Award-winning author, poet and activist Bernardine Evaristo has joined forces with Canary Wharf to make short stories from up and coming black authors available for free to thousands of people throughout Black History Month.
The Booker Prize winner has selected five black authors to have their stories published in Canary Wharf’s Short Story Stations – the innovative vending machines that will dispense one, three and five minute stories for free to help raise the profile of black writers.
The spotlight is being shone on black authors for the month of October and is part of Bernardine Evaristo’s ‘Black Britain Writing Back’ campaign to give black authors the recognition they deserve. It is hoped the initiative will help give exciting black authors the platform to showcase their work, as currently there is not a single black author represented in the top 50 bestselling books in the UK.
The authors featured in the stations are Paul Mendez, Irenosen Okojie, Nicola Williams, Judith Bryan and S.I. Martin, and cover topics including race, class, sexuality, freedom and religion across generations, time and cultures. Live readings from the authors will also take place later this month at Canary Wharf. The Short Story Stations will also publish an extract from Bernardine Evaristo’s new book, Manifesto released this week.
Bernardine Evaristo said: “This is such an innovative opportunity at Canary Wharf to shine the spotlight on black authors I admire and are deserving of a wider readership. Some of the chosen stories are part of my curated series with Penguin called ‘Black Britain: Writing Back’, and I hope that all of these writers find new readers. Great literature transcends all perceived boundaries and are for everyone.”
Camilla Mcgregor, Arts+Events Planner, Canary Wharf Group, said: “The Short Story Stations at Canary Wharf are the first of their kind in the UK, having first gained popularity in the US, France and Hong Kong, with thousands of stories printed on recycled paper and read each week. Thousands of people visit Canary Wharf each month, which is a huge platform to showcase writing talent, so we’re proud to be able to play our part in helping Bernardine Evaristo put the spotlight on black authors to help them get the recognition they deserve.”
