Letters to a Writer of Colour

Electric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery . . . a guide, a comfort, and a call all at once

Laila Lalami, author of Conditional Citizens

Letters to a Writer of Colour is a brave and triumphant act of resistance and decolonisation, a necessary resource for writers and educators alike, and a must-have book for readers who care about diversity and inclusion in literature. Reading this book, I felt seen and empowered

Nguyen Phan Que Mai, internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child

The problem of the color line, as WEB Du Bois called it, has existed in literature and literary criticism as much as social and geopolitical realms, and systematic neglect by publishers, critics and readers has only exacerbated it. Excavating long-buried experiences of rejection, incomprehension and misunderstanding, Letters to a Writer of Colour defines the problem with precision and passion, and also outlines ways to transcend it. No one interested in how we read and should read fiction can afford to miss this bracing and moving anthology

Pankaj Mishra

Witty, candid, bold, gutsy, eye-opening and sometimes eye-popping, revelatory and wise! If you want to know what writers talk about among themselves, you've found it. Reading this anthology was like eavesdropping on a private conversation. I enjoyed every minute and as I closed the book, all I wanted to say was simply this: 'Thank you!'

Aminatta Forna

I knew I would love this book as soon as I laid eyes on the title and the list of contributors, and it didn't disappoint - far from it. These essays provide so much wisdom and warmth, giving us a sense of restoration, of community. They take a refreshingly holistic view of the craft and balance real technical insight with deeply gentle humanity. I cannot wait for my students to read this book!

Okechukwu Nzelu, author of Here Again Now

A revelatory reading experience. A book that guides, teaches, and gives off its own shimmering light, that demands to be read and re-read. Letters to a Writer of Colour should take its place at the forefront of the multitude of works on the art of writing and reading. This is more than a collection of essays, more than a chorus of voices of prodigious talent and wisdom. It is a treasure that contains within itself endless treasures, a book that will always bear new fruit and timely truths

Katherine J. Chen, author of Joan

A stunningly personal and practical compilation of literary and life advice

Starred Review, Kirkus

A whip-smart collection of essays. I read parts of it with the joy of recognition and other parts with the astonishment of revelation

Kamila Shamsie

Impressive... There's not a weak piece among the bunch; each brims with intimate personal reflection and insight into the purposes and power of fiction. The result is a vivid look at what it means to be a writer of color today

Publishers Weekly

In essays by Kiese Laymon, Myriam Gurba and others, this collection grapples with how Western perspectives have shaped the "tenets of good writing" and imagines alternative approaches to fiction.

The New York Times

Letters to a Writer of Colour is full of wisdom, nuance and elegance. It stretches discourses around "colour" and invites us to think more deeply and broadly about these questions. It is essential reading in a world full of soundbites and furious noise

Tash Aw