“It is now that I begin to know who really holds the tethers between us, and who can snap them at will. The others enclose around him, his friends. He becomes one of them, having never really been one of any number before. His unloved empty spaces are becoming filled.” – Chantal James, None but the Righteous
Hello Family,
It is my pleasure to introduce you to Chantal James, a member of the Lit 16 Final Four.
She lives in working class Black Washington, DC, and has been published across genres—as a poet, fiction writer, essayist, and book reviewer—in such venues as Catapult, Paste Magazine, Harvard’s Transition Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, and more. Her honors include a Fulbright fellowship in creative writing to Morocco, a finalist position for the Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction prize from the North Carolina Literary Review for 2019, and a fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center. Her novel was one of Kirkus' 10 most anticipated fiction books of its year and one of Library Journal's top anticipated debuts of its winter as well as an Indie Next pick of the American Booksellers’ Association. She is a contributor to On the Ground, a weekly show on community FM radio centering on voices of resistance in DC carried nationally through the Pacifica network. A third-generation HBCU alumna, she is trained in the discipline of philosophy through her masters degree and supports chronically unhoused women as a grantwriter.
Here is what Dantiel W. Moniz, author of Milk, Blood, Heat, had to say about Chantal’s novel":
“At once spiritual and earthly, balancing with deft what is metaphysical and what is flesh, James’ None But the Righteous ensnares, haunts, and fulfills that ancient, human need for narrative in carefully chosen language. You’ll fall right into this world.”
You will get to hear Chantal read from None But the Righteous, alongside three other authors, at the virtual Lit 16: Final Four event, hosted by:
Cindelle’s Bookstore
Thursday, July 13, 2023
7 p.m. ET
RSVP: HERE
You can purchase the books of Lit 16 authors from Cindelle’s Bookstore: HERE.
This is the last Lit 16 event for the inaugural class. But it is by no means the end of the Lit 16. We shall return at a future time. Keep your ear to the ground and eye on the word for announcements.
And, as always: Buy Banned Books!
*Fist to the sky*
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert
In the spirit of community over competition, the Lit 16 is how Deesha Philyaw, Kiese Laymon, and I use our platforms to shine a light on emerging writers whose art has impacted, inspired, and moved us in ways that we wanted to honor and share with you.
We could have easily created a Lit 64; there are so many fantastic recent debuts that we adore. Unfortunately, for many reasons, we are unable to accommodate that large of a scope. However, we do encourage all of our artistic peers to advance toward the directive set forth by the iconic and legendary Ancestor Toni Morrison: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
Be sure to follow the #Lit16 hashtag on social media and subscribe to Witness to stay up-to-date on upcoming Lit 16 events. Thank you so very much for joining us in celebration.