Second Annual Event at Cerritos Library Has the Right “Ingredients”

Aspiring authors and avid readers alike congregated in the 's Skyline Room for a recent panel discussion between Los Angeles writers at the second annual “Ingredients for a Good Read” event.

Sponsored by the Cerritos Library, Orange County Chapter of The Links and the National Black MBA Association's Los Angeles Chapter, the event drew more than 150 people eager for the opportunity to listen to the authors discuss issues relevant to book publishing and the creative process.

Attica Locke, the critically acclaimed author of “Black Water Rising,” -- her debut novel which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and L.A. Times Book Prize -- moderated the event, asking the four-person panel on March 13 what inspired them to write. The answers varied.

“When I was young and cleaning out the garage, one day I saw a box and in that box was a copy of Dashiell Hammett’s 'The Maltese Falcon.' That drew me into mystery writing,” said author Gary Phillips, who has written several crime fiction novels.

While Phillips discovered his writing prowess in a dusty old box, author Daniel Armstrong got the idea for his book on a chance encounter with young people in the nation of Ghana.

“I was in West Africa as a Ford Foundation Fellow studying youth development,” Armstrong told the crowd. “I came into contact with young people who wanted to start a school, but they didn’t have any materials or money.”

“They told me ‘all we have is this tree.’ I told them that’s all you need. After that, they began teaching classes under that tree and that was the inspiration for my motivational book, How to Live Your Dreams: Find a Tree and Get Started.”

Armstrong added that his book started as 30 pages stapled together, and that he asked colleagues and family for critiques and editing help, which they obliged.

, was not lost on the panel. In fact, economics of the book industry was a topic brought up repeatedly throughout the discussion.

“Just driving here I noticed this city has a Border’s closing down,” said author and entrepreneur Flora Brown.

However, she didn’t described the company’s bankruptcy as a reason for potential new authors to panic, instead she talked about new opportunities.

“Right now is the best time for writers to speak directly to their audience,” she said. “You should all be utilizing the various social media out there to market and find an audience. I decided to self-publish, but if you want to approach a mainstream publisher, have a platform set up.”

When an audience member asked how she should proceed with her stalled novel, Phillips said, “We have all encountered that question. Don’t worry about writing a masterpiece with every line. If you have to, write half a page a day. That’s still progress.”

Later joining the panel were Bernard and Shirley Kinsey. The Kinsey’s, who are renowned for their robust African American art, book and manuscript collection, shared stories and pictures with the audience through a presentation titled: “What You Didn’t Learn in High School History.”

Bernard highlighted events, people, art and writings that he said “have been obscured by history.” He also added, “When we bring our ancestors closer to us, we bring ourselves closer to us.”

The Kinsey’s art collection is currently on display at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

“This whole event was enlightening and I hope they have more like it,” said Sherry Tatum, who traveled from Los Angeles with a friend to attend the event.

“We’re big time fans of local black authors and we just happened to hear about this program through word of mouth. It was well organized, I spoke with all of the authors and even purchased a few books too,” Tatum said.

For a list of future events being held at the Cerritos Library, visit the facility's website.