“Papyrus came out of a conscious community trying to transform themselves with the new knowledge of history and culture that has been hidden, or discredited, or just plain old missing from our experience here in the United States. We wanted to make sure our children had the knowledge of where we come from, and our history of culture. And so from there was a need saying, well, what kind of materials are we going to use to teach our children?”
Anura Si-Asar
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In 2021, 83.2 percent of editors in the U. S. were White and less than 5 percent of editors were Black. According to the career website Zibia, this coincides with only 5.9 percent of published authors being Black.
Today, Lissa talks with three prominent publishers in the Twin Cities who believe that Black authors deserve to collaborate with editors who understand and appreciate their work. Our guests are Rekhet Si-Asar (In Black Ink). Anura Si-Asar (Papyrus Publishing) and Mary Tarris (Strive Publishing & Bookstore).
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Strive Publishing and Bookstore
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Several authors referenced have been guests on Black Market Reads. Listen to their conversations with Lissa:
Our production team for this episode includes co producers Lissa Jones and Edie French, technical director Paul Auguston, the voice Yo Derek, and our artist of inspiration Ta-coumba T. Aiken.