Short Story Club


  1. Dreams Do Come True
  2. Endless Game
  3. Ready To Die
  4. The Risk


In My View


  1. Living A Value Based Life
  2. Self-Care In A Crisis
  3. Baby Girl Expectations
  4. My Feminist Journey
  5. The Experiential Diary


Fragments


  1. The Importance Of Basquiat
  2. Get To Know Steve McCurry
  3. The Passage That Changed Me
  4. Let’s Talk 1984
  5. Literature So Black
  6. Dave The Storyteller
  7. 10vs10 A Lockdown Tale of Enjoyment
  8. Views
  9. An Ode To Insecure
  10. Michaela Coel Is The Goal
  11. The Elite Desperate Housewives
  12. Ugly Betty: Was It Really Love?
  13. 90s Black Cinema


Poet’s Corner


  1. Breakdown
  2. Delusions Of Grandeur
  3. Helen Of Troy
  4. Crush
  5. Truest Self
  6. What Do I Want?
  7. Rise
  8. Best In The Multiverse
  9. A Complex Affair with Misery
  10. I Did The Love Game Wrong

Literature So Black



I’ve always loved reading. Words have always fascinated me and when I was younger, I read a lot of books. I remember my first trip to the local library and the excitement in my eyes when I was informed that I could take out eight books at a time and had a month to return them. I was so pleased I took out eight and returned them a week later to get eight more.

Unfortunately, I did have a period of time in my life the only reason I pick up a book was because we were studying in school my love of books did not resurface until I was 15 and we were reading a book called Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. To Kill a Mockingbird was cool, a piece of great literature but it didn’t invigorate me in the same way that Purple Hibiscus did.

Purple Hibiscus was the first time I think I’d ever heard the voice of a black author. I found that although my life was completely different from the protagonist’s, I could relate to her a lot more than other characters I’d come across in other books.

Although I read a lot as a child, I don’t think I’d read anything by any black authors during that time as my favourite types of book were Horrid Henry books and what followed that were football fantasy books. Looking back there was no black Literature in my life, and I think when I realise that I loved hearing stories told by black voices it made me step up my game.

Now it seems that literature from black authors is what I tend to read; I still get works here and there by non-black authors because I love stories told by different types of people from different backgrounds, but I think for me it’s very important to be reading literature from people who better understand how I’ve had to navigate in this world.

I started with Chimamanda, then I introduced myself to the works of Maya Angelou, from Maya we moved onto stories and research from Chinua Achebe, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Candice Carty-Williams, Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi, Reni Eddo-Lodge, Audre Lorde, bell hooks and many more. There are other great writers that my father has suggested I read and once I get through my pending reads, I’ll be sure to add them to the list.

What we read I think is very important and really helps us get a better world view. There are plenty of reasons why I think more black literature should be more widely distributed.

For starters, we have voices too and we can also tell amazing, quality stories. With the experiences we face, we too require outlets and worlds which we can escape to. The connection you have to a book can be shaped by the types of characters you come across, and if the voices you’re used to hearing typically centre around characters you’re very removed from through culture, class and others things that form identity, then the relatability is reduced.

I know that we don’t have to relate to every book we read, but it’s nice to have that connection with a text and be a part of stories greater than your experience, but inclusive of your point of view. That’s why I enjoy reading an eclectic mix on literature, from African to American to British, the tales presented of black people are different but share a certain essence I can’t ignore and it’s one that makes me feel proud.

It’s good for children to see themselves in texts from a young age and that’s why I’ve been pleased to see more children’s books with little black and brown boys and girls, teaching them about their history, their features and to love the skin that their in. Those are important lessons I wish I could have learned whilst reading, but the texts weren’t around or they weren’t available for me, but at least I know that they will be available in the future for when I hope to have children.

There is enough space in the industry for all sorts of writers of different backgrounds and we need to make a greater effort in producing texts where everyone in our society feels seen. Black literature has really changed my life and given me greater perspective.

If you’re looking for new books to read, I definitely recommend some of the aforementioned authors. And as I continue in my book loving journey, I hope to add literature from other backgrounds and heritages to my list, because I’ve come across a few and thoroughly enjoyed them and the best type of library is the one that grows.



Keep reading, we’ll keep writing.



Happy World Book Day!