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Literature, like any other medium, has the power to impact the ways we relate to the world and the people around us, but when the books we read fail to reflect the lived experiences of Black and Latinx people, especially girls and women, the world we might end up imagining will lack the diversity, creativity and magic present within their lives. Enter Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG).
WRBG aims to increase the visibility of Black women writers and initiate meaningful conversations with readers.The Brooklyn-based book club has an online community of over 20,000 members—and now its hosting the first ever Well-Read Black Girl Writers’ Conference and Festival.
Black women writers, and their works, are essential. While Maya Angelou, Octavia Butler, and Toni Morrison are writers known to many, there is still little room for diversity in the publishing industry. Statistics from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center show that of 3,500 books published in the US in 2014, just 84 were by Black authors, and 180 about Black characters. WRBG seeks to reverse that trend.
According to the group’s description on its website, “the WRBG Writer’s Conference and Festival will address the dire need to create empowering spaces for Black writers and readers to commune.”
The team created a Kickstarter aiming to reach a $15,000 goal to pay for the venue and event production, hire instructors for the conference, invite special literary guests, and ensure the event is low-cost and accessible.
Edim has built the framework for Black women to create and hone their craft within a safe space. Now those around her have made sure that this will become a reality. The moral of the story: Black women know how to hold ‘ish down in the name of community.
“Our focus is always going to be on Black women writers and I’m just excited that I built this community that is promoting their work,” Edim said.
