New Book Service Delivers Stories From The Black Diaspora To Your Door

Derick Brewer and Zellie Iman are hoping to diversify the bookshelves of literature connoisseurs by providing them with the oft overlooked narratives from the African Diaspora.On Monday, the pair launchedNoir Reads, a subscription service which delivers two to three fiction and nonfiction book selections from writers throughout the diaspora on a monthly basis.Our aim was to create a resource comprised of narratives on the black experience and the multiplicity of Blackness, Iman told The Huffington Post.With nearly 100 subscribers already, the company has sold nearly half of the 200 boxes theyve prepared for its launch. Subscriptions are offered at $35 per month or $100 for three months.On February 6, these first-time subscribers will findAngela Davis Freedom Is A Constant Struggle and Keeanga-Yamahtta TaylorFrom #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation in Readsinaugural box.Noir Reads - Monthly subscription box featuring Black authors with a reading guide and online book club forum!https://t.co/Vf88hlti7J pic.twitter.com/H5yHwmcGfI zellie (@zellieimani) January 9, 2017 Iman said these selections were chosen, in part, for their relevance given the current political climate.With a looming Trump presidency, we wanted books to help readers navigate this racist political landscape and offer ways to move forward, Iman said. The books can help us process these issues in an efficient way.Iman, an educator and Black Lives Matter activist said Reads is an extension of the work hes been doing to draw attention to the ranges of the black experience.Blackness is complex and diverse, but this basic fact becomes overshadowed, or erased by continually centering African American narratives, Iman said. Instead, we want Noir Reads to explore, and not ignore, the vast and rich histories of the African Diaspora.To ensure their subscribers will enjoy the selections, Iman and Brewer choose books focusing on specific themes and survey readers to see what theyd prefer.The books that arent chosen are then placed under the recommended reading section of their reading guide.The goal is to identify and connect people with great work, whether we can place it in the box or not, Iman said. Thats important. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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