Black British writing
an introduction for readers and writers
Greetings!

Thank you for checking out our July Inscribe writers newsletter. Our focus this month is on Black British writing. The books below serve as an excellent overview of established and emerging writers in Black Britain. You can also check out our full list of titles, as well as a list of titles filtered by their UK connections.
 
Inscribe Black British anthologies include a wide selection of writers, from across generations, including award-winning writers Patience Agbabi, Fred D'Aguiar, Bernardine Evaristo, Jackie Kay, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Grace Nichols and Lemn Sissay.

So if someone asks for recommendations for books that introduce Black British writers, please send them this newsletter as a start. The MA in Black British Writing at Goldsmith’s University starts in the autumn and offers a rich exploration of Black British writing (further details below).

Best wishes,

Adam Lowe,
on behalf of the Inscribe Team
Inscribe anthologies
Supporting Black British writers
Inscribe's acclaimed series of anthologies include established and emerging writers
Inscribe anthologies are poetic and fictional narratives in which Black British writers are the ‘principal actors’ telling stories through ‘their own vantage point ’. Each of the anthologies features original writing responding to broad themes.
Red: Contemporary Black British Poetry (2010)
Edited by Kwame Dawes

"Perhaps the most significant thing to be said about Red is that the poets
in this volume burst through any constraining label with writing
that throbs and pulses and seeps and flows."
–Margaret Busby, OBE, Hon. FRSL, co-founder Allison and Busby

"a major contribution to the diverse cultures of blackness."
–Michael Rosen, author and former Children's Laureate

Closure: Contemporary Black British Short Stories (2015)
Edited by Jacob Ross

Listed in BuzzFeed's ‘22 Brilliant New Books You Should Read’

"Stunning new writing"
–Maggie Gee, The Guardian

“Jacob Ross’s careful selection of stories from black British writers restores a sense of connection with the details of human
fragility in our fragmented contemporary culture.”
–Cathy Galvin, Founder of Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award
and Word Factory.tv

Filigree: Contemporary Black British Poetry (2018)
Edited by Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Preface by Professor Dorothy Wang

"Whatever breaks in these poems is something shaped by craft and all things beautiful.”
–E. Ethelbert Miller, editor of Poet Lore

“There are testimonies and remembrances here, poems of resistance and bombast, and hymns of love of all kinds. But what struck me most is the varied and accomplished craft of these writers – the link with poetics and traditions past,
but always with an eye to renewal and invention.”
–Hannah Lowe, award winning poet, Chick (2013) and C han (2016)


Videos from Filigree
Black British writers reading their work
These videos were taken at the launch events in London and Ilkley
Akila Richards reads 'The Givers' and 'Alzheimer's' from Filigree at the launch event at Kings College, London.
Keisha Thompson reads 'Gokotta' from Filigree at the launch event at Kings College, London
Michael Campbell reads 'Maroon' from Filigree at Barbican Library
Nick Makoha reads 'MBA International' from Filigree at Ilkley Literature Festival.
Filigree Launch photos and videos: credit Clovis McKinley
The MA Black British Writing
at Goldsmiths University
Winner of the 2018 Students Union Teaching Award for
'compelling and diverse curriculum'.
Image of Heather Marks by Jazmin Kopotsha

Founded in 2015, the Goldsmiths MA in Black British Writing remains the only research degree in the world dedicated to studying Black writers in Britain in-depth.

Many of the authors studied on the programme – Patience Agbabi, Inua Ellams, Bernardine Evaristo, debbie tucker green, Andrea Levy, Courttia Newland, Lemn Sissay and Roy Williams – are critically acclaimed, including writers published by Peepal Tree: Dorothea Smartt , Malika Booker , Kadija Sesay and Una Marson .

Importantly, these writers are studied alongside a broad range of writers – from the Romans in Britain up to the most recent works published and performed. The teaching on this MA will aim to be in-person delivery with appropriate social distancing.
 
One of the degree's first graduates, Heather Marks, has a deal for her debut young adult novel with Chicken House Books. Marks says, ‘The MA Black British Writing was a re-education that really changed my imaginative landscape. I remember reading S.I. Martin’s Incomparable World and just being amazed that historical fiction could have black characters romping through 18th century London. [...] The MA Black British Writing opened my eyes to what was possible in every possible field.’

Course starts Autumn 2020. Visit the website for more information.

“[ Authentic Black history is] a historical black narrative in which blacks themselves
are the principal actors and the story is told and explained
largely from their own vantage point”
– Manning Marable, author and founder of the
Institute for Research in African-American Studies
About Inscribe
Supporting Black British writers
Inscribe is the successful professional writer development programme for Black British writers, run by Kadija George (Publications Manager) and Dorothea Smartt (Programme Manager).

Inscribe is rooted in Peepal Tree Press (the home of challenging and inspiring literature from the Caribbean and Black Britain) and its commitment to writer development and new writing.

Check out our #BlackLivesMatter resources from our last newsletter for support, opportunities and information.

You can also keep in touch and stay engaged through our blog and Facebook page .
Peepal Tree Press