Meet 2026 Local Authors Expo Featured Speaker: YOGI DADA
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| Local Authors Expo Speaker YOGI DADA during a book signing at the Birmingham Public Library. |
FEATURED SPEAKER: YOGI DADA
Yogi
DADA is a Birmingham-based multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and author
known for her work in visual art, performance, and storytelling. She was named
the 2026 Railroad Park Artist of the Year and recently released her book
“Djembe Chronicles: Humans, Animals & Angels,” a collection of 22 short
stories inspired by her experiences performing and creating in Birmingham
parks. Her work has appeared in exhibitions, film festivals, and community arts
projects across Alabama, including the award-winning film “GRAFFICA.”
Saturday, Aug. 1,
2026
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Birmingham Public Library’s Central Location
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203
The 2026BPL Local Authors Expo features 50 selected Alabama authors across fiction,
nonfiction and youth categories. The event is free and open to the public,
offering book sales, signings and opportunities to connect with local writers
and publishers.
Meet 2026 Local Authors Expo Featured
Speaker: YOGI DADA
Birmingham, Ala. - The
countdown is on! The Birmingham Public Library's 2026 Local Authors' Expo is just
two weeks away (Saturday, August 1), and attendees are in for a special treat:
keynote speaker YOGI DADA.
Best known for her vibrant Afrocentric artwork, signature
DADA earrings and infectious creative spirit, Birmingham artist YOGI DADA has
never been one to stay in a single creative lane. Her paintings have earned
regional recognition, her award-winning film has inspired audiences, and now
she's taking her artwork beyond the canvas by transforming her original
African-inspired designs into colorful African-inspired kimonos, beautiful,
free-flowing garments that blend art, fashion and culture.
Now, she has added another title to her impressive résumé: author. Her latest book, “Djembe Chronicles: Humans, Animals & Angels,” is her second published work and features 22 heartfelt stories inspired by the people, places and unforgettable encounters she's experienced while playing her djembe drum in Birmingham parks.
Named the 2026 Railroad Park Artist of the Year, YOGI
DADA will serve as the featured speaker during the 2026 Local Authors'
Expo on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Birmingham Public Library. She'll also join 50
other Alabama authors for book sales and signings throughout the day.
Whether you're an aspiring writer, an art enthusiast or
simply someone who enjoys meeting creative people, you won't want to miss
hearing YOGI DADA share her journey.
BPL's Roy L. Williams recently chatted with YOGI DADA to learn more about
the artist behind the earrings, drumming, artwork and now the books.
Q&A with YOGI DADA
Q: Many people know you as an artist. What inspired you to write “Djembe
Chronicles: Humans, Animals & Angels”?
YOGI DADA: This is actually my
second book, and writing has been a part of my life before I entered school.
“Djembe Chronicles” was inspired by my sharing little short stories here and
there on social media. My followers were so blessed by them, they kept
suggesting that I put together a book. It took a while, but here we are.
Q: Your book shares 22 stories inspired by
your experiences playing your djembe drum in Birmingham parks. At what point
did you realize those encounters deserved to become a book?
YOGI DADA: I believe it was the
journey and the response. I started to see a change in myself as a human,
stealing away to the park to drum in the presence of God. Based on the response
of those who heard my stories, I knew others might find a need for the same peace,
joy and inspiration.
Q: You're known for your paintings, DADA
earrings, filmmaking, music and performances. How does writing compare with
your other creative outlets?
YOGI DADA: I think I write just
like I create in every discipline, in freedom and detail. I like my writing to
be simple and easy to read. My goal is to share and uplift, so I don’t like
words to get in the way. I wrote my first poem at 4-years-old, so writing has
been a part of my creative experience just like painting and music. It’s all
connected.
Q: Your creativity continues to evolve.
You've recently begun transforming your original African-inspired artwork and
paintings into colorful African-inspired kimonos, flowing garments that combine
art, fashion and culture. What inspired you to take your artwork from the
canvas to wearable art, and what do you hope people feel when they wear one of
your designs?
YOGI DADA: They’re actually
called kimonos. I’ve always liked to see my artwork in uncommon places, unique
spaces. It took a while, but I was finally matched with a Black-owned business
through social media that puts my designs on kimonos. I pray people feel whimsical,
fierce, light and bold walking with the wind in their face and a kimono waving
behind them like a train of colors.
Q: You've often described your creative work
as an expression of freedom. What does creative freedom mean to you?
YOGI DADA: Creative freedom is a
place, a condition of heart to create without boundaries, suppositions and
critique. Not to be absent of feedback, but I reflect on the creative process
of children. They believe everything they create is amazing and praiseworthy until
someone says it isn’t. I try to keep the passion of my 5-year-old self.
Q: You were recently named the 2026 Railroad
Park Artist of the Year and selected to create the park's commemorative poster.
What did that honor mean to you?
YOGI DADA: It’s an honor to have
my artwork recognized as something shareable with others. I believe it means
that my artist name, YOGI DADA, has a reach with a positive experience attached
to it. It’s one thing to be talented, it’s another to be remembered with a smile
and professionalism. And since my first time playing my djembe in public was at
Railroad Park, it was quite fitting and easy to create in their theme of “What
Railroad Park Means to Me.” Joy!
Q: What do you hope readers take away after
finishing “Djembe Chronicles: Humans, Animals & Angels”?
YOGI DADA: I pray they see God
and His love everywhere.
Q: The Local Authors' Expo will include many
aspiring writers. What's one piece of advice you would give someone who's
always dreamed of writing a book but hasn't started?
YOGI DADA: Write. It really is
that simple. I will be hosting a “How to Write a Book” seminar with YOGI DADA
on Saturday, Aug. 22, 12 p.m. at St. John AME Church downtown to help with some of the steps along the way, but the
most important thing to do is to write.
Q: If someone has never experienced "The
YOGI DADA Experience," what can they expect when they meet you at the
Local Authors' Expo?
YOGI DADA: I pray they always
feel love and inspiration.
Q: What excites you most about participating
in this year's Local Authors' Expo alongside 49 other Alabama authors?
YOGI DADA: I’m most excited
about tapping back into a part of my artistry that has been on the sideline
since my visual artwork has taken center stage. God is teaching me it really is
OK to put one gift aside for a season to focus on another. I have several more
books inside of me coming soon!
Q: Finish this sentence: "Stories matter
because..."
YOGI DADA: “...humans matter.”
Written by Roy L. Williams, Public Relations Specialist - Birmingham Public Library
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