A vital collection of essays on the power of literature and the craft of writing from an international array of writers of color, sharing the experiences, cultural traditions, and convictions that have shaped them and their work
Filled with empathy and wisdom, instruction and inspiration, this book encourages us to reevaluate the codes and conventions that have shaped our assumptions about how fiction should be written, and also challenges us to apply its lessons to both what we read and how we read. Featuring:
• Taymour Soomro on resisting rigid stories about who you are
• Madeleine Thien on how writing builds the room in which it can exist
• Amitava Kumar on why authenticity isn’t a license we carry in our wallets
• Tahmima Anam on giving herself permission to be funny
• Ingrid Rojas Contreras on the bodily challenge of writing about trauma
• Zeyn Joukhadar on queering English and the power of refusing to translate ourselves
• Myriam Gurba on the empowering circle of Latina writers she works within
• Kiese Laymon on hearing that no one wants to read the story that you want to write
• Mohammed Hanif on the censorship he experienced at the hands of political authorities
• Deepa Anappara on writing even through conditions that impede the creation of art
• Plus essays from Tiphanie Yanique, Xiaolu Guo, Jamil Jan Kochai, Vida Cruz-Borja, Femi Kayode, Nadifa Mohamed in conversation with Leila Aboulela, and Sharlene Teo
PRAISE
“A stunningly personal and practical compilation of literary and life advice.”—Starred review, Kirkus Reviews
“In this impressive collection, Anappara and Soomro bring together deeply personal essays from authors of color on the craft of writing. … 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.”—Starred review, Publishers Weekly
“This captivating love letter to writers of color deserves to be in every library the world over.”—Starred review, Booklist
“I found myself circling passages on every page, discussing the themes with anyone who would listen to me. One of the reasons I love this book is that it is not really a book about writing. It is a book about how we see ourselves and how we can, through reading and storytelling, draw ourselves and each other in a new, more complete image.”—Zahir Janmohamed, The Boston Globe
“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
“Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro have gathered seventeen electric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery. If you’ve ever felt that your creative choices were being dismissed or ignored in a fiction workshop, if you’ve been pressured to make your writing more ‘accessible,’ if you’ve strained under the demand to write about certain things only and to silence others—this book is for you. It is a guide, a comfort, and a call all at once.”—Laila Lalami, author of Conditional Citizens
“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 Color 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, author of Run and Hide
“A brave and triumphant act of resistance and decolonization, 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.”—Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child
“Funny, moving, thought-provoking, default-challenging, engaging, and full of so much heart and so many voices, this book feels to me like nothing less than a revolution.”—Melissa Fu, author of Peach Blossom Spring
“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.”—Aminatta Forna, author of The Memory of Love
“A feast of delights: impassioned, funny, instructive, and energizing. Here, matters of craft are interwoven with those of personhood and politics, offering a global range of perspectives rarely found in books on writing. I cherish this book deeply, like a friend I’ve been waiting all my life to meet.”—Tania James, author of Aerogrammes and The Tusk That Did the Damage
“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 Color should take its place at the forefront of the multitude of works on the art of writing and reading.”—Katherine J. Chen, author of Joan
“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 splendid, carnivalesque troupe of writers discuss how they enrich literatures in English by deviating from the white male aesthetic.”—David Dabydeen, author of Disappearance
NEWS
‘Letters to a Writer of Color … comes to mean so much more,’ Zahir Janmohamed, The Boston Globe
Letters in NYT's “Newly Published” column
Review in the Publishers Weekly
Letters in Essence’s Five Books We’re Reading This Month
Letters to a Writer of Colour in The Bookseller