BMGDE’s wonderful publicist Dawn Hardy (aka, The Literary Lobbyist) put together an incredible event for three local book clubs and book bloggers. We discussed the importance of black bookstores like Mahogany Books for authors of color and unpacked some important themes from Black Girls Must Die Exhausted!
I also read one of my favorite scenes from BGMDE, in which Tabby, our protagonist (who happens to be black) and her grandmother (who happens to be white) discuss the meaning of race for them as they’ve lead their respective lives. Reading it out loud, and I think it was the first time I’ve done this excerpt, the emotional impact was noticeable on me and on those present. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to bring my imagination to bear on such an important and not-often-had conversation about race in the most loving type of context I could imagine – between a grandmother and her grandchild.
Check out the photo recap in the gallery!
