World Book Day 2022

 

Books by Nicole Moore

Today is World Book Day (WBD), which happens annually on the first Thursday of March. This year marks WBD's 25th anniversary. The theme this year is a message for all children: You are a reader!

Today, I am remembering and celebrating the books that I brought into fruition between 2005 and 2010, which were independently published collections of creative expressions by black and mixed-heritage women:

*Brown Eyes, 2005
  Sexual Attraction Revealed, 2008
*Hair Power Skin Revolution, 2010

*Funded by an Arts Council England  Grants' for the Arts Award 

These anthologies included poetry and personal essays from a diverse group of black and mixed-heritage women — everyday women expressing themselves in their own unique style, without the white gaze. The writers offered empowering and creative ways of understanding and relating to a range of themes, including gender, 'race', ethnicity, identity, hair, colourism, culture and heritage, with strong and reflective voices, some unheard, some previously published.

Full details are listed under 'Books' on the right of this blog.

In my childhood days, my reading was somewhat limited to books that I could read in my grandparents house — the Encyclopaedia Britannica a general knowledge book, which I would tackle occasionally; a few editions of my grandmother's Readers' Digest magazines (grown up stories that I would dive in and select something appealing) plus children's' novels that I loaned from my local library, which I really enjoyed visiting on Saturday mornings.  Then there were comics like Bunty, a British comic for girls, which consisted of a collection of many small strips, the stories typically being three to five pages long. 

Thankfully, over the last twenty seven years I have widened my reading and with modern technology, I have a vast selection of books on my Kindle. I still have a yearning to  buy 'real' books and have a small collection that are of sentimental value mostly because they have been signed by the authors.

Happy World Book Day!

Comments welcome!

On bell hooks

Photo: Joyce Dopkeen / The New York Times / Redux

When I heard the sad news of African American author, professor, feminist and social activist bell hooks' passing on 15 December 2021, aged 69, I was completely taken by surprise. I couldn't believe it. I'm only one year younger but it wasn't that. I really liked her ... still do. This is such a great loss. I was, and still will, remain one of her admirers.

My knowledge of bell hooks started in the 1990s when I was studying two Birkbeck College, University of London courses: Black Women's Writing and Motherland to 'Motherland': Black Women's History. I read bell hooks' amazing work, in particular her critical thinking on imperialist, capitalist, white supremacist, patriarchy. I continue to read and reference her in my current studies: Culture Diaspora Ethnicity MA at Birkbeck College.  

Image Source: Radical Reads

bell hooks was the author of 40 books, whose topics covered race, feminism, capitalism, and intersectionality. By the way, bell hooks was discussing intersectionality and writing about the subject long before the term was even conceived or coined by Kimberle Crenshaw. 

Here is a selection of favourite books from my bell hooks' collection, which I'm going to re-read and can definitely recommend:

• Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism (1981)
• Talking Back: Thinking feminist, thinking Black. Between the Lines (1989)
• Black Looks: Race and Representation (1992)
• Remembered Rapture: The Writer at Work (1999)
• Where We Stand: Class Matters (2000)

Image Source: bell hooks institute

I've watched bell hooks deliver cutting-edge talks many times from a distance in the comfort of my own home. On one unforgettable occasion, I actually met her face-to-face, at Hackney Town Hall, East London, during one of the numerous 1997 European Year Against Racism events, where I had the privilege of being photographed with her. I'm saddened that I cannot locate that picture.

bell hooks was one of those black female academics who transcended many disciplines to speak her mind both personally and politically. Sometimes she was misunderstood and this led to her being verbally attacked while she challenged the status quo. I'll remember bell hooks most of all for speaking her mind — talking back — I'm going to miss her.