The Indianapolis Public Library’s (IndyPL) Center for Black Literature and Culture (CBLC) hosted bestselling author, Tomi Adeyemi, as the keynote speaker for its 9th Annual Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration on June 13, 2026.
The CBLC Book Fest and Juneteenth Celebration is sponsored by The CBLC at Central Library in support of The African American History Committee. The program was made possible with contributions from Friends of the Library, a collection of nonprofit, volunteer-driven organizations that support local libraries through fundraising, advocacy, and programming.
“At the Center for Black Literature & Culture, we honor the literary giants who shaped African American storytelling while nurturing the next generation,” said CBLC Manager Hallie Raikes, in a statement released before the event. “That’s why we’re excited to welcome Tomi Adeyemi, whose imaginative fantasy worlds resonate deeply with teen audiences and adult readers alike through themes of identity and empowerment.”
Named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Adeyemi is a Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning writer, mystic and model. Her instant #1 New York Times-bestselling Legacy of Orïsha series, which includes “Children of Blood and Bone,” “Children of Virtue and Vengeance,” and “Children of Anguish and Anarchy,” has sold more than 3 million copies around the world, with a film adaptation set for release in January 2027.
Adeyemi sat down with the Indianapolis Recorder and discussed her experience as an author and the vision that enabled her to create her stories. She also talked about her character Zélie, the main character from the “Legacy of Orisha” series and how her portrayal was influenced by her own life experiences.
“We went through it together. She had her young adult trilogy, I had my journey and our character arcs are moments of, for [Zélie], feeling like she didn’t have magic,” Adeyemi said. “For me, I’ve always been someone who’s more interested in ‘how did it feel’ than tell me exactly what happened and I now understand she was my paint brush.”
In her keynote speech, Adeyemi discussed how events that occurred during the conception of her “Legacy of Orisha” series influenced the story she wanted to tell, such as the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012.
“It has been 14 years, and it still makes my voice shake and my body tight to talk about that boy dying in 2012, because that wasn’t in the ‘Hunger Games;’ that was our lives,” Adeyemi said. “That’s part of where this story came from.”
The event also featured local authors including Keshia McEntire, the author of “That Girl Who Ran off and Kissed a Vampire” and Angela Barnes, who authored “Tiger Out of the Cage”. The event’s mission was to present attendees with an opportunity to engage and learn with local Black authors to celebrate Juneteenth and what the holiday represents.
In addition to the keynote, the event also featured a poetry performance by Mariah Ivey, a 2026 Artist at Work Fellow.
Juneteenth, officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, has long been celebrated to commemorate the day federal troops arrived in Galveston in 1865, two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, to take control of the state and ensure that more than 250,000 enslaved people were freed by executive decree.
For more information about the event, visit indypl.org. For more information about Adeyemi’s work, visit tomiadeyemi.com.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
 Center for Black Literature and Culture (CBLC) hosted bestselling author, Tomi Adeyemi, as the ...){kind=link}