A free, open event at London Met will explore the Black British experience through creative writing and oral history.
Date: 24 February 2020
Mainstream publishing and academia are notoriously white. A 2018 survey by the Publishing Survey found that just 11.6% of those working in the industry identified as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) – and that this number has decreased in recent years. Meanwhile, only 1.19% of academics in Britain are black.
Writing Black Lives, a free, open event at London Metropolitan University, will bring together the pioneers who are leading a range of innovative publishing ventures, oral history and research projects which celebrate Black British culture and highlight Black British voices.
The panel will be made up of Lemara Lindsay-Prince, commissioning editor of #Merky Books, the publishing imprint launched in 2018 by grime artist Stormzy and Penguin Random House; Magdalene Abraha, creator of A Quick Ting On, the first non-fiction book series dedicated to Black British Culture; and Patrick Vernon, who led the successful campaign for a National Windrush Day, to recognise and honour the enormous contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants.
Chaired by London Met’s Dr Alya Khan, the event also serves as a launch for the university’s new Centre for Life Writing and Oral History (CLiOH).
The panel event will be followed by an open discussion with the audience, with opportunities for networking and refreshments.
- Where:
- TG-30 Henry Thomas Room, London Metropolitan University, 166‑220 Holloway Road, N7 8DB
- When:
- 10 March 2020, 18:00 - 21:00 GMT