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MALIK BOOKS & PAFF JOIN FORCES FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Published

4 years ago

February 1, 2023

BLACK-OWNED, INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE BRINGS THE LOVE OF READING TO THE 31ST ANNUAL PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 1, 2023) – For Black History Month, Malik Books is excited to bring the love of reading to the 31st Annual Pan African Festival & Arts Festival. During the film festival’s run, the black-owned, independent bookstore will host a book-signing and Q&A featuring attorney and television personality Eboni K. Williams, author of BET ON BLACK: THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BEING BLACK IN AMERICA TODAY. The book calls for Black people worldwide to adopt a fresh, highly-informed mindset that will change lives. Devyn Bakewell, who serves as assistant managing editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angeles Watts, and a romance novelist – the author of GREATER LOVE and GREATER LIFE — will serve as a moderator.Audiences may be familiar with Williams thanks to her appearances on ABC’s “The View” and Season 13 of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York.” In her new book, BET ON BLACK, Williams delves into some of the cornerstones of leading a first-class Black life, ranging from knowing one’s history to understanding the power of representation to investing in the sometimes challenging processes of success. As Williams writes in her introduction, “Black excellence is as much an individual journey as a collective one. I will admit that my belief in what I consider to be a fundamental truth about the place of Blackness in our society didn’t come effortlessly. My own road to embracing who I am and what I can do has been met with many obstacles in my career and personal life, a couple of which I’ll share with you. At one point in my education and career, I thought it would be easier to make myself smaller. But over time, I’ve learned how to stay true to my ideals, and Black foundation, so becoming small was no longer a viable option.” “We are excited to collaborate with the Pan African Film Festival in celebrating Black culture,” said Malik Muhammad, who founded Malik Books in 1990 at the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards before moving to the mall four years later. “Our bookstore provides a vehicle where people can embrace their Blackness and educate and empower themselves to connect with their African American heritage. Without censorship, a person can explore his or her own Blackness and be enlightened through the pages of hundreds of books at Malik Books.”

About Devyn Bakewell

Devyn is an activist for the Black community, advocates for women and children, and is a Romance novelist who believes Greater Love can lead to a Greater Life. In her debut novel, “Greater Love,” Devyn connects with people by bringing them closer through shared experiences. Devyn hopes that through her literary work, she can improve the plight of black youth, women, and anyone who faces systemic oppression. With Greater Life, she continues the conversation.

About PAFF

PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festivals in the United States, taking place February 9-20, 2023, in Los Angeles. It attracts local, national, and international audiences as the nation’s largest Black History Month cultural event. PAFF presents and showcases a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes of Africans and African Americans. Since 1992, PAFF has remained dedicated to promoting Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expressions. Most importantly, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live-action and animation short films. Visit PAFF.org.

About Malik Books

Malik Books is a black-owned, independent bookstore specializing in books, calendars, cards, and gifts full of cultural diversity. This bookstore is a rare gem and offers a unique experience to its customers. Book loves can find all the hottest and best sellers of today, as well as hard-to-find books, or upon request, special order more than 12 million book titles. Malik Books served as the official bookseller of the 2022 Leimert Park Village Book Fair. Malik Books offer two locations – the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and Westfield Culver City. Visit MalikBooks.com.

We Speak Authors

Erin Napier Brings Holiday Heart Home in ‘The Christmas House’

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2026

We Speak Media

A man in a white cap, white T-shirt and light shorts embracing and kissing a woman in a light sleeveless dress, standing together on a sunny balcony behind an ornate white metal railing, in a grainy, sunlit photograph.

Erin Napier understands that a house holds a family’s memory — and in her new picture book, the house gets to tell the story. The Christmas House, published October 6 by Tommy Nelson, is Napier’s holiday companion to her bestselling The Lantern House, told from the point of view of the house itself as it is decorated and filled with joy for Christmas.

Page by page, the house watches the season arrive: decorations are carried down from the attic, a hand-carved nativity is set out, cookies are baked, and a family treasure is uncovered in the basement. At the center of it all is Grandpa’s cracked wooden Christmas star — worn, imperfect, and the most important decoration of all — in a story that gently honors a family member who has passed and the way traditions keep loved ones present. Folk artist Adam Trest illustrates, in the same warm style that made The Lantern House a favorite.

Napier, beloved as a co-host of HGTV’s Home Town, announced the book to her followers in August, describing it as a story about how Christmas traditions keep the people we love alive forever. She will take it on the road this season, with stops including Birmingham, Alabama on November 7; Jackson, Mississippi on November 21; New York City on November 30; and Laurel, Mississippi on December 5.

Written for ages 4 to 8, The Christmas House runs 40 pages and is priced at $19.99 — a read-aloud built for the nights when the tree goes up and the whole family crowds in close.