The authors and panelists of the Bronx Book Festival responded to personal questions about their lives, the writing process, and current literary inspirations. To see their panels and hear more about their books, RSVP for the Bronx Book Festival below.

TOCHI ONYEBUCHI

AUTHOR OF RIOT BABY

Why did you become an author?

As a young reader, that sense of transport I got from an immersive reading experience was intoxicating. I wanted to give that experience to someone else. And when I learned that the author of my favorite book of all time (Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo) was the same color as me, I discovered I could.

 What are you reading right now?

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.

 Have you ever been to the Bronx? If so, what's a favorite memory you have? If not, what do you know or think about the Bronx?

When I lived in NYC, I used to go to John's Boxing Gym on Jerome Ave. Boxing was always a cathartic and restorative activity for me, and I always felt like I was embarking on some project of self-improvement when I would take the Bx19 back and forth to there.

 What is a quote you live by?

"Writing as writing. Writing as rioting. Writing as righting. On the best days, all three." —Teju Cole