Up South, Inc.




	mission	statement.
	The principle goal of the Up South International Book Festival (USIBF) is to create an annual literary oasis in uptown Manhattan to generate excitement about books and the writers, artists and others who produce them.	A book is a bridge between cultures and across boundaries of geography and language. They provide a mindful way to speak to the hearts of humanity. The Up South mission is to promote people who share their experience, tell their stories and make reading enlightening and entertaining.
	Concluding the results of the "Reading at Risk" report issued by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Chairman, Dana Giola, said that, "At the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in a half century." USIBF is committed to reversing this trend by demonstrating that books are as appealing and vital as other media, and that literature informs and influences all other artistic and cultural expressions. USIBF also offers an opportunity for business, government, education and cultural organizations to collaborate and demonstrate the power and beauty of diversity, imagination and industry.	We accomplish the mission by producing events, publications and products that encourage reading, literature and the arts as leisure-time pursuits. Up South refers literally and metaphorically to the phenomena of migration and immigration from regions that are rural and south to the cities, often north, from antiquity to the present. The play on words refers to the sometimes ironic consequences of the forward movement of humanity—especially black and brown people—and the importance of language in understanding our reality.

Up South board \| staff	BOARD OF DIRECTORS	ADVISORY COUNCIL
	Emeritus Marie Brown Faith Childs Board of Directors Malaika Adero Patrik Henry Bass Alexa Birdsong Colin Channer Linda A. Duggins Alvin Hall Irving S. Hamer, Jr. Kevin Walters	Phillip Harvey Kevin Harewood Belinda Mbaye Laylah Amutullah Barryn
		STAFF
		Malaika Adero \| Director Renee Brown Walters \| Event Coordinator Bisi Kehinde Akiwowo \| Marketing

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD...UP SOUTH Great stories told in music, dance, film, and books
Up South Inc. is a 501(3) (c) not-for-profit organization; all donations are tax-deductible