Welcome to Year 5 of the Black Readers Appreciation Event

Dear Black Literary Community,

It’s BRAE Time!

The Black Readers Appreciation Event is back, and Year 5 is shaping up to be our biggest, most purposeful celebration yet! From November 2–8, 2026, readers, authors, narrators, bloggers, content creators, and literary lovers from across the globe will come together for a week dedicated to one thing we all believe in: The power of Black stories. BRAE has always been about celebrating the incredible authors who create the stories we love and the readers who continue to support them. But as our community has grown, so has our responsibility.

This year, we are expanding our reach beyond the celebration. We are putting an even stronger focus on community, literacy, access, representation, and giving back.

📚 November 2nd -3rd

We are kicking off BRAE with a mission close to our hearts. This year, BRAE will partner with an under funded library that is open and ready to serve its community but unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, its bookshelves are bare. We believe a library should be more than a building with empty shelves. So, on November 2nd and 3rd, BRAE is putting books on those shelves. We are asking our literary community to help us make sure this library has books that represent the people it serves. I’ll have more information on this project in the coming weeks, as we finalize the process for gifting paperback books to the library and how you can activate for this mazing opportunity.

🎧 NOVEMBER 4: AUDIOBOOK & NARRATOR DAY

On November 4th, we're turning the spotlight toward the incredible voices behind some of our favorite stories. Audiobooks have become an incredible part of the literary experience, and narrators do so much more than simply read words from a page. They breathe life into characters, create atmosphere, establish emotion, and transport us into worlds created by authors. Throughout the day, narrators will take over social media with LIVE conversations, interviews, readings, and discussions about the craft of narration. And yes, I'll be joining them! I'll be sitting down with narrators to talk about their craft, their experiences, the books they've brought to life, and what it takes to transform words on a page into an experience you can hear. So bring your questions. Bring your favorite audiobook. And get ready to hear the stories behind the voices.

This will also be the designated Audiobook Day full of discounted, and free audiobooks for readers to download or purchase.

📖 NOVEMBER 5–8: FREE EBOOK CELEBRATION

And then...We DOWNLOAD & Read! From November 5th through the 8th, hundreds of generous authors from across the globe will come together to give readers the opportunity to discover new stories through FREE ebook downloads. Four days. Hundreds of books. Genres for every kind of reader. Whether you're looking for romance, urban fiction, mystery, suspense, fantasy, paranormal, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, non- fiction, Children’s Books or something completely outside your normal reading comfort zone, there will be something waiting for you. This is our way of saying: Thank you for supporting independent authors. Thank you for sharing our stories. Thank you for recommending our books and thank you for creating spaces where Black literature can thrive.

✨ AUTHORS! THIS IS YOUR INVITATION

If you're an author who wants to be part of this year's celebration, author registration opens September 10th and closes October 17th. We want authors from every corner of the Black literary community to join us. Established authors, Indie authors, Emerging voices, Authors writing across genres and Authors who are ready to introduce their work to new readers. There is room for your story.

WELCOME TO BRAE YEAR 5

Black Readers Appreciation Event Year 5 is uploading! And we want you there. I hope you will join us!

With love, appreciation, and a whole lot of Black book magic,

A.A. Lewis
Founder & Creator
Black Readers Appreciation Event (BRAE)

November 2–8, 2026

Celebrating Black Readers. Amplifying Black Authors. Building Literary Community.