It is not lack of talent that stops BAME writers fitting bestselling authors,it is lack of opportunity – but cash prizes alone aren’t enough to change an industry The SI Leeds Literary prize for black and Asian women, which celebrates the work of unpublished writers from a group under-represented on our bookshelves, and began accepting entries earlier this month. The UK’s first books festival dedicated entirely to writers of colour,Bare Lit, also makes its debut next month. So, and what is all the fuss approximately? And what’s in it for the rest of us? There are those who would argue that prizes for women of colour are unnecessary,that not every novelist deserves recognition, that having financially successful BAME writers will execute little for the rest of us. The problem with this argument is that it requires a balanced playing field on which to compete. This is not something that can be said of the publishing industry. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com