On June 9, 2023, my god sister and I set out on a twelve hour drive from Norfolk, VA to Detroit, MI for my first vending event as an author. The road trip was much needed after losing two family members a few weeks prior.
Along the journey, we drove around the mountains, along winding roads, and through small towns. The radio stations cut in and out and sometimes the GPS lost its signal, but we managed to find our way.
When we reached our destination, it was 2:00 am and I wanted to get some sleep, but the late-night cup of coffee wouldn’t afford me that luxury. My sister, on the other hand, slept like a baby.
After lying in bed listening to rain sounds for a few hours, I got up and did my morning routine, and prepared some last-minute things for the event.
By the time I finished breakfast was over, so I drove from the Hilton Garden Inn in Southfield to the location of the event. I rode around the block a few times and checked out the parking situation before grabbing some food from Wendy’s.
With less than thirty minutes til the event started, we unloaded the car and set up the table. Since it was my first event, I didn’t have a fancy banner or a top-notch display, just a black tablecloth I found on Amazon, my book babies, the price list, and my poster. My neighbor came over and sprinkled some confetti on the table and introduced herself. And that conversation led to my next vending event in Orlando, FL later this year.
I had the opportunity to meet some friends from social media and purchase books from new-to-me authors. I also met several people in the filmmaking industry. I sold a few books and had some thought-provoking conversations.
Overall Detroit Hustle and Grind Urban Literary Convention was a great networking event that allowed me to get a feel for the people in the community and how important literacy is to them.
After packing up and loading the car, we headed back to the hotel. The GPS decided to play games and sent us in circles. During the chaos, we found an awesome restaurant in Farmington Hills named Craft Breww City where we had dinner and then called it a night.
The next day we slept in and prepared ourselves for the long drive back home. Before embarking on our journey back home, we had lunch at the same brewery and got some bang-bang shrimp for the road.
My first trip to Detroit was an eventful one and everything I hoped it would be.
Until next time!
-Lesanda
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