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Founder
Black Ink Book Exchange was a nomadic library open for the exchange of books by and about people of the African Diaspora. The project aimed to create a space around books as a cultural currency, and consisted of creative workshops, a reading lounge and book barter.
The project opened April 2014 at the Arts Incubator in Washington Park, after a successful crowdfunding and book sourcing campaign, and continued through the end of the year at other South Side Chicago locations. As Founder, Director and Coordinator of the Black Ink Book Exchange, I created the concept for the project, secured book and money donations, created strategic partnerships with other Chicago organizations and teaching artists, and managed all aspects of social and print media promotion.
Black Ink Book Exchange saw 1146 books come through our doors, with 233 documented book exchanges. We hosted 8 workshops with 6 different teaching artists, reaching 122 participants. Books from the Exchange have been donated to schools and centers throughout Chicago, that will continue to get good use out of great books.
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Ink Better Spilled, Isabel Ochoa Gold, South Side Weekly, April 2014
Chicago Woman Aims For Engagement, Empowerment With South Side Book Exchange, Joseph Erbentraut, Huffington Post, February 2014