Literary Partners Program: Kweli International Literary Festival

Toni Morrison said, “I stood at the border, stood at the edge and claimed it as central … and let the rest of the world move over to where I was.” BIPOC writers are so often told that there is “no market” for their stories or that their work is too similar to an existing title. But BIPOC-led marketing and publicity teams know that such thinking is simply unimaginative. What happens when we claim BIPOC stories as central? Milena Brown, Imani Gary, and Camille Collins, publicity managers at Big Five publishers, will discuss their experiences working with debut authors like Zakiya Harris, as well as established writers like Nikki Giovanni, and how they are challenging prevailing ideas about readers and the stories they care about.

This event is made possible through the Poets House Literary Partners program.