Black Book Festival, including The Education Expo 2025

This grassroots festival is aimed at the African Diaspora and is a platform to showcase the books, services and initiatives that the Black community is making in the book industry throughout the world.

The event provides an opportunity for the global community to:

• listen to new and exciting Black writers and publishers
• learn how to write the book they always knew they had within them
• learn about the global Black book industry
• identify opportunities to publish and exhibit books on the Black experience.

However, the main aim of the festival is to raise much needed funds for Simon Education's SEADS Project, that provides free education resources and teacher training resources to schools in Africa and the Caribbean. The project currently supports 30 schools with a total student population of 14,000.

Entrance guidelines:

• Free entry to book expo with 50 stalls.
• Paid entrance to seminar presentations and book expo.
• Paid ticket holders to go to the front of the queue. Seminar tickets can be booked online or at the venue and will be allocated on a first come-first-served basis.

Premier exhibition: Windrush In Colour (free to all). Through modern technology some iconic Windrush photographs are now represented in full colour courtesy of the Windrush Foundation

Festival DJ/Music

• Provided by our own in-house Music (RnB, Afrobeats and Reggae) featuring DJ Rak

Family and Children's Workshops in Family Tent - (12pm to 5pm/in main exhibition hall):

• African-Caribbean storytelling (puppet show)
• African-Caribbean arts and crafts - Mary Anderson
• Genius thinking games that promote critical thinking skills - Simon education Team
• Guess What Mia and Ade Like to Eat, science workshop - Dr. Leonora Simon-Bleasdille

Writing & Publishing seminars (Paid ticket holders only. Seminar Rm 142 11.30am - 5 pm)

• Promoting Black Books in the US market with writing coach, Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati USA) 11.30am - 12pm
• How We Wrote and Published,100 Black Doctors, with NHS team of doctors.12.10pm
• Dr. Sandra A. Agard, In conversation with novelist Kelechi Okafor, who will be talking about her debut novel, Awakend. 12.50pm

• Writing for Television, with tv producer & script editor (Holby City), Irma Innis. 1.30pm
• Interview with Wode Maya, Africa's most influenticial YouTuber. 2.20pm.
• Raising the Achievement of Black Children with author, Neil Mayers 4.15pm

Education seminars (Paid ticket holders only. Seminar Room 143, 12pm - 3pm )

• Free Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workshop led by the Bridges of Excellence Charity in partnership with the Chi Mu Mu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporate. 12pm (2 hours)

• My Jouney into Classical Music Education. In-conversation with musician William Campbell of the Chineke! Orchestra. 2.45pm

Main stage (each routine and piano recital, 12 minutes)

Performances by Oja Dance Troupe 12pm, 1pm & 2pm

Piano recital with William Campbell of the Chineke! Orchestra. 12.30pm, 1.30pm & 12.30pm

The Family Tree Hub (11am to 5pm in foyer by festival reception desk)

• There will be short twenty minute presentations on how to devise your own family tree using the latest technology and research techniques.

Awards:

• Best Children's Book Award 2025 4.30pm
• Lifetime Achievement Award to Ms Margaret Busby, co-founder of Allison and Busby and editor of the anthology, Daughters of Africa 4.40pm

African-Caribbean Restaurant

African-Caribbean food will be available to be purchased on the Univsersity Campus from Cummin Up, African-Caribbean caterers.

Vendors

To book a stall, please email your request to: info@simoneducation.com

Please note that the festival schedule may change at short notice due to circumstances beyond the organiser's control. We apologise in advance.

Sponsors

This event is sponsored by Ebony Education cic (Simon Education), Vibes FM Radio and the London Borough of Lewisham

About Simon Education

Simon Education was founded in 1987 by David Simon and Dr Leonora Simon-Bleasdille to run Saturday Schools in south London. The Saturday schools grew to ten in total and started pubishing Africentric education books and fiction books in the 1990s. It is estimated that Simon Education's services have supported 6000 students in the UK and 12,000 students in Africa and the Caribbean.

By the mid 1990s a new director had joined, Nneb Akpom-Simon, and the three directors set about making the company into an international organisation, which now sees it operating in 12 African and Caribbean countries through its SEADS Project. The SEADS project provides free teacher training to schools and free education resources. Simon Education has won numerous national and international awards for its published books, training programmes and educational services.

Kelechi Okafor will be talking with Dr. A. Agard about her novel, Awakend.

An Interview with Wode Maya, Africa’s Most Influential YouTuber. Wode Maya epitomises the work of a community educator, so come and hear his story.

100 Black Doctors will be at the Black Book Festival to launch their sensational new book.

Hidden in the Shadows by Shanice Lindsay, that explores ancient Black British History, will be launched at the Black Book Festival. Come and get your signed copy.

Victor Headley, author of the bestselling, Yardie, will be book signing at the festival.

Anton Marks will be signing copies of his books at the festival.

David Simon, author and educatior, will be signing copies of his bestselling books.

Visit the Simon Education website and/or attend the book festival to find out more about this new eLearning AI course for adults. It uses text to voice narration, video, multiple choice/test questions and animation, to prepare those who want to start their own business. Visit www.simoneducation.com/courses for more details.

The course will be officially launched at the festival (5pm)

Free Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workshop led by the Bridges of Excellence Charity in partnership with the Chi Mu Mu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

This engaging workshop is designed for children aged 7–12 and will feature a hands-on opportunity to build and race their own robots. Each participant will also receive a STEM workbook filled with fun activities to encourage continued learning and exploration after the event.ReplyReply AllForwardEdit as new

The main aim of the festival is to raise much needed funds for Simon Education's SEADS Project, that provides free educational and teacher training resources to schools in Africa and the Caribbean. The project currently supports 30 schools with a total student population of 14,000.

William Campbell is currently Sub-Organist and Assistant Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral and was previously Cathedral Organist at Leeds Cathedral. He is an accomplished classical musician who plays several instruments (piano, violin, viola, trumpet, trombone, electric guitar and drums) and has played with the Chineke! Orchestra. William has performed in several cathedrals, including Canterbury Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral. He has also performed at the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and has featured on several radio and television programmes. William is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists as well as an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. William is currently the only black Cathedral Organist in England.

The Oja Dance troupe will be telling African stories through dance on the main stage. They will perform three short peices.