Blog Posts
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Navigating the Publishing Industry: Getting Your Black Gay Novel Noticed
Navigating the traditional publishing landscape can be a daunting prospect for Black gay novelists. At the intersection of race and sexuality, these writers face unique challenges in getting their voices heard and their stories into the hands of mainstream audiences. While the publishing industry has made significant strides towards inclusivity in recent years, Black gay
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The Art of Editing A Black Gay Novel
Black LGBTQ+ literature spans 100 years worth of published works, which means there’s a rich literary history to consider when editing books that fall under this genre. Editors who specialize in handling Black gay fiction must understand the nuances that make quality LGBTQ+ literature, which requires comprehensive editorial knowledge and socio-cultural context. This includes, but is not
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Beware of Kinetic Digital Publishers (KDP) – KDPdigitalpublishers.com – in Texas: My Experience With a Publishing Scam
If you’re a new or independent author dreaming of getting your book published, you know how exciting that first call from a publisher can feel. You finally think your work is being taken seriously — someone wants to invest in your story, help you reach readers, and make your book a success. That’s exactly what
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Excerpt from the Novel, “The Prince of Brown: A Fictional Memoir” by Arthur L. Jenkins
In The Prince of Brown: A Fictional Memoir, Arthur L. Jenkins delivers a raw and deeply human portrait of resilience at the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and survival. Told through the eyes of Denzel Davis, the narrative spans generations of tragedy, family secrets, and rebirth—from the violence that shaped his ancestors to his own struggles with
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Poem by Arthur L. Jenkins: Two Genders
Poet’s Statement Two Genders confronts the rigidity and violence of state-imposed gender binaries, exploring how official doctrines reduce the complexity of human identity into a false dichotomy. Through the symbol of the “Eagle,” the poem critiques the United States — or any nation-state — as a devouring force that polices identity in the name of
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Understanding the Cultural Divide in Black Gay Literature
The “Cultural Divide” is a term used in Black Gay Literature to describe the tension or gap that exists between different cultural groups within the Black LGBTQ+ community. This divide can manifest in various ways, such as differences in language, values, social norms, or even aesthetic preferences. These distinctions often arise from unique historical and
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Exploring the Absence of Black Gay Narratives in Literature
Over time, the Black gay experience has been ignored, excluded, and silenced through many different means. What this largely entails, is an intentional or unintentional erasure of the voices of Black gay people in literary discourse and tradition. The causes of such exclusion of such an intersection of identity in literary canons are many; from
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The Lack of Black Gay Literature Representation in Social Media
This blog is in response to Literary Conversations: #BlackGayLitWhy. I felt that representation of Black gay literature in social media is lacking. It is quite interesting that books can be uncovered, exposed and flogged in many different digital places. How do we write about books in a way that increases the awareness of readers, yet,
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The Impact of Book Bans on Black Gay Literature
The wave of book bans sweeping across the United States has sent shockwaves through the literary world, with particularly insidious targets being books that represent the experiences of marginalized communities. In recent years, the U.S. has seen an unprecedented number of books being removed from libraries and banned in schools. These books often explore the
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Analyzing the Effectiveness of a 7-Point Short Story Structure in Black Gay Fiction
The 7-point short story structure is a storytelling technique that can be applied to black gay fiction in a way that is both effective and meaningful. This structure, which is often used in screenwriting, provides a framework for creating a story that is engaging and well-paced. It is based on the idea that a story