SLAY IN YOUR LANE PRESENTS: LOUD BLACK GIRLS, The Anthology, by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené, has been acquired by Natalie Jerome of Bonnier Books UK, from Juliet Pickering. The book will be published under the Bonnier Books UK imprint Lagom, on 4th July 2019.
This summer saw the publication of Adegoke and Uviebinené’s bestselling, “ground-breaking” work SLAY IN YOUR LANE: THE BLACK GIRL BIBLE, which has been hailed as “arguably the book of 2018” by the Observer. Following its success, SLAY IN YOUR LANE PRESENTS: LOUD BLACK GIRLS, The Anthology will feature the diverse voices of over twenty black British writers, both established and emerging.
Despite young black women reading more than any other ethnic group in the UK, they are still largely invisible as published authors. This anthology seeks to change that by giving black women a voice. Readers can expect frank, funny and fearless contributions about what matters to black women today, from a range of prominent voices. The book will also feature a contribution by the winner of a forthcoming submission competition, an introduction by Yomi and Elizabeth, and a foreword by a lead contributor to be announced.
As part of the acquisition, Bonnier Books UK is offering a four-month BAME editorial internship in collaboration with Creative Access. The successful candidate will start in November and work with the publishing team full-time, assisting with the publication of the book from the commissioning stage, right up to sending the book to print. The salary for the internship is £18,000 per annum (pro rata).
Jerome said, “I’m thrilled to be publishing this seminal anthology which will represent a landmark in commercial British publishing. The time has come to give all British people a voice. This book will reach out to black women, who often lack representation in the media and in the books they read, and it will engage and entertain anyone interested in a world where cultural diversity is the norm.”
Yomi and Elizabeth said, “We are delighted to include more emerging talent in SLAY IN YOUR LANE PRESENTS: LOUD BLACK GIRLS, The Anthology via an open submission competition, with the most outstanding entry featuring in the book alongside more established names. Entrants are welcome to write about whatever they feel is relevant to black women today."
Yomi Adegoke is an award-winning journalist and former writer at The Pool. She writes about race, feminism, popular culture and how they intersect, as well as class and politics. In 2013 she founded Birthday Magazine, a publication aimed at black teenage girls, and this year was listed as one of the 200 Women Redefining the Creative Industry by The Dots. She was also named as a 'frontline pioneer' bringing the fight to 'a new generation', by the Evening Standard.
Elizabeth Uviebinené is a Brand Marketer from London; upon graduating from Warwick University with a Politics degree she has gone on to work for some of the biggest global brands in Finance, and was promoted to Marketing Manager.
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Praise for SLAY IN YOUR LANE:
‘So many young women are looking for guidance as they navigate their personal and professional lives. Elizabeth and Yomi offer wisdom and encouragement to a rising generation of Black female leaders, on everything from the basics of financial literacy to how to deal with micro-aggressions in the workplace … The book is a gift for anyone who wants to better understand what Black women and girls are up against and the tremendous resources they draw upon as they make their way in the world.’ – Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org
‘’It is one of the most satisfying attempts in recent years to answer the question: why do black British women feel that their success is hindered… One thing that makes the book such a feat is the sheer amount of legwork the authors have put in… The result is a cultural landmark… Another success of SLAY IN YOUR LANE is how effortlessly the authorial voice flicks between statistics heavy research and popular culture…This books is as much a rallying cry to black women across the British Isles as it is a solid foundation for serious discussions about modern race relations. Whether readers fit its target demographic or not it is of surprisingly little importance. SLAY IN YOUR LANE, is without a doubt, the most engaging analysis ever to have reached publication of why it is that black British women still feel, in Adegoke’s words, “tattooed with our otherness. We are hypervisible… but somehow we often remain unseen.”’ – 5-star review, The Telegraph
‘A comprehensive, inspirational tool book that gives voice, to the next generation of young black British women navigating life in Britain today… It is a book that is bound to resonate with many black British women straddling the heritage of their parents with their sense of place in British society.‘ — Funmi Fetto, Vogue
