Several of us spent yesterday bemoaning the appalling state of BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) representation in UK YA. It started with this tweet:
Anyone got suggestions for #ukya 2017 fiction written by BAME authors?
— Claire Lyman (@ClaireLyman) January 2, 2017
And ended, more or less, in this depressing one, though I suppose we can take small comfort in the fact that it trended in Twitter moments.
Apparently there’s only 7 #BAME #ukya titles being published this year. Shout if others! ⚡️ “2017 BAME #UKYA titles” https://t.co/FiCE5JOCeH
— Mariam (@helloiammariam) January 3, 2017
Today, some good news on this front at least: Stripes is publishing an anthology of BAME YA writers. The call for submissions is not restricted to previously published writers, so this is a great opportunity for new and emerging talent to be spotted and highlighted.
But, c’mon, UK publishing: it’s not enough to import diverse lit from the USA. Do better with homegrown talent please.
The Brit Lit Blog 