MadameNoire Featured Video

Black Like We Never Left FLYER

Source: COURTESY OF BRANIGAN / COURTESY OF BRANIGAN

With us still being in the midst of the pandemic, reading is a favorable past time. According to the Literary Hub, 35% of the world is reading more during the pandemic. Discussing a good book can also be delightful as well since we are in isolation and self-proclaimed “Bookstagrammer” Cree Myles has us covered this month with conversation about classic Black fiction. If you’re an avid reader, you’re in luck because Myles, a literary content creator, has partnered with Penguin Random House and Belletrist to host a virtual read-a-thon of Black fiction via Instagram.

On January 18, 2021, they will kick off Black Like We Never Left, a week-long virtual read-a-thon celebrating Black fiction that will highlight the work of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning Penguin Random House author and editor, Toni Morrison.  The read-a-thon will also serve a fundraiser for the Center for Fiction’s Emerging Writers Fellowship, a program that was special to Morrison.

“Black Like We Never Left will use the combined scale of Cree Myles, Belletrist, and Penguin Random House to create a singular moment around Black authors and the foremost novelist of the Black experience,” the press release read.

The first five days of the series will live on Cree Myles’ Instagram page, which is dedicated to highlighting Black and marginalized voices. Readers have the choice to read along with one of three Toni Morrison books – Beloved, Sula, or Song of Solomon – and each day Myles will provide “required reading” guides to help keep people on track. Participants are encouraged to fundraise by asking loved ones to pledge a dollar amount per page. The more pages read, the more money donated to the Center for Fiction.”

On Saturday, January 23, Cree will take over Penguin Random House’s Instagram for a three-hour virtual party featuring challenges, giveaways, and exclusive conversations with notable cultural figures who will speak with Myles about Black fiction and Toni Morrison.

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN