ESSAYS
How Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s great Ugandan novel shows us other ways of knowing
Africanjujuism, literary
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s debut, a now-established classic of African literature, was rejected by British publishers for being ‘too African’.
Accra Noir: Crime in a city of stories, legends, and allegories
crime, short stories
Accra Noir is a thrilling addition to the Akashic Noir series, featuring 13 short stories by existing as well as fresh voices in the Ghanaian literary scene.
The publishing industry cannot continue to hide its anti-Blackness behind #BlackBestSeller
#BLM2020, industry
How does pushing Black-authored titles through a largely, if not entirely, white middle-class industry underserves its products and, ultimately, its own readers?
All I want for Christmas is the death of lazy, “diversity” language
industry news
The publishing industry’s current approach to diversity is—by its very nature—rooted in generality and therefore cultural ignorance.
How Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah’s The Sex Lives of African Women will set you free
non-fiction
The Sex Lives of African Women is pure, unadulterated freedom, somehow magically distilled and transformed into a 304-page book.
5 Fun Facts with Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
chick lit, women's fiction
From the blog post that inspired her to Yinka’s abiding love for her local chicken shop, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn gives us five fun facts about one of the first Black British romantic comedies.
6 Unforgettable Black Poetry Collections
classics
From the concrete heights of a North Peckham estate to the azure shores of the Zambezi River, these poetry collections are brilliant.
Shadow Forward: A Review of My Monticello
short stories, literary
My Monticello pulsates the contemporary moment’s terror and uncertainty. Who and what are we the product of, and what is the future of this current birthing?