Culture and art will merge on Saturday as authors and vendors gather for the inaugural IWE Festival at Southern University.
Best of 225 This Week reports the free urban literary festival was founded by Metro Councilwoman Erika Green. The festival will feature 21 authors, 10 marketplace vendors, music, and multiple food trucks. It will be held from noon to 6 p.m. on the Mississippi River bluff at Leon Netterville Drive.
“This festival was birthed from a desire to bring culture and literacy to the citizens of north Baton Rouge,” Green says. “As a millennial, I’m always trying to be innovative with programming. My passion for reading, music and festivals collided.”
The IWE Festival’s main stage features panels with authors like Detroit Lions’ safety Don Carey and his wife, Lakeisha; children’s author Joy Williams; and poet and artist Donney Rose. Musical acts Sweet Southern Heat, Coppertop and April Louise also will perform.
“There needed to be a space for an intergenerational experience that made it popular to discuss literacy for my community,” Green says. “Other metropolitan cities provide these spaces, and I had to use my platform to make it happen.”
Get more details and read more about the festival’s other featured authors. Be sure to sign up for the free Best of 225 This Week e-newsletter to stay in the know about everything that’s going on in the Capital Region.
