Norma
Adams-Wade:
Tulisoma book fair is tie that binds in South
Dallas
08:56 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Question: What can pull together families, aspiring writers, avid readers, business owners, entertainers, Dallas residents and tourists?
Answer: Tulisoma, of course.
The Tulisoma South Dallas Book Fair is the annual literacy and African heritage cultural arts festival that Dallas City Council member Leo Chaney Jr. has championed since 2003.
He's at it again for a third year now.
Tulisoma is a Swahili word that means "we read." The free festival is designed to promote reading for all ages and to highlight and draw people to business and cultural attractions in Mr. Chaney's South Dallas/Fair Park council district.
The council member sees promoting reading as important, but it's not the festival's only draw. He said visitors would miss the district's true flavor unless they patronize both businesses and the area's cultural arts.
"I'm always thinking, 'What can we do to generate economic development and bring a better perspective to South Dallas?' " Mr. Chaney said.
That was the idea when he and cultural arts advocates from the area got together and started the festival, he said. The advocates want to encourage young and old alike to read more or develop a love of reading.
The two-day festival will be Aug. 19-20 at the African American Museum and Hall of State at Fair Park. A reception at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Hall of State will kick off activities.
Featured celebrities include poet/activist Nikki Giovanni, author and playwright Eric Jerome Dickey, and University of Maryland scholar and professor Ronald Walters.
On Aug. 20, an 8:30 a.m. breakfast at the Old Mill Inn in Fair Park will feature Ms. Giovanni. A "Pork Chops and Politics" noon luncheon at South Dallas Café will feature Dr. Walters. A 3 p.m. "Coffee and Conversation" gathering at Crayton's Restaurant across from Fair Park will feature Mr. Dickey. Illustrator Floyd Cooper will present workshops for children. At other workshops and panel discussions, local and regional authors will discuss topics including starting a book club and self-publishing.
Celebrities who will read books to children include KXAS-TV (Channel 5) anchor Ramona Logan, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) anchor Debbie Denmon, and KDFW-TV (Channel 4) anchor Baron James.
The festival will reinforce other local events that promote literacy, particularly the annual African-American Read-In that the Dallas County Community College District sponsors, Mr. Chaney said.
This year's festival also will come a week after the Dallas mayor's annual Back to School Fair, which will be from 8 to 11 a.m. Aug. 11 in the Automobile Building and Centennial Hall at Fair Park.
"With the Read-In, back-to-school fair, and Tulisoma, we believe Dallas will become recognized as a national cultural center," Mr. Chaney said. "That's the goal."
For more information, visit www.tulisoma.com or call the downtown library at 214-671-9282.
E-mail nwade@dallasnews.com
or fax information to 214-977-8319