A stunning visual homage to Black bookstores featuring a selection of shops around the country
alongside essays that celebrate the history community activism and culture these spaces
embody with 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 a these spaces chronicling these 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. Though not a definitive guide 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.
