Books to Inspire Creative Flow & Community Rhythm
There is a book that I have on my shelf titled, “Every Word is a Bird we Teach to Sing” and something about this phrase feels resonant and beautiful. As we introduce our new blog, The BIPOC Bookshelf, I want to translate the spirit of that phrase into our own guide - every word we read is a note in a larger song - so enjoy our composition.
This season we are leaning into the theme of this issue - Creative Flow & Community Rhythm - to share some of our favorite collections or collaborative works.
Sabrina & Corina: Stories
By Kali Fajardo-Anstine
“Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit. Set against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado–a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite–these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force.” - Goodreads
Sister Nations: Native American Women Writers on Community
Edited by Heidi E. Erdrich & Laura Tohe
“This anthology of fiction, prose, and poetry celebrates the rich diversity of writing by Native American women today. Editors Heid E. Erdrich and Laura Tohe have gathered stories from across the nation that celebrate, record, and explore Native American women’s roles in community...The editors have divided these lively and thought-provoking pieces into four sections: “Changing Women,” which deals with the stages of a woman’s life, awareness of female ancestors, and women’s traditions of healing and making art; “Strong Hearts,” which shows Indian women enduring with love, defending with fierce judgment, and reaching out across history to protect the people; “New Age Pocahontas,” which reveals the humor and complexity of stereotypes and simplified images of Native American women; and “In the Arms of the Skies,” which explores the ways in which typical notions about romantic love and marriage are put to the test.” - Heid E. Erdrich
If They Come For Us
By Fatimah Asghar
This imaginative, soulful debut poetry collection...captures the experiences of being a young Pakistani Muslim woman in contemporary America. Orphaned as a girl, Fatimah Asghar grapples with coming of age and navigating questions of sexuality and race without the guidance of a mother or father. These poems at once bear anguish, joy, vulnerability, and compassion, while exploring the many facets of violence: how it persists within us, how it is inherited across generations, and how it manifests itself in our relationships. In experimental forms and language both lyrical and raw, Asghar seamlessly braids together marginalized people’s histories with her own understanding of identity, place, and belonging.” -from the author’s website - Art for Ourselves
Where to Begin
By Cleo Wade
Where to Begin is a collection of the ideas, mantras, and poems I turn to when I feel like I am losing it. I wrote this so that I could put them all in one place when I felt overwhelmed by worry, fear, anxiety, or helplessness.
The words in this book are what stop me from walking away from the problems of the world during tough times. They also help me stay connected to hope during difficult moments and remind me that even on the days that feel the most daunting, I still have the power to show up and do something, somewhere, in some way.” - Cleo Wade
BIPOC Owned Bookstores
a helpful guide for where to buy your books from a bipoc owned independent bookshop.
Photo by Birchbark Books
Birchbark Books, Minneapolis, MN
Raven Reads, Vancouver, BC
Salina Bookshelf, Flagstaff, AZ
https://www.salinabookshelf.com/
Red Plant Books and Comics, Albuquerque, NM
https://redplanetbooksncomics.com/
Black Garnet Books, Minneapolis, MN
https://www.blackgarnetbooks.com/
Hope Tank, Denver, CO
list below from Picture Book NY.
The Lit Bar, Bronx, NY
@thelitbar
Word Up Community Bookshop, Washington Heights, NYC
@wordupbooks
Cafe con Libros, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY
@cafeconlibros_bk
Marcus Books, Oakland, CA -the oldest Black-owned bookstore in the country
@marcus.books
Fulton Street Books, Tulsa, OK
@fultonstreet918
Eye See Me, University City, Missouri
@eyeseeme_bookstore
Uncle Bobbies Coffee & Books, Philadelphia, PA
@unclebobbies
The Key Bookstore, Online
@keybookstore
Mahogany Books, Washington, DC
@mahoganybooks
Semicolon Bookstore, Chicago, IL
@semicolonchi
Harrietts Bookshop, Philadelphia, PA
@harrietts_bookshop
Ashay By The Bay, Vallejo, CA
@ashaybythebay