IndyPL announces Fall Fest 2024, guest speaker Yolanda Renee King

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Fall Fest 2024 and Slammin' Rhymes Challenge XVIII will feature guest speaker, author and activist Yolanda Renee King. (Photo provided/IndyPL)
Fall Fest 2024 and Slammin' Rhymes Challenge XVIII will feature guest speaker, author and activist Yolanda Renee King. (Photo provided/IndyPL)

The Indianapolis Public Library’s annual Fall Fest and Slammin’ Rhymes Challenge XVIII returns next week.

Presented by the African American History Committee in support of the Center for Black Literature & Culture, Fall Fest 2024 takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at Central Library. The festival coincides with the Slammin’ Rhymes Challenge XVIII where local youth will get to perform their winning entries from this year’s contest.

The featured keynote speech will be given by Yolanda Renee King, the 16-year-old author and activist and only grandchild of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. 

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Despite having never met her grandfather, King continues the legacy of activism, aligning with this year’s festival theme: courage. During the festival, she will engage in a fireside chat-style conversation with local youth leader and poet Anais Briscoe-Beuoy.

King’s debut book “We Dream A World,” published in January 2024, takes inspiration from Langston Hughes’ poem “I Dream A World.” The children’s book aims to inspire the youth towards unity and equality, pushing them to stand up and speak out on issues impacting the world today.

Also during the festival, guests will have the opportunity to watch performances by the Sirlimitless dance group, Actors Ink Theatre Company, Rightntight Fitness with Ms. Sylvia, the Chicago Boyz acrobatic team and poet Mariah Ivey. 

The festival is open to the public and free to attend. For more information, visit indypl.org/programs-events/fall-fest.

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.