A shopper can discover her, fall in love, and add a new name to their black writing rolodex.Ĥ. I’d relocate white authors. So save that space on your Black Writing shelf and place Ayana Mathis (12 Tribes of Hattie) there instead. They already know her name, if they want her, they’ll track her down in general fiction. ![]() Your store-browsing consumer doesn’t need you to shelve Alice Walker in the Black Writing section in order to find The Colour Purple. They’re not working nearly as hard to promote new voices. Let’s celebrate them and get the word out.ģ. I’d give a little less shelf space to the literary grandparents (Achebe, Morrison, Walker, Thiong’o, etc) and a lot more space to novels published in the last three years.īlack Writing can feel static because bookstores have been stocking the same names for decades. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, Ta-Nehisi Coates (Black Panther graphic novel). Black writers are winning awards and punching well above their weight in this historically white genre. Nicola Yoon, Angie Thomas, Malorie Blackman, Walter Dean Myers, Kwame Alexander, etc.Ģ. I’d insert some Sci Fi. And for the adults who don’t read YA themselves, let’s give them some books to recommend to their kids. Over 50% of YA books are bought by adults anyway. They have the Oprah bookclub picks like Cynthia Bond, genre reads like Dorothy Koomson and even old-skool Brits like Patrick Augustus.ġ. I’d add some YA authors. They’re diligently shelving the ‘future classics’: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Andrea Levy, Zadie Smith, Teju Cole, Aminatta Forna, and so on. They have the classics covered: Achebe, Morrison, Walker, Thiong’o, Tutuola, Ellison, etc. I can’t lie, they’re doing a great job curating the section already. In fact – confession time – one of my secret fantasies is that one day Waterstones Piccadilly will call me (on my special hotline phone) and request plead that I curate their Black Writing section. ![]() I enjoy being able to scan one set of shelves to get a snapshot of new black books and new black authors. And I can understand that perspective.īut, personally, I see no conflict between stacking minority writers in both general areas and a specialised section. I know that when they were common, some black authors disliked and rejected them, protesting that they siloed minority writers. Racially defined areas in book shops are so rare these days. I love the branch not only for the eight floors of awesomeness, but also for its Black Writing section. It’s housed in a stunning art deco building in Central London and contains eight floors filled with miles of beautiful books. Waterstones Piccadilly is ever and always my favourite book shop.
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