LANGSTON HUGHES STAGE
AUTHOR TALKS
LIVE MUSIC
COMIC CREATORS
COSPLAY
AND MORE
FOR ALL AGES
JUNE 13, 2026
Saturday, June 13 | 11 AM–7 PM | Schomburg Center
135th Street & Malcolm X Boulevard, Harlem NYC
Join us for a celebration of the African Diaspora through the power of literature, literacy, and community!
This free, all-day gathering in the heart of Harlem brings together our literary programming and our Black Comic Book Festival to share stories that help make sense of the world, that expand what readers and writers believe is possible, and that speak truthfully to who we are and where we come from. The day runs from 11 AM to 7 PM on five stages along 135th Street between Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevards and inside the Schomburg Center—featuring author talks, panels, a cosplay showcase, marketplace, and a block party to close it all out. Black joy and intellectual life belongs in public—on the street, free, and alive! Full Schedule will be available on May 29.
Leadership support for the Schomburg Center's Centennial is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and Andreas C. Dracopoulos. Additional support is provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation. The 2025 Schomburg Center Centennial Festival is powered by Puma.
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FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Author Talks & Workshops | Readings, panel discussions, and book signings featuring poetry, comic books, young adult novels, fiction and nonfiction. A few featured authors include Sasha Bonét (The Waterbearers), Dimitry Elias Léger (Death of the Soccer God), Rob Franklin (Great Black Hope), ReShonda Tate (With Love from Harlem), and a film screening and talkback spotlighting Black Arts Movement–era author Toni Cade Bambara. The Moth returns with their popular Personal Storytelling workshop among others!
SPOTLIGHT: Toni Cade Bambara | Film Screening & Talkback
TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing | 4:00 PM
An intergenerational glance at Bambara’s legacy, capturing the afterlife of the writer’s influence on Black feminist literature and experimental visual culture then and now.
The film will be followed by talkback with filmmaker Louis Massiah who will be joined by poets and artists Nikky Finney, and sadé powell, moderated by feminist writer and scholar, Naomi Extra.
THE BLOCK PARTY
Come for the books, stay for the community old-school block party blending the best of classic hip-hop and R&B on our Octavia E. Butler Stage!
We had a time last year! Take a look back at some favorite moments from the 2025 Block Party!
Credit Bob Gore
Character Art by Blossom Blair
BAM!
A fan favorite from our Black Comic Book Festival, the Very Black Cosplay Showcase brings characters to life! Join the fun on the outdoor 135th Street stage or enjoy the show from the crowd.
Calling All BLERDS!
Swing by Comic Book Row and grab all your favorite comics, anime, and sci-fi reads.
POST FEST!
SAVE THE DATE
June 29 | 6:30 PM
Between the Lines: The Revelation of Dionne Daphne
by Mara Brock Akil
Join us in conversation with Mara Brock Akil, the creator of Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane, Love Is, and Forever, discussing her debut novel, The Revelation of Dionne Daphne. A deeply moving and provocatively gripping novel that shows when you dig deep enough into the shadows of your life, light can be revealed.
MARKETPLACE
Black Future Newstand / Black Thought Project / Lit Fest 2023. Photo by Bill Farrington
READ & REFERSH LOUNGE
Presented in part by HarperCollins
Stop by our Lounge for giveaways from our amazing partners!
LAST CALL FOR VENDORS!
Want to join us as an exhibitor or vendor in the festival marketplace? This is our last call for participation. We welcome comic book creators, self published authors of fiction or nonfiction, nonprofits dedicated to literacy and the arts, and other vendors that compliment the reading experience. Contact us for more information: schomburgvendors@nypl.org.
Discover fascinating and exciting finds at the Festival Marketplace! Books, Comics, Give-Aways, Fun Activations and more!
A Life Balaced
Améfrica Press
Bad Natures Comics
Black Woman Be Whole
Cadash & Co.
Charity Elder, Author
Columbia University Press
Create The Culture
Dejha B Coloring
Deseta Design
EarthTone Kingdom
Faye’s Things
For The Strength of Harlem
GENERATE COMIX
Harlem Book Company
Harlem Needle Arts
Harlem Writers Guild
HarperCollins
ICAN Press
KIO: Kids In Orbit
Mt. Sinai Baptist Church
Northern Wind Comics
NY Revolution Books
Power2Plan Youth Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship Program
Premiere MCA
RAE Media
Schomburg Society NYPL Membership
Schomburg Stoop Stories
Social Bandit Media
Square Circle Multi Services, Inc.
Suttonink
The Linden Institute for AI Literacy
The Printing Block
The Scruff Comic
The Urban Images
Toshira Riojas Inc
Total Equity Now
Tre Singleton, Poet
Tuma's Books
Unravelingarts
Urban Action Showcase and Expo
Vibrant Expressions NYC
Walk Tall Girl Productions
West Village Comics
Y. Sanders Art
Your Be Well Bestie LLC
OUR PARTNERS
Leadership support for the Schomburg Center's Centennial is provided by the
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and Andreas C. Dracopoulos
Additional support is provided by
Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation
The 2025 Schomburg Center Centennial Festival is powered by Puma
