Letters to a Writer of Colour

A whip-smart collection of essays. I read parts of it with the joy of recognition and other parts with the astonishment of revelation – Kamila ShamsieElectric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery … a guide, a comfort, and a call all at once – Laila Lalami, author of Conditional CitizensLetters to a Writer of Colour is full of wisdom, nuance and elegance. It stretches discourses around “colour” and invites us to think more deeply and broadly about these questions. It is essential reading in a world full of soundbites and furious noise – Tash AwThe problem of the color line, as WEB Du Bois called it, has existed in literature and literary criticism as much as social and geopolitical realms, and systematic neglect by publishers, critics and readers has only exacerbated it. Excavating long-buried experiences of rejection, incomprehension and misunderstanding, Letters to a Writer of Colour defines the problem with precision and passion, and also outlines ways to transcend it. No one interested in how we read and should read fiction can afford to miss this bracing and moving anthology – Pankaj MishraI knew I would love this book as soon as I laid eyes on the title and the list of contributors, and it didn’t disappoint - far from it. These essays provide so much wisdom and warmth, giving us a sense of restoration, of community. They take a refreshingly holistic view of the craft and balance real technical insight with deeply gentle humanity. I cannot wait for my students to read this book! – Okechukwu Nzelu, author of Here Again NowLetters to a Writer of Colour is a brave and triumphant act of resistance and decolonisation, a necessary resource for writers and educators alike, and a must-have book for readers who care about diversity and inclusion in literature. Reading this book, I felt seen and empowered – Nguyen Phan Que Mai, internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust ChildWitty, candid, bold, gutsy, eye-opening and sometimes eye-popping, revelatory and wise! If you want to know what writers talk about among themselves, you’ve found it. Reading this anthology was like eavesdropping on a private conversation. I enjoyed every minute and as I closed the book, all I wanted to say was simply this: ‘Thank you!’ – Aminatta FornaA revelatory reading experience. A book that guides, teaches, and gives off its own shimmering light, that demands to be read and re-read. Letters to a Writer of Colour should take its place at the forefront of the multitude of works on the art of writing and reading. This is more than a collection of essays, more than a chorus of voices of prodigious talent and wisdom. It is a treasure that contains within itself endless treasures, a book that will always bear new fruit and timely truths – Katherine J. Chen, author of JoanA stunningly personal and practical compilation of literary and life advice – Starred Review * Kirkus *Impressive… There’s not a weak piece among the bunch; each brims with intimate personal reflection and insight into the purposes and power of fiction. The result is a vivid look at what it means to be a writer of color today * Publishers Weekly *

Deepa Anappara grew up in Kerala, southern India, and worked as a journalist in cities including Mumbai and Delhi. Her reports on the impact of poverty and religious violence on the education of children won the Developing Asia Journalism Awards, the Every Human has Rights Media Awards, and the Sanskriti-Prabha Dutt Fellowship in Journalism. A partial of her debut novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, the Bridport/Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award and the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. Published in 2020, it has since been named as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Washington Post, Time and NPR. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Indian Literature. Deepa has an MA in Creative Writing and is currently studying for a PhD.

Taymour Soomro was born in Lahore, Pakistan. He read law at Cambridge University and Stanford Law School. He has worked as a corporate solicitor in New York and Milan, a law lecturer at a university in Karachi, an agricultural estate manager in rural Pakistan and a publicist for a luxury fashion brand in London. Soomro has an MA in Creative Writing and a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing. He has written extensively for the Pakistani news media. His short fiction has been published in The New Yorker, The Southern Review and Ninth Letter. His debut novel, Other Names for Love, will be published by Harvill Secker in 2022.