Events
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Walking to the Beat of Our Streets
https://www.baybookfest.org/session/walking-to-the-beat-of-our-streets/
Event date: Sunday, May 31, 2026
Event time: 1:15 pm-1:45 pm
Location: YouthLit Family Stage in the Park - Berkeley, California
Authors: R.J. Owens, Ariel Vanece
Activism can show up in spaces big and small—we just need to keep up the tempo! R. J. Owens shows us the power of taking steps toward meaningful change in his picture book Walk the Walk, which follows Dex’s day walking the walk with his Papa by joining the Montgomery Bus Boycott and standing up against segregation. In Searching for Mr. Johnson’s Song, music makes the air vibrate like a thousand protesters marching for equality in Ariel Vanece’s touching story about a boy who helps his elderly neighbor find the rest of the song that has been forgotten due to dementia. With warmth and gentle authenticity, this read-aloud and discussion moderated by author, illustrator and Social Justice Book Fair co-organizer Rob Liu-Trujillo remind us about kindness and neighborliness, inspiring a new generation of activists willing to keep on walking to fight for our communities.
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https://www.schomburg100fest.org/
Event date: Saturday, June 13
Event time: 11 am-7 pm
Location: 135th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, Harlem, NYCSchomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
R.J. Owens will be a featured children's author at the Schomburg Centennial Festival on Saturday, June 13, 2026, spotlighting his book Walk the Walk. This free, all-day gathering in the heart of Harlem brings together the Schomburg Center's literary programming and its Black Comic Book Festival under one roof and one very lively block (135th Street) to celebrate the midway point of its 100th Anniversary.
The day includes author talks, panels, a cosplay showcase, marketplace, and a block party to close it all out. Readings and fireside chats are followed by book signings.
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The Social Justice Children’s Book Fair is our flagship event. Started in 2017 as a labor of love by a collective of local children’s book creators, we are now in our eighth year and expanding.
The 2026 Fair will held at Emerson Elementary in Oakland on December 5 from 11-3pm. More information on the upcoming bookfair can be found here.
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R.J. Owens will be a featured children's author at the Schomburg Centennial Festival on Saturday, June 13, 2026, spotlighting his book Walk the Walk. This free, all-day gathering in the heart of Harlem brings together the Schomburg Center's literary programming and its Black Comic Book Festival under one roof and one very lively block (135th Street) to celebrate the midway point of its 100th Anniversary.
The day includes author talks, panels, a cosplay showcase, marketplace, and a block party to close it all out. Readings and fireside chats are followed by book signings.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Bay Area Book Festival
Walking to the Beat of Our Streets
Featuring authors: R.J. Owens, Ariel Vanece.
Activism can show up in spaces big and small—we just need to keep up the tempo! R. J. Owens shows us the power of taking steps toward meaningful change in his picture book Walk the Walk, which follows Dex’s day walking the walk with his Papa by joining the Montgomery Bus Boycott and standing up against segregation. In Searching for Mr. Johnson’s Song, music makes the air vibrate like a thousand protesters marching for equality in Ariel Vanece’s touching story about a boy who helps his elderly neighbor find the rest of the song that has been forgotten due to dementia. With warmth and gentle authenticity, this read-aloud and discussion moderated by author, illustrator and Social Justice Book Fair co-organizer Rob Liu-Trujillo remind us about kindness and neighborliness, inspiring a new generation of activists willing to keep on walking to fight for our communities.