INTRODUCTION: THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME
INTRODUCTION: THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME
I’ve been meaning to set up this blog for a while… for so
many reasons, but then the push, then the shove came when I decided to do the
research for my PhD on Black British Publishers. Then it recently came to notice
that this is a landmark time to celebrate and recognise Black publishers. The
end of 2016 into 2017 has seen a surge of anniversaries in the black publishing
world for us to recognise, celebrate and congratulate those who have achieved
in this field.
50th
Anniversaries
New Beacon Books
Publishers, activists and bookshop owners, New Beacon is the
oldest surviving black bookshop in the UK at 76 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury
Park, London N4
T:020 72724889
Ngugi visited old friends at New Beacon bookshop
when transiting via London in January 2017
Allison & Busby
Margaret Busby published her first book with Clive Allison.
She was the first Black woman in Britain to become a publisher.
Third World Press
Chicago based publisher, Haki Madhubuti celebrates 50 years
in the business. Like the UK black publishers who started in the same period, Third
World Press are as much concerned and involved in the community as they are with
publishing books.
25th
Anniversaries
XPress
Remember this ‘badass’ couple, Steve Pope and Dotun Adebayo?
They published their first book Yardie,
25 years ago. A fitting way to mark the success of that book is to see that it
is now being turned into a film by Idris Ellba, who is auditioning for extras
in his manor, East London on Monday 8 May.
Daughters of Africa
Margaret Busby really was the only person who could have
edited a book like this. We hope with the recognition of its classic status,
will come the announcement of Daughters
of Africa (II) sometime this year.
A review of DofA written 25 years ago by Patricia Lee ends:
Another step will be taken the day pilgrimages
by the politically aware to Highgate Cemetery are undertaken in honour of
Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian who founded Britain's first campaigning black
newspaper. They might notice that buried alongside is a man called Karl Marx.
I’ll be writing more on these publishers and others as and
when I can and sometimes I will invite guest bloggers.
Celebrate and support this 2017 anniversary year by buying
from black bookshops and buying black reads from black publishers (and then do
the same next year!).
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