This American: My Trip to the National Book Festival (Pt. 2)

The National Book Festival itself was held on Saturday, September 3rd at the Washington Convention Center. For numerous reasons, one of them being pure excitement, I was running on very little sleep by the time the Festival took place, so I knew that I had to focus primarily on doing a good job on my panel, and carrying myself well during the signing. There was a moment when I worried I’d be over-dressed for the event. Most folks were in purely casual clothes, but this being a Serious Career Event, I figured I should dress similarly to the way I had the night before. I just hoped I wouldn’t show up looking like an officious tool.

              Lisa headed over to the festival in the morning while I was till pulling myself together. I know she got emotional and teary once she saw the sheer size of the festival, with it’s CSPAN TV cameras, and its acres and acres of readers. She came back to the hotel to change, and then we went over together. I suppose I was unprepared for the sheer vastness of the event. Worldcon was huge when I attended in San Jose, and still quite large when I attended again in DC last December, but this…? The NBF seemed bigger.

              When I checked in, Lisa got her guest badge since she was with me, and we were given an escort whose name is lost to me in the sheer overwhelming rush of the festival. I have, however, reached out to the Library of Congress to get her name so that I can send her a token of my appreciation. I’d never heard of this kind of escort set-up, but it was exactly what I needed to navigate this enormous space with all those people. Seeing the green room eased my worries about the way I’d chosen to dress—lots of suits and ties in attendance.

              The first place we headed was to the state tables. I’d been invited by Louisiana Center for the Book to spend half an hour at their table as well as to participate in the Louisiana Book Festival in October. I only had one copy of my book with me, but the brilliant Fatima Shaik, author of Economy Hall, was there with a copy of her own, so I was able to show it to folx and say a bit about the book while kids rushed up to the table for Louisiana stamps for their NBF scavenger hunt. I’ve been reading what Fatima has to say on social media for some time, and she’s a stand-out, so I was glad to finally meet her in person.

              My parents arrived while we were at the Louisiana table, and after I was done there, we headed over to the food court where they’d stopped for hot dogs. Mom and dad both had a glow about them, and it took me a moment to realize that glow as pride in my accomplishment. Now it was time for the panel. The subject was The Magic of Music and Dreams, moderated by Lupita Aquino of shereads.com. Lupita had shared some questions with me and Nghi Vo a couple evenings before, and they looked great.

              As is often the case when I’m little-boy excited, I arrived early at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Stage, so I caught the tail end of a panel with Leslye Penelope and Tochi Onyebuchi (Come into My World: Vivid Places and People in Fiction.) I’ve wanted to meet Tochi for many years now, and while our paths didn’t cross directly at this event, I hope they will soon. Leslye, on the other hand, I have met, and she’s always beautifully “moisturized and unbothered.” I haven’t read her work yet, but her new novel, The Monsters We Defy is sitting at the top of my TBR pile. I think she even lives in or near my hometown of Columbia, MD.

              Nghi Vo is the main reason why I’d been excited for the event. I tore through her novel, Siren Queen, which is the story of a Chinese American film star in an Old Hollywood owned and run by the Fae. The book crackles with tension, excitement, and queerness, and I became a fan on the first page. During the panel, we didn’t speak much about music or movies, instead discussing queerness, the writing process, and various other influences. Lupita’s questions were insightful, well-timed, and very natural. The audience was attentive and engaged, and the entire panel was run with beautiful efficiency. I haven’t seen the footage on CSPAN, but I’ll ask if there’s any way to obtain it, and maybe put it up on my website.

              Soon after the panel, it was time for the signing. As the escort led me to that section of the festival, I saw a long line of people gathered and wondered aloud who they were waiting for. I was genuinely shocked when the escort told me they were there to see me. I do well in social situations, but I’ve had to work hard to develop those skills, and social interactions cost me quite a bit—especially when I’m operating on little sleep. I asked my sister to sit with me during the signing because I knew that having her nearby would help ease some of the tension and let me be my best version of myself. Lisa, of course, went above and beyond, gabbing with readers, taking photos for them, and crowing about her own role in the novel.

              As we reached the tail end of my line, readers informed me that the festival had sold out of my books. I don’t know exactly how many they’d had on offer, but from the photos I saw, it was between 60 and 80 copies, and I autographed most of them. It was humbling to see so many people excited for my work and wanting autographs, and by the time we were done, I was ready to go share a meal with my family and then collapse into sleep back at the hotel.

The Jennings family standing on an NW DC street, a surly hungry group of Negroes.

              It took us forever to find somewhere to eat. The Chinese restaurant we were looking for, Hot Fork, wasn’t where we thought it would be, so instead, we ate a passable meal at Ghost Burger during its soft opening. I don’t have photographic evidence, but I was very impressed with myself for avoiding spills and stains—my burger was a mess. Afterwards, Lisa and I swung by a dispensary for some gummies and spent the rest of the night relaxing in the hotel room. The gummy I’d taken didn’t seem to be kicking in, but then I texted my roommate, Kytara “It’s so sad that [our dog] Karate will never know how good we are at our jobs,” and realized that I was about as stoned as I’d ever been. The next day, when I checked the strength of the gummies, I found that they were 25 mg instead of the 10 I was expecting. No wonder!

              The next day, Lisa and I swung by Politics and Prose so I could sign their two remaining copies, and then we headed to my childhood home in Maryland. I’m honestly still processing the experience of NBF, and I very much hope they’ll invite me again, and that I’ll be able to more fully experience the festival, attend some other panels, and have some conversations in the green room. NBF 2022 was exhausting, overwhelming, and utterly rewarding. Now that I’m back home, I’m gearing up to work on a new sekrit project and wrestling with the outline for my second novel. There are several events coming up this fall, including a Con or Bust reception during the World Fantasy Convention. I’ll have more to say about CoB and World Fantasy soon!