Reviving Black Canadian Lit
Some time in December you may remember I wrote about Revival, an anthology edited by Toronto literary critic Donna Bailey Nurse. The anthology, which features the best in Black Canadian writing, is highlighted in the Toronto Sun by columnist Nicholas Davis. It also happens to be on the programme for the Harbourfront’s Kuumba Festival in commemoration of Black History Month:
"In my particular job I was getting a lot of black books sent to me," says Nurse, who is a critic for Book Television and a frequent book reviewer for various newspapers across the country. "And I had a great awareness of the excellent work that was out there. But I didn't think there was enough awareness from the general public of the quality and volume of work by black writers in this country. I put this book together to make sure the work got out there."
Of the 29 authors who contributed pieces to revival most of them -- like Suzette Mayr, David N. ODhiambo, H. Nigel Thomas and Esi Edugyan -- are unknown to mainstream Canadians. This was a conscious choice by Nurse.
"I was tired of seeing the same names again and again when there were so many other people doing excellent work who were not getting the same high-profile space."
