Black Ink Announces 2021 Keynote: Kwame Mbalia

Black Ink: A Charleston African American Book Festival will host New York Times bestselling author Kwame Mbalia during its 2021 festival. The author of the middle-grade novel Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky will be featured as the keynote speaker.​

Now more than ever, it is imperative to amplify Black voices. A middle-grade book featuring a young Black protagonist as the hero is a story that needs to be read by all ages-by everyone. We’re excited to have Mbalia inspire and interact with readers of the Charleston community.

Mbalia’s sequel Tristan Strong Destroys the World will be published in October by Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion. He is a graduate of Howard University and currently resides in North Carolina with his wife and children. 

Get details about the 2021 event and the sponsorship opportunities available.