In a tribute to Black culture, DuBois Professor of the Humanities Henry Louis Gates Jr. and author Albert French read from their latest books before about 60 people at the Brattle Theatre yesterday.

Gates read from his memoir Colored People,recently issued in paperback. He has written many other books, including The Signifying Monkey and other works of literary criticism. French read from his second novel Holly, which is about to be published, and his first novel Billy.

The reading helped kick off the first-ever, week-long Harvard Square Book Festival, which is designed "to promote books and literacy," according to festival co-director Judith Rosen.

The event is "something people have been talking about for a long time, and we [the booksellers of Harvard Square] finally decided to do it," said Rosen, who is advertising and promotion director for Wordsworth Books.

Gates' reading of two passages from his memoir elicited smiles, laughter and knowing nods from the audience.

His first passage, entitled "Wet Dogs and White People," began by describing the first time he became really angry with his daughter Maggie. She said of her grandmother's beauty, "Too bad she never looked like that when I knew her," he read.

Had Gates said that to his mother, he told the laughing audience, he would have been "the late little Skippy Gates."

In the memoir, he used the anecdote as a jumping-off point for talking about playing with paper dolls when he was young, watching his mother's moment of fame on the television show "The Big Payoff," listening to her talk about white people and going with her to PTA meetings.

"If only Maggie could have seen Mama when she'd stand up to read the minutes of the previous meetings of the PTA," Gates read. "It was poetry, pure poetry."

The second passage he read, called "The Last Mill Picnic," described the last all-Black mill picnic in his town and the mixed emotions that accompanied it.

As opposed to Gates' animated, humorous style, French read in a hypnotic, low voice from Holly, a love story, and Billy, a tragedy about the death of a young child.

"I truly believe we should feel the death of every young child who dies prematurely in this country, in this world," French commented.

He read the last pages of Holly, whichdescribe the title character's love for Elias,telling the audience that if "you all want to get[the book], you'll get it knowing how it ends."

"Hey, I have nothing to lose," he said. "Ididn't want to be a writer in the first place."

French came to writing late in life, he said.He was a photographer and then a journalist untilhis first novel Billy was published in1993.

His advice for would-be writers was short anddirect: "Damn it, don't let anything stop you.Don't ask anyone if you can do it; just do it."

After the readings, Gates set up a table in thefront of the theater and French in the back tosign autographs and chat with their admirers.

Gates said after the reading that he hoped thisfestival would not be a one-time occurrence.

"We should do it every year," Gates said. "We'dsell a billion copies."

The Harvard Square Book Festival runs from May1 to May 7. This week, dozens of authors arereading from their books at various locationsaround the Square. The events culminate with anall-day outdoor book fair on Sunday