Why I do what I do
Why do I spend time blogging about the world of publishing from a black perspective?
Why do I spend even more hours pulling together content for BackList?
Why do I seek out opportuntities to spread the word about the great work of writers of color?
Why do I make it a personal mission to keep books in style? Especially those written by writers of color that may not necessarily get the shine they deserve?
Why do I encourage writers of color to write, publish and promote their books?
Why do I help writers of color promote their books?
Why do I write African American publishing pieces for PW?
Why do others like Ron Kavanaugh, Troy Johnson, Tee Royal, Marlive Harris and countless other folks devote hours upon hours to promoting black books?
Trust me it ain't to get paid.
Surely half of the reason is purely for love. But honestly the other is from a sense of responsibility.
I get so tired hearing people of all races say that they can't find any good books. There are plenty of good books, but many times these books and these authors don't get the shine they deserve. And even with the dedication of BackList and other wonderful sites/people/festivals (check out the upcoming Up South Festival) there's much progress to be made.
And that's why BackList exists. We have to be proactive in finding the good stuff. And believe me there's some good stuff out there from a range of diverse voices. People assume that because I spend a majority of my time writing about books by writers of color that my reading interests only lie there (although they don't assume the same about white bloggers). But I am, and let me be clear, unequivocally committed to spreading the word about good books by writers of color.
Yeah, yeah in a perfect world race wouldn't matter. Books would be published and promoted on the quality of their content not by the color of their author. Let us not fool ourselves. We're not there. It would be a beautiful thing, but we just ain't there.
So why? Why do we need outlets/forces/folks/street teams/big mouths/media/websites/bloggers/literary icons/publishers to publish and promote the works of underrepresented authors?
This is why. Shout out to Fred Joiner for passing on this link. I honestly appreciate Sara's admission about not knowing much about black authors and their books. I'm not interested in getting into to a debate about her personal reading interests. Nor will I jump down her throat because I respect the fact that, despite a few misguided comments, she's initiating a dialogue.
I'm keeping my eyes on the prize with this one. Let's focus on the larger issue that Sara's blog presents. It was good for me to read her words because it 1) confirms what I know to already exist about the lack of visibility for many black authors 2) tells me I have more work to do and that the work is very, very necessary.
I wish I could say that I stumbled upon this passion in a better way than I did. But some of you know the story. There I am an intern in an editorial meeting at a respected, PROGRESSIVE publisher and as I look around I notice there is not one person of color in this meeting. There isn't one person of color deciding what books will publish, not one person of color helping to decide what topics of interest should be written about. You don't have to wonder why people aren't that familar with black authors (except Toni Morrison).
Sara said she'll stop by BackList and I hope she does. Everyone's welcome. And new content coming sooner now that I know we all desperately need it.
posted by Felicia Pride @ 12:18 PM
8 Comments:
I think those that are critical of Sara's comments are wrong to be so critical. It's certainly wrong to chastise her for admitting she hasn't heard of many black authors. She's asking a legitimate question that we should all be more than happy to answer....and be damn glad she's asking it. This is exactly the type of thing spurned from the Millenia Black/Penguin situation that's going on.
thank you again my sistalove for all you do. love and light, ananda
This is a good piece. Thank you for keeping us informed on Black authors, etc. I appreciate the information you share on the website and blog.
A couple years back when i attended the Blue Met Festival here in Montreal, there was a panel of black authors who were discussing "black writing" in a "white world." Firstly, there is no "white world," however, an interesting point was made by one of the panelists who is a local playwright and spoken word artist. The authors/poets were asked by an audience member why, aside from the usual black Canadian writers, white Canadians know nothing of the plethora of black novelists and poets in Canada? Her response was that the educational system isn't functioning with the idea of promoting Black art in mind; therefore, many whites, who grow up privileged in North America, have no "real" need to read anything that they think doesn't concern them. The reality is that the system was designed by and for whites. I know that in our case, Canadians don't have too much black literature on the curriculum at the high school level or in higher academic institutions. When they are, most are usually lumped together in "black" classes, which already makes most white students think that they'd rather take the British literature course, or what have you, instead. If those in charge of the institutions don't balance the educational material, then how in the world do you expect to raise students who grow up to run the country on a balanced diet of literature from all ethnicities?
Thankfully, with Sara's admission about not having a thorough knowledge of African-American contemporary literature, there is some hope. It stimulates dialogue, and even better, recognition of the lesser known African-American authors. She has now been given a number of links and suggestions that she can use to educate herself about the wider American community of writers who reside in her borough and beyond. You can only hope she passes this on to her colleagues. These strategies work far better than chastising her for what she already admitted she doesn't know. There are plenty more white members of the literati world who won't admit this lack of knowledge?
Moreover, many people are lazy and ignorant in general, and when it comes to reading, they're going to stick to the areas with which they feel more comfortable. They don't even know they're wallowing in their own ignorance. If they're only getting their news about books from the various mainstream periodicals, then they're not going to go anywhere else for alternatives unless they genuinely desire to do so.
It is for this reason that the Backlist is important and relevant in your culture.
My apologies for the exceedingly long comment. :(
Thank God you do what you do, Felicia. As a 25-year veteran in the industry, albeit in educational publishing, I too, have been frustrated by the disrespect and dismissal of good black writers by mainstream publishers. It's why I founded Blacksmith Books, LLC, last year as a vehicle to publish and promote quality writing by black writers. Its initial offering, a literary mystery, The Demise of Luleta Jones, by Mark Allen Boone, published earlier this year, is an example of the type of material I plan to publish. Its second offering, a refreshing multi-layered novel titled Some Glad Morning by Irene J. Steele, is in production for release early next year. I have been surprised (and encouraged) by "Demise's" fervent embrace by "mature" African-American readers, who lament their inability to find books that speak to their life experiences in a marketplace increasingly weighted toward youth-oriented "street lit." You couldn't be more right about black writers needing support and outside platforms to rise above the "noise." I know I'm not alone in thanking Backlist for all it does to provide that support.
mar, you took many words out of my mouth. But this is why we need your perspective blogging! Don't stop.
Thanks Illinoisboy and good luck on your book projects! Send me some info on Blacksmith Books.
Hi Felicia! Excellent post sis. You are correct in saying that those of us who spend hours upon hours promoting authors and their work do it because we love it! That is truly the case for me and I will continue promoting authors and their work until I'm too old to keep up . . . LOL! Thank you so much for all that you do via BackList. I appreciate you!
Best,
Marlive
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