Loose Connections - A Family Memoir

OK, so it's a long time since I last posted anything on this blog. The reason? I've been busy working on the publication of my first book for adults, Loose Connections - A Family Memoir:

Check it out on www.malaikarosestanley.com

For Women: In Tribute to Nina Simone

I am very proud to have my short story, Loose Connections included in this US-published anthology, edited by Debra Powell-Wright and funded through a small Art and Change grant awarded by The Leeway Foundation.

Debra Powell-Wright is an accomplished spoken word artist, published author and poet, writing workshop facilitator and a member of In The Company of Poets, an all-female spoken word ensemble.

For Women: In Tribute to Nina Simone was inspired by her essay Four Women - For Women: Black Women All Grown Up, which examines the lyrics of Nina Simone's classic and Talib Kweli's hip-hop tribute and which features in Imagining the Black Female Body. 

This collection of short stories and poems explores the issues of relationships, racism, sexuality and concepts of beauty from the perspective of American, African, Caribbean and British women of colour. It's been a long time in the making, a true labour of love for Debra who has single-handedly dealt with everything ranging from submissions to editing, and from printing to distribution and - modesty aside - I believe it deserves a  wider readership than will be afforded by the limited print run.

Sadly, I won't be able to join many of the other contributors in Pennsylvania in February to celebrate so I'm listening to Four Women, raising a glass and proposing a virtual toast:

To Nina, to Debra and to all the women around the world who contributed to this collection.

BLACK, WHITE AND JUST RIGHT

BLACK, WHITE AND JUST RIGHT

Mixed-race people have existed ever since our ancestors first set out to explore and wage war - and today, the UK has one of the largest and fastest-growing mixed race populations in the western world. Partly this is because of the greater number of people who choose to define themselves as mixed-race on census forms and elsewhere and partly as the result of more mixed marriages and relationships and more blended, adoptive and step-families.

    

The BBC’s recent Mixed Britannia series told some of the stories behind the headlines and statistics and stirred up quite a few personal memories of my own. As a result, I decided to try and compile a list of children’s and YA books which feature mixed-race and mixed heritage main characters and I began... read more