Hello Family,
I wanted to take moment to say thank you to everyone who supported the Lit 16 through its inaugural year.
Whether it was by promoting or purchasing the books from Lit 16 authors or attending the virtual reading events, hundreds of you helped us celebrate some of the best new, emerging, and marginalized voices in literature.
This was a family endeavor. We could not have done it without you. And we could not have done it without the help of so many others.
The biggest thank you ever to the Lit 16 inaugural class:
Infinite gratitude to our indie bookselling partners:
Buku love to our literary criticism partners:
And I also want to take this moment to offer a special note of gratitude to Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon, two extraordinary artists and community builders who match words with actions and really are bout-it-bout-it when it comes to sharing time, space, platform, and power.
Deesha dreamed up the Lit 16 idea, and Kiese and I helped her usher it from dream to reality. This project is one that honors not just our peers, but also our Ancestors—in particular Toni Morrison, who once said: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
This is not the end of the Lit 16. Stay tuned for Part Two or Season Two or Year Two or The Sequel (you get the picture; LOL!) when we hope to bring to your attention 16 more new and emerging writers of marginalized experience whose work is sure to rock your world.
Thank you again for your support.
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert