Whatcha readin' this Black History Month?
20% off books that culture writers will appreciate!
In my experience, half of the writing process is reading. Starting from your own experience to write an explainer story is something I rarely do. I always start by reading what’s already out there on Reddit, GoogleScholar, and the world wide web ; )
I do this because I don’t assume that my experience is representative of the majority. Also, my training as an academic has taught me that I can’t possibly be the first person to have ever written on a topic… no matter how obscure. There’s always an article, a Twitter thread, or a book about every little thing in the culture space.
The task is to spin an old idea into something more relevant, timely, and service-oriented… that’s where a good writer is worth her weight in gold.
I’m a Black creator, so you’re prob not surprised that most of my assignments come in during cultural heritage months - Black History Month is chief among them.
And while I have to find a creative way to present the Black experience over time as something novel, I am under no illusion that someone before me likely has touched on the subject already. In the spirit of de-mystifying my writing process, I’m sharing what I’m reading before I start writing.
These three are on my top “to-read” shelf for a few pieces in queue this month…
Can you guess what I’m covering yet?
Not yet?
Make more time for reading these and… maybe it’ll come to you.
I can’t wait to share my full list of clips at the end of the month!
Bookshop.org is celebrating Black-owned bookstores and Black writers with a curated booklist at 20% off. Check out their selection of Adult Non-Fiction books this month. Your support for independent booksellers is the gift that keeps on giving.
Please note: This sale ends Tuesday, February 28th at 11:59pm PST.
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