by Norah Vawter

local authors editor for DCTrending.com

There's a popular notion that in scary times we should focus only on the practical, ignoring everything “non-essential.” Why should we care about fictional worlds, when the real world is burning? Why should we write poems, when we could be writing to our congressperson? 

Of course, during these dual pandemics of COVID and police violence on Black people, saving lives is the most important thing. But I truly believe the arts have a crucial role to play in times of turmoil, shining light on social justice issues and giving us beauty in the chaos. As a person who's survived trauma, as a fiction writer, and as an editor, I'm reminded daily that creativity heals, moves us forward, saves us.

Today, June 19, 2020, at DCTrending we’re celebrating Juneteenth and the abolition of slavery in the United States, while acknowledging that there is so much more to do in the fight for equality and justice. Today, we share books of fiction and poetry written by Black authors. We’re inspired by the #BlackoutBestsellerlist movement, which aims to flood the bestseller lists with books by Black authors. (Your homework: Buy two books by Black authors. And buy them from a local, independent bookstore.) The publishing industry is way too white. But change is coming: our local bookstores and libraries have experienced a surge of demand for anti-racist books in the last weeks. As a white reader, writer, and editor, I seek to be part of the change, actively looking for diversity in the voices I read. I ask myself: What stories are being told, and what stories are being silenced?

Scroll down for links to recommendations from local, independent booksellers and ways to support your local bookstores during quarantine. 

Our Recommendations: Fiction and poetry by D.C. area Black authors

(this list was created by editors, contributors, and featured writers of DCTrending.com)

• Tea by the Sea, novel by Donna Hemans (2020). Check back next week for my review of this beautifully written, patiently crafted novel by the Jamaican-born author. It’s a story about motherhood, fatherhood, choices that you can’t take back, and what it means to have control over your life. My review will be live by next Friday on DCTrending.com.

• The World Doesn’t Require You, linked short story collection by Rion Amilcar Scott (2019). These stories are set in the fictional community of Cross River, Maryland, which was founded by slaves who freed themselves in a successful revolt. Scott mixes realism with fantasy and science fiction, creating a delicate balance of seriousness and whimsy. Yes, there are robots. [Read my review and interview with the author.]

• A Particular Kind of Black Man, novel by Tope Folarin (2019), recommended by DCTrending contributor (and talented fiction writer) Lauren Woods and myself. Lauren loves the novel’s “beautiful, sometimes sparse, prose and engaging story about growing up and family relationships. I picked it up to browse and couldn't stop reading.” I admire this intense, beautifully strange coming of age story, which explores immigration, race, religion, and what it means to tell your own story.

• Book of the Little Axe, novel by Lauren Francis-Sharma (2020). Donna Hemans recommends this book, saying, “A multi-generational saga that follows Rosa, a young woman in Trinidad during the island’s transition to British rule, and her son, who comes of age in Crow Nation in the American West. The novel is wide in scope and recreates a story of migration that American literature rarely explores.”

• If God Invented Baseball, poetry collection by E. Ethlebert Miller, legendary poet and activist (2018). DCTrending contributor (and accomplished poet) Mike Maggio greatly admires all of the poet’s work and recommends this particular volume of Miller’s, saying: “A book of poems about baseball by a baseball lover. A great summertime read.”

• Flare, poetry by Camisha L. Jones (2017). Recommended by Courtney LeBlanc, a local poet recently profiled in DCTrending. Courtney says, “the author is the Managing Director of Split This Rock, a poetry non-profit in DC, and her poetry focuses on her hearing impairment.” 

• The Heart of a Comet, poetry and short fiction by Pages Matam. Courtney LeBlanc also recommends this collection of short stories and poems by this Cameroon-born author living now in D.C.

• Monday's Not Coming, young adult novel by Tiffany D. Jackon, a Howard graduate who now lives in Brooklyn. Another recommendation from our contributor Lauren Woods, who calls it “part mystery, part friendship story, set in Southeast D.C. It's full of all the little moments that make middle school such an awkward time, but it also tells a larger story about how it's possible for no one to notice that a girl is missing.”

Local booksellers speak up with their own recommendations for books by Black authors and anti-racist reads

Starting with local Black-owned bookstores: 

• If you’re looking for anti-racist reading material, Loyalty Bookstores, in Petworth and Silver Spring, has a great list. 

• For store bestsellers, staff recommendations, reviews, and a book club, check out Mahogany Books in Anacostia.

• Sankofa Video, Books & Cafe, located near Howard University participates in the Noname Book Club, which highlights two books by authors of color each month. 

• Owners of both Loyalty and Mahogany were on the Kojo Nnamdi Show recently, to talk about “Anti-Racist Literature and the Radical Act of Reading.”

Other local stores and libraries

• Arlington’s One More Page Books has a list of books by Black authors across genres.

• Busboys and Poets has an anti-racist book list, a Continuing Talk on Race list, and a James Baldwin list. 

• You can also check out these most popular books by Black authors at the D.C. Public Libraries.

How to support your local bookstores during COVID

COVID-19 and quarantine have hit the arts and arts organizations hard, including our cherished independent bookstores. Here are a few ways to continue to support your favorite indie stores.

• Despite closing stores to the public temporarily, many indie bookstores are operating in new ways, such as contactless curbside pickup and delivery. (Please note: Capitol Hill Books is no longer offering in-store appointments.) 

• The staff of Loyalty Bookstores, One More Page or Capitol Hill Books, will hand-pick a grab bag of books for you. 

• You can even order food for delivery or pickup from the cafes of Kramerbooks or Busboys and Poets. 

• Events in our literary community have gone virtual, which means that you have more opportunities to participate, because you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in traffic. Just to share a couple: Politics and Prose is now streaming author events live. Busboys and Poets is streaming poetry open-mics, kids’ story times, and other literary events live.

There’s so much more going on in the D.C. lit scene, but that’s all I have time for today. Check back for more blog posts about how to get involved, stay involved, and support local arts and local artists during this time of turmoil and uncertainty.

Until then, stay safe, stay well, try to stay sane, and keep reading.