Link: http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/
Everything below comes from guest blogger Carleen Brice:
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December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month.
Say what?
Yep, in December, black authors want you to by one of our books, but here?s what makes this different from what we want you to do any other month of the year: We want you to give the book to somebody who?s not black.
Why? Who cares if non-black people read our books?
Um, we do. We care a lot. As much as we love and appreciate our black readers, it’s hard to make it in publishing without support from a wider audience. Lately, Shon Bacon, Bernice McFadden, Martha Southgate, Tayari Jones, Denene Millner, Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry and about a zillion others have been burning up the blogosphere with discussions about how to breakout from the midlist ghetto or crossover. (Crossover. An interesting term for descendents of people who survived the Middle Passage, isn?t it?)
There are beaucoup opinions about what should be done. And like every time the issue of race is raised in this country, even more questions come up: Should there even be an African American section? But if there?s not, will black readers, the main ones who support us, be able to easily find our books? What counts as African American fiction anyway? Should A Lesson Before Dying really be in the same category as Ride or Die Chick? Why can?t we just be writers, why do we have to be African American writers? By trying to crossover are we running away from those who made us? And on and on.
One thing we all seem to agree on is that it sure would be nice if our books reached a wider audience, meaning (as it still does for a little while in this country) white folks. Big problem though. White readers don?t hear about our books discussed generally (except Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and a few others). And without media exposure and water-cooler talk they don?t know which of our books they may like. Even worse, many white readers don?t know that books by black authors can even speak to them, and be enjoyed by them.
That last one is enough to drive a girl to slap somebody. But instead of resorting to violence, thanks to Shon?s call for us to DO SOMETHING, I started what I hope will be an annual event, and created the website White Readers Meet Black Authors. Every Tuesday I?ll post something to introduce white readers (and others?seriously, everybody is invited to this party!) to books by black people. And once we get rolling, we?ll look at introducing more black folks to works by non-black writers too. If you have suggestions for topics, let me know. I welcome guest writers. I hope you will comment and contribute.
Back to the holiday. Since many white people apparently feel they need an official invitation to read books by African American authors, let?s give them one. Reach out to coworkers, neighbors, classmates and friends. Who better to extend the invitation than someone like you, somebody they already know and trust? And what better invitation than a free book that they just might like?
So this December, please give a book by somebody black to somebody not black.
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Carleen Brice
Remember: December is National Buy a Book by Somebody Black and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month
http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/