Media Diversified and Southbank Centre are giving you the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to see Marlon James discuss his brand new novel Black Leopard, Red Wolf at Southbank Centre on Monday 25 February along with two proof copies of the book. In this exclusive London launch, the author of A Brief History of… Read More
Black women as agents of change: reclaiming our narratives, voices and memory
For so long, Black women’s stories and memory have often been ignored, erased, and neglected in and out of academia. However as Jaimee A. Swift writes, 2018 showed itself to be a year of reclamation of Black women’s narratives, agency and memory. From our MD Academic Space “No Black woman writer in this culture can… Read More
First year of Jhalak Prize paints a grim picture of diversity in publishing
Sunny Singh takes a look at the entries for the first year of our prize for writers of colour, finding the industry is missing more than one trick Read More
From Africa and the diaspora: our top ten fiction reads of 2017
Samira Sawlani shares ten must-read books from the year so far Read More
Not talking to white people about race doesn’t mean withdrawing
Huma Munshi shares her thoughts on Reni Eddo-Lodge’s 2017 book on race politics Read More
What’s the point of a literature festival? | Bare Lit 2017
by Henna Zamurd-Butt Literature festivals don’t have a point, right? Or at least not one that can get into the writing and move it around. The text is fixed on paper and pixel by the time we get to discussing it. Perhaps for the literary establishment the text is fixed, but here where Bare Lit… Read More
And the winner of the inaugural Jhalak Prize is…
Today, we announce the winner of the first ever Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour. Jacob Ross, novelist, short story writer and tutor, wins the £1000 prize with his first foray into crime fiction, The Bone Readers. The book, described by judge Musa Okwonga as ‘by turns thrilling, visceral… Read More
Inaugural Jhalak Prize Shortlist Announced
The Jhalak Prize announced its inaugural shortlist today. The prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour was described by Chair Sunny Singh as showcasing “the variety, scope, depth, and literary excellence to be found amongst writers of colour in Britain today…”. Judge Musa Okwonga added that, “six books that could not… Read More
Writing Africa in America, living between two worlds
by Samira Sawlani Over the years I have observed the many ways in which we diaspora folk stay connected to ‘back home.’ For some it is through cooking, for others it is music and dance. There are the hours spent trawling through the websites of local newspapers and days filled with the deliciousness of Skype… Read More
Longlist announced for inaugural Jhalak Prize book of the year
This week, the Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour released its inaugural longlist. The new award, which seeks to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers, is due to announce a winner at Bare Lit Festival 2017. Read More