Book lovers, celebrities, and authors flocked to Atlanta for the 2015 AAMBC Literary Awards, myself included. While I was there on business acting as the social media producer, I couldn’t help but be excited. Not only was I in the presence of literary movers and shakers such as Zane, Kwan, Mary B. Morrison, Munson Steed, and more, but I was also at a live red-carpet event in the name of literacy. Being a writer and avid reader, this is a huge deal for our community! “We authors are creative artists, too, and we deserve to be recognized and celebrated just as musicians and actors are. We deserve red carpets, interviews, and awards,” says #GirlBoss Tamika Newhouse, founder of AAMBC and Delphine Publications. Newhouse did just that! She gave authors an opportunity to be honored and celebrated for turning words into stories. And as you’ll see in the photos below everyone was dressed up and red-carpet ready!
A few snapshots from the night:
The awards were presented by a mixture of Atlanta celebrities, authors, and socialites. 2015 AAMBC Award nominees included Poet of the Year: Laqueshia Malone, Breakout Author of the Year: Piper Huguley, Book Club of the Year: Keys No Lock, Male Author of the Year: David Weaver, Indie Publisher of the Year: Brown Girls Publishing, Female Author of the Year: Zane, Indie Book Store: Nubian Books, AAMBC Author of the Year: M. Skye, Romance Author of the Year: Sheila Goss, Magazine of the Year: Rolling Out, Christian Author of the Year: Denora Boone, Independent Digital Publisher: David Weaver Presents, Blogger of the Year: Orsayor Simmons for Book Referees, Reader’s Choice: K’wan Foye, eBook of the Year: Jessica Watkins, Street Lit Writer of the Year: Silk White, and AAMBC Reviewer of the Year: Kiera Northington.
The Francis Ray Award was given to popular urban-fiction author K’wan and Steed Media/Rolling Out publisher Munson Steed received the 2015 Media Innovator of the Year. In his acceptance speech Steed spoke of support for African-American authors in establishing a platform for them via Rolling Out. “We want to support our literary community. So if there are any authors here that we haven’t featured, we’d like to share an opportunity with you to connect with our readers,” Steed explained.
Guests at the 2015 AAMBC awards included Brittish Williams (VH1/Basketball Wives), Adrianna Lombardo (R&B/pop singer), Bo Talley (Atlanta philanthropist/socialite), Shay (Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta), and other notables. Newhouse says she is looking forward to the next AAMBC Awards which she has set for June 11, 2016.
Congratulations to all the winners! Kudos to Tamika for giving us authors a night to remember. This is a prime example of what can be accomplished when passion meets profits. I can’t wait to see what is in store for 2016. Click here for a full list of the night’s winners.
Keep up with The AAMBC Awards on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or www.aambcawards.com. And save the date for next year’s show!
