuses, and unforeseen challenges. You are good enough to share the gifts inside you; read why!
We are less than a month away from the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. This is the first literary festival that will be held at Otterbein University with hopes of making it an annual event. We will have the following genres: Love, Self-Help, Christian, Movie Musicals, Suspense, 80’s rock, Poetry, and Children’s Books
Join us on Saturday, September 17th for book readings, raffles, and more. Can’t wait to meet you.
This was one of many events to come. Yesterday, I was afforded the opportunity to attend the Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo. This was my second year attending. I met some amazing people, made connections, and sold some books. Ah, the wonders of being published and selling books.
Being pushed and attending book festivals has it’s ups and downs. Sometimes I attend a festival and sell 10-15 books and other times I sell 1 or 2. There’s no method to the madness. One thing is for sure, if you can provide a business card or flyer, please do. Don’t let a potential partner, sponsor, supporter, or just a great person in general leave your table empty handed. This is funny I say this because that’s exactly what happened yesterday. Yesterday, I brought business cards to hand out to the guests. Within 1-2 hours, I ran out. Oh no 🙈, what was I going to do? I still networked, made connections, and interacted with people. I am saying this to say, plans change. No matter what you want to do, sometimes life shows you another way of doing things.
If you ever have an opportunity to visit a book festival, please do. There are some amazing authors, stories, an opportunities awaiting you. Hope to see you there.
Welcome Siarre Lashelle Massey to the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. Siarre is an Ohio born and based writer, storyteller and artist.
Her Solar Return
Her first collection, Her Solar Return, was published in June 2022. Prior to this, she shared solely via blogging. She is here, first and foremost, to share her experiences as a multi-ethnic woman, as a mother, as a person with neurodivergence—-as a human being living and learning and trying to enjoy the scenery along the way.
In August and September, I will be attending a couple of book festivals. If you happen to attend one of those events, ask me how to get 20% 10 or more books. I am also willing to offer this discount for a variation of kids lit, poetry, and other books as well. We can call this a special mix and match book festival discount.
Feel free to tweet, message, or leave a message on my IG page about this discount and how to get it.
Welcome Brieanna Wilkoff to the Read to Lead/ Write to Enlight Book Festival. She is a debut author who lives in Westerville, Ohio with her husband, daughter, and dog. As described in her novel, she believes wholeheartedly in the power of kindness, the importance of theatre, and the awesomeness of ’80s rock. In fact, she married her husband on stage of the oldest surviving theatre in central Ohio and their first dance was to Bon Jovi. Kudos to Brieanna for completing 100 random acts of kindness in a single day.
I’ll Be There For You
I’ll Be There For You synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Rae Ballester loves watching movie musicals and, thanks to her dad, listening to ‘80s rock. This has been the only way of feeling close to him since he died a year ago. Still struggling to move past his death, she keeps her head down and her earbuds in, while still trying to deal with it all. Shunning the world has cost her friendships, while leaving her the “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” When she meets a boy named Mac, she cautiously welcomes their easy banter. Mac slowly worms his way into her heart with his humor, enthusiasm, and well-curated Broadway playlists. After he proves “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Rae’s instinct is to withdraw to the comfort of hair metal and the silver screen. Rae must decide whether to retreat and jeopardize what she and others have started performing or put herself out there to hold onto her new friends, take a second chance on love, and honor her father’s memory.
Here are a few of the books that will be in attendance on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. Books will consist of the following genres: Suspense, Thriller, Romantic-Thriller, Children’s, Self-Help, Poetry, Non-fiction, and more. Check out my home page here to get details about the attending authors, their books, and sponsors.
Welcome Author Tyler Porter to the Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival. Tyler is an American Author with a focus on suspenseful, thriller novels. He launched his writing career with the debut of his novel, Love Before Law. From a young age, he has been involved in creative writing and has always had an interest in storytelling. There are many exciting things in the works for him, so be sure to follow him on his social media outlets!
Eyes Never Lie Synopsis: A ruthless killer. A retiring detective. A game of life and death. After thirty years on the force, Detective Casey Norris has finally accepted that the time has come for him to retire. His body is slowing down, his mind can’t be far behind and he won’t allow either to decide his fate. He is ready to go out on his terms. But, before it can be made official, a killer emerges from the darkness with a mission. A mission that must be carried out through blood and death. A mission that will not be complete until the killer has the thing they want the most; the death of Casey Norris. Norris has never been a step behind, but as he and his team of detectives work to stop the rising body count, the murders begin hitting too close to home. It becomes evident that the killing will not stop until he or the killer is dead. Will he be able to protect those closest to him? Or has he finally met the monster he cannot stop?
Literacy and giving goes hand-in-hand, especially if you are giving the gift of literacy. There are so many ways that you can give the gift of literacy, such as: giving books or a kindle as gifts, having book readings, teaching others how to read, and developing a book festival with the goal of increasing individuals daily reading activities. Ways in which a book festival can do this is by spotlighting new and upcoming authors, supporting literary programs, and giving away books and other items for the encouragement of reading and writing.
The Read to Lead/Write to Enlight Book Festival does just that. The festival was developed with the intention of connecting readers and potential readers with authors and the books they write. The festival is also intended to connect writers/bloggers with the literary community to encourage them to continue to write and possibly become an author in the future.
If this sounds like a festival just for you, feel free to message me or contact me with the information listed on the flyer. We only have two more spots available.
The registration for the Read to Lead/ Write to Enlight Book Festival has opened up. We are truly excited for this event to take place, as well as other future events.
Read to Lead, Write to Enlight is a call to action. We dare you to Read to Lead, Write to Enlight and buy books locally. The event is geared toward spotlighting 7-10 local authors with the potential to also include 1-3 authors from other states. Authors will have the ability to sell their work, talk with attendees, and get the community engaged in reading, writing, and literacy activities.
There are different ways to support the event, which are:
Author Table
Includes author table, two chairs, a boxed lunch, and a page feature in event booklet.
Author Table/Sponsorship
Includes author table, two chairs, a boxed lunch, a page feature in event booklet, and benefits of a gold sponsor.
Spotlight Author
This allows you to support the event without attending the event. There’s nothing like wanting to attend an event, but being unable to do so because of your location or activities. Well with this option, you name and a link to your website will be added to this page.
Sponsorship/Advertise
There are three different levels of sponsorship, which are Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The very basic level allows you to be featured in the event booklet. The next level not only allows you to be featured in the event booklet, but also allows your name or organization to be listed on all the promotional materials. The last level allows you to have all the features of the Silver sponsorship with a shoutout on various social media accounts as a sponsor.
Interested in being an author, listed on the website, or sponsoring this event? You have two options to participate, you can go to my Envite page and select a sponsorship level or go to the registration page to select any and all options.
Here’s my 2022 news! I’m hosting my 3rd book Festival and first one in Ohio at my alma mater. I am looking for 10 #authors and #sponsors to participate in a book festival in September of 2022. Spaces will fill fast, so make sure you register. Registration will be released on my website MelicaNiccole.com by 1/31/2022.
Melica Niccole 