Posts

Showing posts with the label Black owned business

Buying Black

Image
Author-illustrator Rashad Malik Davis had the generous idea to celebrate Black entrepreneurs in a new IG Live series called  25 Days of Buying Black. He invited me to join and to my surprise, I agreed!  We chatted about writing and marketing, favorite books, and supporting Black-owned businesses. Somehow we ended up talking about getting our scalps greased too. It was a good time! You can watch the replay on his IG.

A Visit to Cuba

Image
I made my second trip to Cuba this February, as part of a delegation of Black publishers & writers. The purpose of our visit was to participate in the Havana International Bookfair. But given what’s important to us, Cuba’s history & the deep roots we share - the trip was even bigger than books.  Our delegation was 23 strong - Black publishers, writers, academics, and book lovers, and our visit  included support of other Cuban literary, cultural, and community institutions. We visited Casa de las Americas, a cultural institution founded in 1959 that promotes and supports Latin American and Caribbean arts and culture. There we spent time with Zuleica Romay Guerra, its program director, who talked about their work and Cuba's need for books that reflect Black people. Our group donated lots of our books to the organization. In the third photo below, we're surrounding Zuleica in a circle of love and support. We also went to Edicione Vigia in Matanzas, where they hand make bo...

Just Us Books Turns 30

Image
My parents love to put us on the spot in interviews and ask me and my brother what it’s like working with them and for Just Us Books, the publishing company they founded. Now we’re flipping the script. To help celebrate Just Us Books’ 30th anniversary, my brother Stephan and I have some questions for them. Thanks to The Brown Bookshelf for this special interview opportunity. Read the interview .