The ground shakes on impact and we scream, shout and make inhuman noises. Our teachers look on, smiling at our rambunctious, too-smart-for-their-own-good group full of black joy.
Black Joy
‘Love has no nationality’: Minority Writers & Stereotyping
“When I write, I’m not a woman, I’m not a Moroccan, I’m not a Muslim, I am whatever I want.… Love has no nationality,” says author Leïla Slimani. This raises the question, and a paradox for our age: Should authors from a minority background be restricted to writing novels based on their own experience?
YA Fiction is Leading the Way in Representation
Mainstream literature can learn a lot from YA fiction about writing characters. It should be remembered that not all characters need to be straight and white. YA provides a great, safe place for BAME and LGBT+ writers and readers alike to see themselves represented.
A Vaccine for Coronavirus Racism
On the bus back to my accommodation yesterday, a little boy around the age of 8 waved at me from the sidewalk, then yelled “CORONAVIRUS!” before dissolving into giggles with his friends.
The not so rewarding history of the Man Booker Prize
By Rohail Karim The Man Booker prize, one of the highest recognized awards for literature, at least that’s what they want you to believe. Whilst the award does help the winning […]
Who Writes What? – Writing Across Race
Recent debates have highlighted a need for greater diversity within the UK’s literary landscape. What is less settled however, are questions concerning the representation of BAME characters in literary texts. Debate has […]
Controversial Cartoons: Drawing Our Attention
by Sian Erskine Representations of minority groups are under scrutiny – and rightly so. Despite the commercial and critical success of films and shows that foreground diversity, the industry still engages in […]
Should We Decolonise University Staff?
Micah Mackay The past few years have brought a focus on the decolonisation of academic curriculum. In English Literature, for example, the literary canon has often faced criticism for reliance upon white, […]
The Danger of a Single Story
Ellie Fells The debate about the diversity of literature taught by academic institutions is a well-fuelled one. It is widely acknowledged that the literary canon is fundamentally flawed; with its Eurocentric focus […]
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