- Charlotte Forfieh
celebrating Black History Month
Updated: Oct 12, 2020
from London to Liverpool, wild seed style.
after the bullshit year we've had, it's time for some Black joy.
over on our instagram, we're celebrating Black Brit(ish) womxn writers.
over here on the wild seed blog, we've rounded up some excellent free or low-cost Black literary events for you.
dive in and find you some black joy!
lit lit events
(these events are all available online - you can also attend I'm Not Your Baby Mother - Candice Brathwaite in conversation with Désirée Reynolds in person if you're in the Sheffield area. check the links for more details.)
Tuesday 13 October, 6pm, free
Loud Black Girls - Yomi Adegoke in conversation with Sharna Jackson
Yomi Adegoke, one of the authors of the ground-breaking Slay In Your Lane, will discuss the newly curated anthology Loud Black Girls with renowned middle-grade author, Sharna Jackson. Written by the next generation of black women in Britain. Loud Black Girls explores what it means to them to exist in these turbulent times.
Wednesday 14 October, 8pm, free or pay what you can afford £5/£10
Marlon James in conversation with Irenosen Okojie
Man Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James joins attendees from America for this Writing on the Wall event. He’ll discuss his new, Africa-inspired breath-taking saga of myth, fantasy and legend Black Leopard, Red Wolf in conversation with the one and only Irenosen Okojie, the Nigeria-British writer of ‘weird experimental fiction’ (her words).
Tuesday 20 October, 7.30pm,£5 online / £10 in person
I'm Not Your Baby Mother - Candice Brathwaite in conversation with Désirée Reynolds.
Candice started blogging about motherhood after making the powerful observation that the way motherhood is portrayed in the British media is unrepresentative of our society at large. Her resulting bestselling book is a thought-provoking, inspirational guide that gives everyone much-needed insight into what it’s like to be a Black mother today.
Thursday 22 October, 6pm, free
Poetry and Prose - Selina Nwulu, Keisha Thompson and Irenosen Okojie
listen to powerful poetry and prose performed by three incredible women writers: Selina Nwulu, an extensively published writer and former Young Poet Laureate for London; Manchester-based, writer, performance artist and producer Keisha Thompson; and Irenosen Okojie.
Saturday 24 October, 6pm, free, or pay what you can £6/£12/£20
Brit Bennett and Tayari Jones in conversation with Ellah P. Wakamata
join bestselling novelists Tayari Jones and Brit Bennett in conversation with Ellah P. Wakatama at this Manchester Literature Festival event. they'll be talking about their latest novels Silver Sparrow and The Vanishing Half.
Sunday 25 October, 4pm, free, or pay what you can £6/£12/£20
New Daughters of Africa
editor Margaret Busby celebrates the second of her ground-breaking anthologies New Daughters of Africa. join her, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Bridget Minamore, Lola Shoneyin and more in highlighting the work of over 200 female writers from the African diaspora.
Wednesday 28 October, 7:30pm, £5 (£3 members)
Ships at a Distance: A Celebration of Zora Neale Hurston
Black Girl’s Book Club co-founders Natalie Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry – who cite Neale Hurston as the ‘the patron saint of Black women’ – chair a conversation with poets Jackie Kay and Salena Godden about Hurston’s writing life, and how she has become regarded one of the most significant Black woman writers of the 20th century.
Saturday 31 October, 6pm, free
Kit de Waal In Conversation with Désirée Reynolds
Award winning author Kit de Waal’s work includes the bestselling debut My Name is Leon and an anthology of working class memoir, Common People, which she crowdfunded and edited. Her new book of short stories Supporting Cast has been described as "an exquisite study of humanity – vivid tales of thwarted desire, love and loss." Kit will be in conversation with writer, creative writing tutor, mentor and broadcaster Désirée Reynolds, the curator of this year’s boom 'Black Women Who Write’ series of events at the University of Sheffield's Off the Shelf - Festival of Ideas.
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