Our QC Black Authors Forum Interview

It’s that time of year again for the Quad Cities Black Authors Forum.

On the WHBF 4 television show, Our Quad Cities, an interview was hosted to discuss the 2026 Black Authors Forum scheduled for Friday, August 21, 2026. As the annual event celebrates five years, Mrs. Earlye Julien and Dr. Burl Randolph, Jr. were the representatives from the QC Black Authors Collective. The Black Authors Collective is the result of the rousing success of the first Black Authors Forum in 2026.

The Importance of Our QC Black Authors Forum

The importance of the QC Black Authors Forum lies in its purpose: to introduce the local community, the region, and even communities across the United States to the stories and works of Black authors. The compelling interview provides the format for the forum. Use the watch button below.

Watch time: 5 mins, 29 secs

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The objectives of the Black Authors Forum are to promote education, inspiration, and rejuvenation.

1. Education. From preschool to 3rd grade, we learn to read, but from 4th grade and beyond, we read to learn. Reading routinely helps with literacy, comprehension, and understanding of others and our world. The Black Authors Forum inspires people to read more.
2. Inspiration. Every year, the Black Authors Forum inspires writers to become published authors. This may come from listening to authors’ stories about their author journey, interacting with the authors, or the overall atmosphere of the event. Whatever the reason, 3-5 new authors join The Forum every year. Although the forum desires to inspire the audience, they are not the only ones who may need a push.
3. Rejuvenation. Sometimes, the struggle is real, even for seasoned authors. Writer’s block is a real phenomenon that even the best of us need help to break through. Like ‘Iron sharpens iron,’ ‘Authors sharpen authors.‘ Occasionally, even seasoned authors may need to hear other authors’ stories, what they are working on, and exchange ideas to overcome the block. The Forum helps accomplish that.

Why Attend the Black Authors Forum

Although I believe the case has been made to attend the Black Authors Forum, the observation, participation, and experience are well worth the 90 minutes on a Friday night. Remember, 6-7:30 pm on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island, IL, is where the Fifth Annual Black Authors Forum will be held. We look forward to seeing you there!