A stunning visual homage to Black bookstores around the country along with profiles and essays
that celebrate the history community activism and culture these spaces embody featuring an
original foreword by Nikki Giovanni. Black literature is perhaps the most powerful
polarizing force in the modern American zeitgeist. Today—as Black novels draw authoritarian ire
as Black memoirs shape public debates as Black polemics inspire protest petitions—it’s more
important than ever to highlight the places that center these stories: Black bookstores.
Traversing teeming metropolises and tiny towns Prose to the People explores these spaces
chronicling the Black bookstore's past and present lives. Combining narrative prose
eye-catching photography one-on-one interviews original essays and specially curated poetry
Prose to the People is a reader’s road trip companion to the world of Black books.
Thoughtfully curated by writer and Black bookstore owner Katie Mitchell Prose to the People is
a must-have addition to the shelves of anyone who loves book culture and Black history. A
visually rich tribute this dynamic book centers profiles of over fifty Black bookstores from
the Northeast to the mid-Atlantic the South and the West Coast complete with stunning
original and archival photography. Interspersed throughout are essays poems and interviews
by New York Times bestsellers Kiese Laymon Rio Cortez Pearl Cleage and many more journalists
activists authors academics and poets that offer deeper perspectives on these bookstores'
role throughout the diaspora. Complete with a foreword by world-renowned poet and activist
Nikki Giovanni Prose to the People is a beautiful tribute to these vital pillars of the Black
community.
