two posters on a wall: one is black and has lots of white letters in chaos, adverstising an event about Black German writer May Ayim. The second poster has a yellow background and a colourful illustration of Black British Writer Bernardine Evaristo, a Black Woman with natural afro hair. The poster advertises the British Council Literature Seminar.

British Council Literature Seminar 2023

4. July 2023GuestEvents#BritLit23, #BritLitBerlin, Bernardine Evaristo, British Council, class, Daljit Nagra, Joelle Taylor, Kit de Waal, UK, Wayne Holloway Smith

Our guest author Frauke Harms attended the 2023 British Council Literature Seminar and shared her experience with the Literary Field Kaleidoscope. As with so many events since the pandemic, the Literature Seminar 2023 organised by the British council took place for the first time in person again this year. Centred […] Read more

the german word "resonanzen", resonance, written in purple on light blue and light purple ground. the "a" in the word is intertwined with the other letters and connects them

Still resonating: Resonanzen Literature Festival 2022

21. October 2022Sandra van LenteEvents, NewsBlack German writing, connections, empowerment, literature festival, Resonanzen

The Resonanzen Literature Festival in Recklinghausen in May 2022 was the first festival dedicated to Black writing in German that took place in a mainstream or white institution. It was hosted by Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen and curated by the novelist and activist Sharon Dodua Otoo, who published her first German novel […] Read more

Birmingham Literature Festival

11. October 2022Sandra van LenteEventsBirmingham, literature festival, UK

I had the great pleasure of attending this year’s Birmingham Literature Festival. After a ‘pandemic break’ (that also gave us their fabulous “Birmingham Lit Fest Presents…” podcast) and a one-day festival version last year, the 2022 edition of #BLF took place at the Birmingham REP (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), bang in […] Read more

African and Afro-Diasporic Literature Center Stage.
An Interview with InterKontinental Publisher, Translator and Bookseller Venice Trommer

18. July 2022Sandra van LenteBookshop, Events, Indie Publisher, InterviewAfrican Book Festival, indie publisher, InterKontinental

InterKontinental started off as a literary agency and organized the first African Book Festival in Berlin in 2018. Since then, they have also opened a bookshop that specialises in African literatures and literature from the African diaspora. In 2022, the multitalented team launches their new independent press: InterKontinental Publishing House […] Read more

Mixed Book News: Summer, Autumn, Winter

18. December 2021Gesa StedmanColumn, Controversies, Events, News, Overview, Prizes, Reviewbibliodiversity, book fair, booker prize, climate change, racism, representation, Review

Gesa Stedman looks at recent and not quite so recent prize winners, Frankfurt book fair debates, special issues on disability and LGTBQI+ respectively, published by The Bookseller, and wonders where climate change has disappeared to – again. Read more

photo of the Black British author Okechukwu Nzelu

The Joy of Listening to Okechukwu Nzelu

2. November 2021Sandra van LenteEvents, Public readingdialogue books, LGBTQIA+, Manchester, Okechukwu Nzelu

Please join us for an online reading with the Manchester-based writer Okechukwu Nzelu! Monday, 29 November 2021 17h Berlin time, 4pm UK time on zoom (registration details below) His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (Dialogue Books), won a Betty Trask Award. It was also shortlisted for the […] Read more

WUB 2021

23. October 2021Sandra van LenteEvents, NewsGermany, Independent Bookshop Week, independent bookshops

What’s a WUB? It’s the end of October (already?!) and thus time for another round of the German “Independent Bookshop Week”: the WUB, Woche Unabhängiger Buchhandlungen, 23-30 October 2021. Read more

shop front of New Beacon Books in London

Black History Walks – Free Online Series about Black British Bookshops

14. April 2021Sandra van LenteBookshop, Eventsactivism, Black History Walks, bookshops, London

Black History Walks have been offering walking tours, educational talks and films in London for over 14 years. Starting on Friday, 16 April, they are bringing the history of Black British Bookshops to our screens. Thanks to Words of Colour for sharing the event information with me! Participation is free, […] Read more

Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 – “Improving Diversity in Publishing”

21. October 2020Sandra van LenteEvents#fbm20, #RethinkingDiversity, diversity, Frankfurt Book Fair, publishing

Frankfurt Book Fair created a “Special Edition” in 2020 and went completely online, allowing me (during the last few weeks of my pregnancy) to participate in a panel called “Improving Diversity in Publishing: Who Can Lead the Change Process?” with the following speakers, chaired by Dr Anamik Saha, Senior Lecturer […] Read more

Birmingham Literature Festival – Digital Edition

7. October 2020Sandra van LenteEventsBirmingham Literature Festival, festival, online, podcast, poetry, UK

This year’s Birmingham Literature Festival is already in full swing – and an amazing example how you can turn a challenge into an opportunity! For this ‘special’ year, Festival Director Shantel Edwards and Guest Curator Kit de Waal have put together a digital edition of one of my favourite literature […] Read more