This workshop, An Introduction to Black British Literature, is for anyone wanting to explore some important Black British writers, from ER Braithwaite, Buchi Emecheta, Andrea Levy, and Zadie Smith through to Alex Wheatle. We’ll discuss some of the history and context of Black British Literature and read some texts together. We will think critically about the writing, who the writing is for, and ask in what ways the work reclaims narratives. For example, Bernardine Evaristo’s ‘The Emperor’s Babe’ published in 2001 tells the tale of Zuleika, the daughter of Sudanese immigrants, in Roman London. Evaristo uses the book to reshape traditional versions of British history from a Black girl's point of view while addressing the sexist structures of society in both Roman times and present-day Britain.

Workshop participants will gain an understanding of Black British writing in the colonial and modern-day context, an awareness of the long literary history of Black Britons, and an introduction to books they may have been unaware of before.

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You are encouraged to join the library if you are not already a member.

Denise Rawls is a Hackney based writer and Black British Literature MA student. Denise is a member of the Hackney Black Women’s Writers Group, most recently her work has been published in The Local Voices Project Anthology and Simple Things Magazine. Denise is working on a full-length novel.