Sharmaine Lovegrove: ‘If you don’t have a diverse workforce or product, sooner or later you won’t exist’

The Dialogue Books publisher felt shut out of the book world, working her own way up from secondhand book stall to heading her inclusive new imprint. At last, she writes, the industy is changingI am from a family of activists. My uncle, Len Garrison, was the founder of the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, south London, and I draw daily inspiration from his fight for equality along with his love for literature. Books and stories have always been my escape route from busy London life. As a child I was often found reading – in a corner at home in Battersea, or in the library, on a bus, or the back of a car, drifting into the lives of others for hours on end, with only the act of turning the page occasionally jolting me back into reality. Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, London was incredible, and totally different to the childhood I am giving my son. We had an enormous amount of freedom in an affordable and creative capital, which is just not possible today. My parents were young but could afford to live in the original “nappy valley” off Northcote Road: grand Victorian villas between Wandsworth and Clapham commons, 10 minutes from glorious Battersea Park, passing the maze of housing estates, crisscrossing the river to visit friends and family and falling in love with the whole place. It was so hard to be the only black woman in my division and for my race to be so defining of my work Related: Breaking down the barriers – a new chapter in publishing Related: The Good... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jesmyn Ward has won the 2022 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.

Jesmyn Ward—the two-time National Book Award-winning author of Salvage the Bones and Sing, Unburied, Sing—has just become, at 45, the youngest ever winner of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. The prize, which was established in 2008 as a lifetime achievement award, honors “an... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-01 17:08:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #congress prize #jesmyn ward #american fiction #award-winning author


Children's Institute 10: Charlie Jane Anders Says ‘Magical Portals Exist, and Adults Aren’t Real’

The science fiction author drew a standing ovation from the Ci10 audience as she discussed her childhood and start as a writer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie bookstore boom turns page to a more diverse America

The year 2021 saw a substantial increase in the number of independent bookstores in the United States. And a growing proportion of these stores is owned by individuals from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-06-17 15:44:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstores #bookstore


Eso Won Books Writes Its Closing Chapter

Eso Won Books, part of the Los Angeles book scene for more than 33 years and one of the country's most prominent Black bookstores, will close by the end of 2022, co-owner James Fugate confirmed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In ‘Bad Gays,’ historical figures are products of their times

Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller, hosts of a popular podcast, take a look at history through the lens of problematic gay figures. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-31 13:59:29 UTC ]
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French author Alice Zeniter has won the eye-popping €100,000 Dublin Literary Award.

The Art of Losing (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) by French novelist Alice Zeniter has won the prestigious Dublin Literary Award, a prize which comes with a handsome glass trophy and the world’s largest purse for a single novel published in English—a whopping €100,000. Nominations for the Dublin... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-05-24 16:21:57 UTC ]
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Centering Diverse Perspectives

As the two-year anniversary approaches of the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, new and forthcoming books reflect religion and spirituality publishers’ intensified efforts to recruit and acquire books by BIPOC authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #george floyd #spirituality publishers #acquire books #bipoc authors


How the Book Industry Turns Its Own Racism into a Marketable Product

The failure of progressive change in contemporary book publishing is so total that there is now a whole string of books about the failure of progressive change in contemporary book publishing, often backed enthusiastically by big corporate publishers, in an elaborate circuit of denial and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-20 08:55:05 UTC ]
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Paper Shortage, Workforce Issues Tackled in Webinar

The publishing industry faces continuing supply chain issues and paper shortages, while another set of challenges has appeared in early 2022, in the form of employee resignations and work-life balance issues. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Heading to London Book Fair: Diversity in UK Publishing

As the UK publishing industry prepares for its annual encounter with many colleagues from other markets, a look at UK book business diversity. The post Heading to London Book Fair: Diversity in UK Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-04-01 19:24:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk publishing #uk book #publishing industry


HBG Diversity Efforts Continue in Hiring and New Partnerships

In its annual update on its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, Hachette Book Group reported that BIPOC employees comprised 35.4% of its workforce last year, up from 32.9% in 2020. The company also announced four new partnerships it has signed to support writers and publishing... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #annual update #inclusion efforts #support writers #publishing professionals #underrepresented backgrounds


The problematic white, male Southern writer who inspired a diverse generation

Why did Penguin decide to reissue a memoir and a novel by Harry Crews, a dead white Southern writer? His influence — and his truths — run deep. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-03-15 13:00:07 UTC ]
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WNDB Launches Virtual Community for Mid-Level Diverse Publishing Professionals

The We Need Diverse Books nonprofit organization advocating for more inclusion in the industry is launching a virtual community platform for mid-level diverse publishing professionals in an effort to improve retention rates. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson

Since 2011, all my book editors have been white. Why wouldn’t I want another perspective on the characters I invent?Until a few years ago, only publishing industry insiders would have understood the role of the sensitivity reader. Then came American Dirt. The Jeanine Cummins novel sold to a US... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-08 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Hitting the Books: 'Miracle Rice' fed China's revolution but endangered its crop diversity

Feeding the planet's 8 billion people is challenge enough and our current industrialized commercial practices are causing such ecological damage that we may soon find ourselves hard-pressed to feed any more. For decades, scientists have sought out higher yields and faster growth at the expense... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-05 16:30:43 UTC ]
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Academic Publishing Edition: Amsterdam’s Michiel Kolman on Diversity in STM

In scholarly and academic publishing, Elsevier's Michiel Kolman says, more female leadership is a new and promising development. The post Academic Publishing Edition: Amsterdam’s Michiel Kolman on Diversity in STM appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-28 13:07:42 UTC ]
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‘Muslims of the Heartland’ Highlights the Midwest’s Diverse History

Religious studies professor Edward Curtis, who is a descendent of Syrian Midwesterners, collects portraits of Muslim life in the American Midwest starting in the 1900s, revealing how individuals were able to establish their Syrian Muslim American identity in a region often thought of as... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Kidd made diversity and inclusion manager in Hachette UK HR team expansion

Hachette UK is boosting its HR team with Kim Kidd (pictured) from the British Council joining as diversity and inclusion manager. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-20 02:58:38 UTC ]
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Pinterest Names New Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity

Nichole Barnes Marshall joined Pinterest as global head of inclusion and diversity, succeeding Tyi McCray, who left the company last June after less than one year in the role. Marshall had been chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Bath & Body Works, integrating DEI programs and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2022-01-07 22:00:00 UTC ]
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