Black Readers and Writers Find Their Niche at Sea

On board Carnival Cruise Lines’ Fantasy, during the first “Black Literary Authors Cruise Konnection” last September, lovers of literature shared suntan lotion and stories--and a rare opportunity to spend a few days together with nothing to do but relax and talk books.

Pam Harrison of Charlotte, N.C., an Internet professional and voracious reader and collector of books by black authors, decided to organize the literary-themed cruise after being angered when a bookstore clerk didn’t know who J. California Cooper was.

Since Harrison had been reading the popular black author for nearly a decade, she started thinking about the commercial and marketplace difficulties faced by black authors and the people who read them. That led her to dream about a way to bring the groups together. And that led her to create the B.L.A.C.K. event, a four-night voyage featuring 10 black authors and a roster of readings, lectures and get-togethers.

With no advertising, Harrison attracted 178 book lovers to the cruise, nearly all of them women.

“It was the combination of the cruise plus the authors” that attracted Sherry Woodard of Detroit. “I haven’t cruised in a long time, and I was interested in meeting authors. I like to talk to them and find out where they get their inspiration. I’m a pseudo writer. I just don’t get the time to do it.”

For many, the stop in the Bahamas was almost incidental.

“I’ve been to Freeport and Nassau, so that wasn’t a draw for me,” said Wanda Jones, 35, of Plainfield, N.J., who came solo. “It was all these authors being in one place at the same time.”

Cruises like Harrison’s have been around a long time and cater to many interests, said Jennifer de la Cruz, spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines. Anyone who books at least eight cabins can arrange a theme cruise, she said, with an activity program separate from the rest of the ship.

For her virgin literary voyage, Harrison recruited a wide range of creative talent: R.M. Johnson, author of the novel “The Harris Men,” fresh from his first book tour; Victoria Christopher Murray, author of the Christian novel “Temptation”; Eric Jerome Dickey, author most recently of the novel “Cheaters”; supernatural fantasy author Tananarive Due, who wrote “My Soul to Keep,” and her husband and fellow sci-fi writer Steven Barnes, a screenwriter and author of “Iron Shadows”; Yolanda Joe, author of three novels, most recently “Bebe’s By Golly Wow”; Lolita Files, whose “Getting to the Good Part” was a sequel to her first novel; Omar Tyree, whose most recent fiction offering, “Sweet St. Louis,” had just been published; and Colin Channer, author of the novel “Waiting in Vain,” who missed the cruise because of botched flight connections. (I was No. 10, author of the autobiographical “Laughing in the Dark.”)

At the cruise’s inaugural reading, Johnson spoke before about 75 people. The lulling efffect of his voice blended with the rhythm of the boat, and the members of the audience were transfixed, breaking their concentration only to take an occasional photo.

Dickey’s reading was at 8 a.m., so fans were invited to attend in “respectable” sleepwear. As Dickey read and talked about the wonders and woes of being a writer, the audience ate breakfast.

What readers received throughout the cruise was a dose of each literary personality. The sassiness and earthiness of “old school” girl Joe, who mesmerized with stories about her grandmother. The pizazz of Files, who went from young corporate executive to best-selling author. The humorous, spiritual Murray, whose self-published book sold 10,000 copies before attracting the attention of a publishing company. The hipness of Tyree, who captures the street cadence and desperation of young people in the hard urban life.

For us authors, the cruise was, of course, an opportunity to boost royalties and to meet our readers. (Not to mention the attraction of a free cruise.) But also important for artists who work in solitude, it was a chance to fraternize with fellow writers, people who understand the loneliness and vulnerability of practicing the craft.

There was one hitch on the cruise, but it had nothing to do with literature. The Fantasy left Port Canaveral, Fla., near Orlando, just as Hurricane Floyd was headed toward the Bahamas. Though we made it to Freeport, weather kept the ship from spending its scheduled full day there. The next day, instead of stopping in Nassau, the ship docked in Key West, Fla. After that it was time to head back to Port Canaveral.

While other passengers may have grown weary of the Fantasy’s offerings on the redirected cruise, the ship’s detour didn’t faze most of the literary cruise folks. They had more than enough to do.

Harrison has even bigger plans for this year’s cruise, hoping to offer 15 authors and fill the entire 1,200-passenger Tropicale; the ship, which will visit the Cayman Islands, will leave Tampa, Fla., Aug. 12 and return five days later.

Among the authors expected: Bernadette Y. Connor, Blair Walker, Nalo Hopkinson, Denene Millner and Nick Chiles, along with last year’s Dickey, Due, Murray, Barnes and Johnson (and me).

Patrice Gaines is a reporter on the Washington Post’s Metro staff.

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GUIDEBOOK

Literary Itinerary

Booking: This year’s B.L.A.C.K. cruise will be Aug. 12-17 on the Carnival Fantasy. Rates per person range from $600 to $1,311. The third or fourth person in a cabin pays $474; children younger than 11, $424. Air fare to Tampa, Fla., and port taxes ($120 per person) are extra.

Payment must be made by May 28. For more information, see https://www.blackcruise.com on the Internet; telephone (704) 540-9316.

Several cruise lines book authors for lectures or other programs. To learn about them, check newspaper listings for travel agents who specialize in cruises.