Bernardine Evaristo: 'These are unprecedented times for black female writers'

The first black woman to win the Booker prize argues that a revolution is sweeping through British publishing. But can it lead to lasting change?Chidera Eggerue, AKA The Slumflower, is a social media star, south-east London homegirl and feminist. She first came to prominence in 2017 when she created the hashtag #SaggyBoobsMatter on Twitter in order to promote the body-positive message that women’s breasts and bodies are fine just as they are. It’s an important idea and antithetical to a beauty industry that berates us for our imperfections. A year later Eggerue published a self-help motivational book, What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough, which entered the Sunday Times bestseller list the week it was published in 2018, when she was 23. In her very pink, zanily illustrated book, Eggerue, a self-styled “guru, confidante and best friend” to her readers, offers advice on self-worth and self-acceptance. An earlier booklet called Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women, by Otegha Uwagba, became a bestseller in 2016, paving the way for Eggerue. This, in turn, was probably influenced by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2014 essay We Should All Be Feminists. These are unprecedented times for black female writers, in no small part due to the internet. It has reconfigured how we present ourselves to the world at large, as well as bringing previously marginalised social groups and writing to the fore in ways hitherto unimaginable. As a... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-19 07:00:24 UTC ]
News tagged with: #offers advice #black book #margaret atwood #times bestseller

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Mystery Writers of America Celebrates 2024 Edgar Award Winners

The winners—including James Lee Burke, who won the award for Best Novel, and Linda Castillo, who took home two awards—were announced at the 78th annual Edgar Awards Banquet, held on May 1 at the Manhattan Marriott Marquis in New York City. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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OpenAI will train its AI models on the Financial Times' journalism

The Financial Times has become the latest news organization to strike a deal with OpenAI. In a joint announcement on Monday, the Financial Times and OpenAI said that maker of ChatGPT will use the Financial Times’ journalism to train its AI models and collaborate on developing new AI products and... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-04-29 17:32:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #financial terms #$1 million #$5 million #generative ai #ai companies #data sources #business insider #die welt #le monde #german publisher


L.A. Times Book Prize winners named in a ceremony filled with support for USC valedictorian Asna Tabassum

Winners at the 2024 L.A. Times Book Prizes included Ed Park for fiction, Ivy Pochoda for mystery/thriller and the pro-Palestinian commencement speaker whose name has become a rallying cry for free speech. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-04-20 05:08:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ivy pochoda #rallying cry #free speech #times book


3 Spicy New Romances with Black Leads

A trio of new contemporary romance offerings from Black authors beckon readers to settings as far-flung as small-town West Virginia and Panama City. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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These are the “most influential” writers of the year.

This week, TIME magazine published its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People of the year. Usually, when this list comes out, I complain (to the universe, I guess) that there aren’t enough novelists (“enough” meaning “more than one”) on it. Last year, though, there were four, which was a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-18 17:45:48 UTC ]
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PW Bookstore of the Year 2024 Finalist: Writer’s Block Bookstore

In the past decade, Writer’s Block, which sells new books for both adults and children, has become a literary hub of the Greater Orlando metro area. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Double The Book Bans In Half The Time: PEN America’s Latest Book Ban Report

PEN's new report shows that book bans continue to rise and continue to target books by or about queer people and people of color. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-04-16 12:05:00 UTC ]
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2024 Whiting Awards Recognize Emerging Writers

Aaliyah Bilal, Elisa Gonzalez, Javier Zamora, and Ada Zhang are among the 10 winners of this year's Whiting Awards for emerging writers of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Lowell! W.E.B. Du Bois on WWI! Black spies! 27 books out in paperback this April.

April, remarkably, is here already—remarkable only, I suppose, because my internal calendar is still stuck on January all too often—and that means that warmer weather and wonderful blooms are also here, both of which I love. (And a solar eclipse on the 8th!) And what better to usher in the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-01 08:32:36 UTC ]
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‘I will defeat Richard Osman!’: Holly Jackson on being Britain’s top selling female crime author

The YA novelist talks about her early love of Tomb Raider, true crime and fangirling the cast of the BBC adaptation of A Good Girl’s Guide to MurderA few minutes into our conversation, bestselling author Holly Jackson is convinced she’s spotted the American singer Nick Jonas. It would be... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-30 11:00:08 UTC ]
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Gerald Levin, the former Time Warner CEO who engineered a disastrous mega-merger, is dead at 84

Gerald Levin, who led Time Warner Media into a disastrous $182 billion merger with the internet provider America Online, has died at the age of 84 Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2024-03-15 09:02:35 UTC ]
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Writers and Artists Across the Country

Two authors discuss their experience doing school visits through the nationwide literacy nonprofit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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At London Book Fair: Writers’ Prize Names Its Winners

At London Book Fair, the top honor from the Writers' Prize, formerly the Rathbones, goes to Liz Berry for 'The Home Child.' The post At London Book Fair: Writers’ Prize Names Its Winners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-14 05:01:24 UTC ]
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I didn’t get the credit for my bestselling book: the secret life of the celebrity ghost writer

There’s nothing quite like finding six new releases on display in a bookstore – all of which you’ve written, and none of which has your name on itA few years back, a long-held dream of mine came true: a book I wrote became a runaway hit.You’ve probably read the book. You’ve definitely seen the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-11 14:00:31 UTC ]
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Three Questions You Need to Answer as a Children’s Book Writer

One of my duties every single day as an author, journalist, and constituent, is to read. I study the written word the way a football coach studies football games. I don’t read for pleasure just like a football coach doesn’t attend games to zone out. As much as I’d like to avoid it, I have […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-11 11:48:51 UTC ]
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RuPaul has launched an online bookshop that will share its profits with writers.

There’s a new online bookstore in town—and this time it’s helmed by RuPaul. Yes, that RuPaul. (Reading being, after all, fundamental.) Allstora, announced today*, is a membership-based bookstore that offers a profit-split to authors. RuPaul serves as Allstora’s Chief Creative Officer and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-04 16:45:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online bookstore #bestselling author #bookstore #bookshop