    
Michael_t_owens
Newbie Poster
Username: Michael_t_owens
Post Number: 45
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 26, 2006 - 06:17 pm: | 
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I attended the Miami Book fair last weekend. I’m just getting around to writing about my experience.
I arrived in Miami on Saturday around 9:00 am. Made a quick stop to eat a good ol’ breakfast of grits, eggs, bacon, biscuits, and apple juice before heading to the fair. My homeboy and fellow author Edwardo Jackson (http://www.edwardojackson.com) had a reading/discussion along with Triple Crown Publisher/Author Vickie Stringer (http://www.triplecrownpublications.com). The reading turned into a heated discussion about the publishing industry. After that, I hit the street fair. I was dressed in jeans and one of my infamous GetMyNovel.com T-shirts (I have 12 of them!) I walked around the fair at least a dozen times. By the way, this fair is huge! It’s one of the largest in the world, if not THE largest. I spent most of my time mixing and mingling with different authors. I spent considerable time with the Black authors. I made sure to get all of their books. I didn’t plan on spending a lot of cash so I had to make extra trips to the ATM. I strongly believe that if you want a successful career, you must support the careers of others.
In the middle of the afternoon I hit up some readings by Caribbean authors. They had a nice turnout.
I was invited to go listen to U.S Senator Barack Obama speak later on. In the meantime, I kicked it at Bayside and enjoyed some Latin music and fruity drinks.
Around 5:30 I headed over to the Gusman Theatre to hear the senator speak. The speech was set for 6pm (and it actually started on time. I was very pleased!). I thought I was arriving early. When I saw the line, I almost went back to Bayside to drink fruity drinks. I even thought about selling the free ticket I had. The line was craaaaaaaaaazy long. Almost as long as a line at Disney World or the financial aid line when I was in college. According to Fox News Miami, about 1,700 people attended. As he talked about politics and his new book, I paid close attention…to the sports updates on my Blackberry. It was Ohio State vs. Michigan, the biggest game of the year, the number one team versus the number two team, and I was missing it. It wasn’t by choice. My peeps wanted to hear the speech and they drove. You know how that goes—gotta stay with your ride. People around me kept asking me the score too. I was the official link to the outside sports world. Obama was interesting…I guess. But not as interesting as the football game. I know because I watched the highlights several times later that night.
Of course on Sunday, I watched the Miami Dolphins game. Then I headed to Miami Beach. Spent several hours chillin’ on Ocean Drive…at a sports bar. Yes, sports again. It don’t stop, it don’t quit! I met up with some friends and watched the Dallas Cowboys hand the Indianapolis Colts their first loss.
So a week later, here I am again, watching the NFL. The Miami Book fair is one of the best organized literary events around. Ask anyone who’s attended. This was the first year that I went as a visitor and not an exhibitor. It was great! Now if you will excuse me, half time is almost over. The Bears vs. Patriots game is on!
Michael T. Owens
http://www.getmynovel.com
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