Join us May 18 for the 2024 Orlando Book Festival brought to you by the Orange County Library System. There will be several author panel discussions throughout the day, and the event will end with a keynote speech from New York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage, Tayari Jones.

We will be moderating the “Let's Talk About Florida: What a weird, wacky state we live in” with Annabelle Tometich, Rebecca Renner, & Tyler Gillespie. These authors will discuss their experiences writing about the Sunshine State.

THE VULGAR GENIUSES PODCAST presents a live recording of the MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS STORY HOUR, Sunday April 28th, 2024 @ 7PM at Stardust Video & Coffee. We will be celebrating a couple of major milestones on the night of this special event. The Vulgar Geniuses turn 4 years old, and Midnight Maruders Story Hour takes its first steps into its first anniversary. We have a stellar lineup gracing the stage for the evening with guest authors Racquel Henry (Writer's Atelier & Black Fox Literary Magazine), Sheree L. Greer (Once and Future Lovers), River Coello (HAMPI), and special guest Representative Anna Eskamani!

Our friends from the Orange County Library will be signing folks up for library cards, and we will have Zeppelin Books in the house selling the best in literature with a book pop-up.

The Vulgar Geniuses are proud to announce that we are going to be in conversation with the brilliant MINDA HONEY next month at Zeppelin Books in Orlando to discuss her debut memoir THE HEARTBREAK YEARS!!! Our live interview will take place SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8TH @6PM. We are beyond grateful to Zeppelin Books for hosting us. Come out and join us next month as we celebrate this phenomenal book and author!

THE HEARTBREAK YEARS: A MEMOIR

A hilariously intimate memoir that gets to the turbulent joys and pains of coming of age and looking for love as a Black woman in America.

In the car she'd had since high school--with the boyfriend she'd had just as long riding shotgun--Minda Honey made the cross-country drive to sunny Southern California. By the end of 2008, Obama would be president, she'd be single, and change would be upon us all.

Thousands of miles away from her family and friends in the new era of smartphones and online dating, Minda navigates the treacherous waters of early adulthood and love: confounding relationships, steamy hookups, meet-cutes, chillingly narrow escapes, and the realization that nothing plays out quite like the rom-coms she'd bet her heart on as a teenager. She was frustrated, heartbroken, resentful--and free. Kinda. From California to Colorado to her hometown in Kentucky, Minda sets out to relaunch her life outside all that defined her adolescence.

In an unflinching memoir, Minda casts her gimlet eye on her past relationships and the complicated dynamics of consent culture, gender, sexuality, race, and class. Remembering the promise and disappointments of her twenties with wisdom and compassion, this is Minda's story of a Black woman coming into herself and changing her own world with resilience and bracing independence.

Rollins College will be hosting The Vulgar Geniuses for a live podcast recording. Asha Budhai, Zaria Clark, Jiya Manchanda, Angelisse Perez, Isabel Polanco, Fatima Sani will be sharing their work, and we will be in conversation with poet and professor Dr. Vidhu Aggarwal. More info to come.

Tell a friend to tell a friend that we are back! The Vulgar Geniuses make our grand return with a second installment of the MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS STORY HOUR at Stardust Video & Coffee. Join us for a live podcast recording on Sunday, August 27th at 8PM.

Our featured guests for the night are none other than Dani Sarta, Steven Archer, Vidhu Aggarwal & Melanie Farmer! Let's show them some love by packing out the house!

We are inviting all the little ones to a special event to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Young Vo, the author of the children’s book GIBBERISH, will be joining us for a live reading of this beautiful story Sunday, May 14th @ 7:00PM - 7:30PM.

This is a Virtual Event hosted through Zoom. Please provide your name and email at registration to participate. You will receive an email with a link to access the Zoom before the event.

ABOUT OUR STORY:

It's Dat's first day of school in a new country! Dat and his Mah made a long journey to get here, and Dat doesn't know the language. To Dat, everything everybody says -- from the school bus driver to his new classmates -- sounds like gibberish. How is Dat going to make new friends if they can't understand each other?

Luckily there's a friendly girl in Dat's class who knows that there are other ways to communicate, besides just talking. Could she help make sense of the gibberish?

ABOUT OUR AUTHOR:

Young Vo learned to draw before he could write. He drew a lot of characters, then began to write stories for them. There were not many job choices that he could make, so he decided to be an animator, illustrator, and author. Now he writes and draws his stories before the sun rises, then animates during the day. His debut author/illustrator picture book Gibberish (published by Levine Querido) was named one of the best children’s books of 2022 by the Washington Post and Kirkus. He is currently a lead animator at Zenimax Online Studios/Microsoft. Learn more at  www.youngvoart.com

THE VULGAR GENIUSES are back outside! Join us to mark our 3rd anniversary as we will host a live recording of our first literary event, MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS STORY HOUR, at STARDUST VIDEO & COFFEE, APRIL 16TH, SUNDAY@ 8:00PM.

We will welcome Ryan Rivas, Michelle Lizet Flores, Brianna Johnson, and Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya to the stage for our inaugural event. From poetry to prose, our eclectic mix of voices promises to captivate and inspire. So come, grab a coffee or a cocktail, and settle in for a night of unforgettable performances. Music provided by RUBOX.

Details Coming Soon

The Vulgar Geniuses return for our first book club meetup for the year. We will be discussing Jonathan Escoffery’s novel IF I SURVIVE YOU ,Tuesday, Feb. 7th 8:30PM EST. RSVP down below to save your spot.

Join us to discuss National Book Award winning novel HELL OF A BOOK by author Jason Mott. We will be meeting March 17th @ 8:30PM EST. to talk about this amazing book. RSVP to save your spot!

Join THE VULGAR GENIUSES in a live virtual taping of our podcast season finale featuring 2021 National Book Award finalists and New York Times Best-selling author Robert Jones, Jr. (@thesonofbaldwin). We will be discussing his debut novel THE PROPHETS on December 8th @8PM EST | 5PM PST.

This is a virtual event hosted on Facebook & YouTube Live by the Orange County Library (@ocls ). Registration not required to attend. But you'll receive a reminder email if you register.

THE VULGAR GENIUSES CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO THE FIRST ANNUAL VULGAR GENIUSES AWARD SHOW!

GET READY TO POP SOME CHAMPAGNE AND DRINK SOME FANCY LIQUOR!!

MAKE SURE YOU VOTE SO YOUR FAVORITES CAN WIN THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS PRIZES!!

JOIN US IN A LIVE PODCAST RECORDING WHILE WE ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS!

Vulgar Geniuses is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Vulgar Geniuses Awards Show

Time: Apr 28, 2021 08:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOU FAVORITE BEVERAGE OF CHOICE!

RSVP FOR OUR BEDTIME STORY!

GO GET SOME POPCORN AND YOUR FAVORITE CANDY! WE’RE WATCHING A MOVIE!!!

Vulgar Geniuses is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Betty Davis Doc Watch Party

Time: Apr 24, 2021 08:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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CAN’T WAIT TO HANG OUT WITH ALL OF YOU!

We interview the owner of Kizzy’s Books & More Bookstore, Trenessa Williams live on Instagram!

Kizzy's Books & More is an independent bookstore committed to embracing the African-American culture and the joy of reading. We aim to provide a place for lovers of African-American literature and other creative expressions with a welcoming ambiance and customer service. The company additionally seeks to provide a comfortable atmosphere for its customers that promote browsing, relaxation, and an enjoyable environment to spend extended time in.

Kizzy's Books & More is located in Winter Garden, FL.

You can visit her website at https://kizzysbooksandmore.indiecommerce.com/

Come celebrate The Vulgar Geniuses Anniversary with an Instagram Birthday Party! Follow us on IG: @vulgargeniusesbookclub to join in the party! Bring your dancing shoes!!