"No black woman in this culture can write 'too much.' Indeed, no woman writer has ever written enough." - bell hooks
Black women's stories deserve to be amplified and exposed to as large an audience as possible. But black women also deserve a vast space to engage with these books, publicly reflect on them, and offer insight from their own experience or perspective. For Colored Girls Book Club was founded on this premise, and The Review is no exception.
We invite black women and women of color to review books written by and about black women. You are also welcome to submit booklists, as well as interviews of and essays by black women or women of color authors.
The Review will publish once a week. As we grow, so will our publishing frequency. We are looking for distinct voices with a point of view and a penchant for storytelling.
We do not accept:
- Reviews of self-help, motivational, religious, scientific, inspirational, or children's picture books
- Reviews of your own book
- Review copies of your book
- Multiple submissions at once
- Writing that has previously been published elsewhere
- Writing that does not engage a book, story, or narrative by a black woman or woman of color.
A few other things of note:
- We accept (encourage, even) simultaneous submission, but let us know immediately when your work has been accepted elsewhere.
- We acquire first serial rights worldwide in English and non-exclusive anthology rights.
- This is a space that centers the voices of black women and women of color. Check your privilege before submitting.
- We try to respond to submissions within a month. Please do not inquire before 3 months have passed.
Our publication will go live mid-April. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more updates.
Readers are often looking for book recommendations. Suggest books to read, grouped under a common narrative. For example: "The Ultimate Black SciFi Book List," or "If You Loved [X] Book, You'll Love These," "A Book List for People Who Love Book Lists."
Format:
- Give an introduction. No more than 1 paragraph
- For each book in the list, include a (3-5 sentence) summary, the reason you loved this book, and/or why this books fits into the category in which you've put it. Also ensure to include book title, author name, publisher, and year of publish.
- End with a short conclusion
Suggest as many books as you'd like, but your list have more than 700 words. The book list can include titles by any author of color, but titles by women/non-binary folx must comprise the majority.
Share your interview with a black woman/WOC writer. While we don't have an aesthetic preference at this time, we favor interviews that are exploratory, questioning, and investigative. We want to come away learning something that Google can't tell us.
No more than 1500 words, double spaced.
We accept essays that are centered around a story, book, or series of stories by a black woman/WOC writer. We like essays that don't just summarize a book, but that explore their own narrative while following along the book's. Tell your own story about the story.
No more than 1500 words, double spaced.
To us, the key to a good book review is storytelling. The review must feature a book by a black woman/WOC author.
Guidelines:
- No more than 800 words
- Include publisher, year of publish, genre, book title, and author name
- Begin with a summary. Do what you will with the rest.
- Conclude with your recommendation
Include a <50 word bio and links to your social profiles.