Interview: BLERDFEST! Creator Promises a “BIGGER, BETTER, and BLACKER” Convention

In 2019, BLERDFEST!! hit the convention scene of New Orleans, Louisiana as a new and inclusive event that focused on the intersection of Blackness and nerdiness. According to the BLERDFEST! website,

“BLERDFEST!!, NOLA’s first & only Black Nerd Festival, is about representation, education, and inclusion. It is for us, by us, about us.

 We are dedicated to creating a safe space for all POC to geek out about Nerd culture, to promoting the pursuit of STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts and Math) to our community’s youth, to showcasing Black entrepreneurs in Blerdy fields, and to creating events that entertain, educate, encourage, and support all the members of our community.”

While the inaugural event was a success, plans to host a second BLERDFEST! in 2020 were put on hold in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Four years later, the convention is gearing up for a triumphant return on April 1, 2023. I had the pleasure of speaking with TRUE, the founder of BLERDFEST!, about what makes BLERDFEST! stand out in the convention scene, what it means to be a blerd, and more! 

What inspired you to create BLERDFEST!? Was there a particular moment that set everything in motion? 

I’ve been a Blerd all my life. The problem for me was that it wasn’t so much fun being the weird kinda Black kid in mostly white schools, and then the weird kinda white kid at the mostly Black school. I’ve always just wanted a space where I could be my weird self, with similar weird folk around me. 

The challenge has been that most nerdy events that I went to were attended by folks that didn’t look like me. Folks that I’ve had a troubled history with. I craved a space in which I could represent my Blackness and my Nerdiness and my otherness at the same time.

I went to MOM’s Ball in 2018 (the annual event held every carnival season by the Mystics, Orphans, and Misfits Secret Society), and it was fantastic. Thousands of people, mandatory costumes, multiple bands on 3 stages, food trucks. It was everything I’d want a party to be…except for the severe dearth of melanin. (And really, in a town that is 60% Black, for any event to be 95% not is a little sus.)

The idea of having a much Blacker equivalent, BLERD BALL, morphed into a comic con, BLERDFEST!!, and here we are, four years later, coming out of our unexpected hiatus BIGGER, BETTER, BLACKER.

How will BLERDFEST! differ from other conventions in terms of centering and celebrating the intersection of Blackness and nerd culture? 

I have respect for producers of all events, particularly Black events, particularly Black Nerd events. I’ve attended WakandaCon and BlerdCon, and I was very impressed by both. I can’t say that I have a definitive understanding of the philosophies of either, so I can only give my impressions. 

All the cons I’ve been to, going back 40+ years, have been a lot of fun, have been very entertaining, and have been very memorable. One thing about BLERDFEST! that separates us from other cons is that I think we view Nerdiness from a broader perspective.

We don’t just think of Nerdiness as just an interest in things like anime and comics, we lean into the academic and educational aspects of Nerdiness as well, more than it would seem those other cons do. So Superhero Nerds, yes, but also Science Nerds, Opera Singer Nerds, Math Nerds, History Nerds, and Tech Nerds.

Our Educational Director Dr. Crystal Bobb-Semple, for example, is the creator of an award-winning summer camp program whose literacy curriculum uses cultural mythology to improve reading outcomes for its participants. She is developing a writing workshop just for us:

“Storytelling with Myths: A Journey Through African Fantasy and Speculative Fiction: Participants will build narrative worlds using the Hero’s Journey story-telling framework to create and develop culturally-reflective story constructs, characters, and settings.”

When you initially reached out to me, you mentioned reading my BlerdCon article, so I have to ask, how will BLERDFEST! avoid some of the same mistakes, controversies, and pitfalls?

I wasn’t there, I didn’t see the costumes entered, so I can’t say who should’ve won. I understand why the optics of a white woman winning a contest at an ostensibly Black-centered event – and then going on to represent that Black event – would rub some folks the wrong way. 

We’re a Black-centered event, but we are not an exclusively Black thing. If I was judging a contest, I’d like to think that I would give the top award to the one most deserving of it, regardless of what identities that person embodied.

I will say that the starkest contrast between BlerdCon’s and our philosophy is how we approach, relate to, and manifest Blackness. We don’t believe that “anyone can be a Blerd,” for the same reason that we don’t believe that anyone can be Black. 

The “Black” in our “Black Nerd Festival” is not a marketing gimmick to tap into an underserved niche audience, it is a shout-out to our diaspora. It is a way for us to announce ourselves and our intentions to the world, in hopes of drawing like minds to New Orleans.

What is your vision for BLERDFEST! over the next 5 years? In what ways do you hope to see it grow and impact nerd culture? 

I really just want BLERDFEST!! to be here in 5 years, in a way that continues to serve the community, continues to be a lot of fun, and, ideally, generates enough income to be self-sustaining. 

There are plenty of folks that spend good money to come to NOLA – in July! – because someone figured out how to create programming that would attract them. If Essence can bring folks to NOLA in the summertime, I’d like to think we could bring Blerds from around the world every April. 

Do you have any dream guests for the event? They could be actors, cosplayers, filmmakers, anyone! If you could pick anyone as a guest, who would you pick and why? 

My Living-or-Dead Top 12:

• Octavia Butler: I want to know how she traveled to our time in order to write the Parable series.
• Walt Disney: I really want to know how he feels about all these POC in “his” films.
• Ava Duvernay: I’m awed by her creative abilities and intelligence.
• Jamie Foxx: So many talents, so many great roles.
• Donald Glover: I have a few thousand questions to ask about Atlanta.
• Samuel L. Jackson: So many motherfucking questions to ask this motherfucker.
• James Earl Jones: I want to know how it feels to be one of the most dominant presences in popular culture.
• Jonathan Majors: He’s a rising star in the Blerdosphere.
• Shonda Rhimes: I’m impressed by anyone that has the creative power to write their own ticket, particularly when they are intersectionally oppressed.
• Maya Rudolph: We love us some her.
• Jordan Peele: I need to know what his next projects are.
• Oprah Winfrey: Who wouldn’t want to talk to the GOAT?

What are some of the things you’re most excited about when it comes to BLERDFEST!? 

There are really two main benefits to me personally about BLERDFEST!! One is the event itself is great fun, but also, it helps build community. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into people that attended in 2019, and they all gush about how impactful the event was. I’m excited by the prospect of helping to create things that Blerds will love. 

What do you say to critics of Black-centric events who claim that they aren’t being inclusive of non-Black people, or say they don’t feel welcome at such events?

Pro-Black anything is always going to get pushback from Anti-Black forces – I’ve been hearing it for 30 years. I made this in response:

My final question for True was how I could help spread the word about BLERDFEST! because I personally think it sounds awesome! I strongly identify with the experience of being the “weird, nerdy Black kid” growing up, and I really like the idea of including more aspects of nerd culture than the standard “superheroes and anime” themes that dominate most conventions. Plus, the guest lineup looks amazing so far, filled with Black creatives and professionals like writers, professional costume designers, and even actors from Black Panther!

BLERDFEST will take place in New Orleans on April 1, 2023, and you can check out the convention’s website, BlerdFestNOLA.com, and social media for updates on guests, the event schedule, and how to snag a pass!