*New Anthology of Black British Poets: *

*Exploring the subtleties of ‘Filigree’ *



Title: Filigree: Contemporary Black British Poetry

Authors: Various

ISBN: 9781845234263

Pages:127

Price: £8.99

Date published: November 2018



*Filigree*, a new anthology of contemporary Black British poetry published
by Peepal Tree Press, a leader in Caribbean and Black British Literature,
will be launched on 23 November 2019 at King’s College, London. It follows
in the footsteps of its predecessor, *RED (2010) *which has been described
by Michael Rosen as, “a major contribution to the diverse cultures of
blackness.” *Filigree’s* inclusion of fresh voices from a younger
generation of Black British poets illustrates Inscribe’s commitment to
producing groundbreaking anthologies. Included are young Poet Laureate’s of
London, Poets from the Octavia collective, Barbican Young Poets and The
Complete Works as well as a wealth of other recognisable names.



Filigree typically refers to the finer elements of craftwork, the parts
that are subtle; our Filigree anthology contains work that plays with the
possibilities that the word suggests. Writers were invited to contemplate
the ‘unspoken essential’ and ‘intangible tangible. ’Award winning poet
Hannah Lowe author of *Chick* and *Chan* describes what came in response as
“testimonies and remembrances… poems of resistance and bombast, and hymns
of love of all kinds” forming a collection which explores and celebrates
the delicate and finer elements of Black British literature.



In the anthology’s preface, Dorothy Wang writes, “most (white) poets and
poetry scholars assume, consciously or not, that the only poetic
interiority that matters is a white interiority. Thus, the endless poems by
the white poets with every emotion and quotidian observation presented to
the reader as if they were profound and universal truths, applicable to all
mankind.” *Filigree* defies this assumption, forces its readers to
challenge their ideas of poetic interiority, and celebrates the variety of
poetry produced by these poets. Throughout the anthology’s journey, editor
Nii Parkes says he has, “revelled in the quirky turns of phrase and
argument, the contemporary yet timeless imagery, the boldness of much of
the work. At each turn I am more and more convinced of a future for British
poets of colour embroidered with the finest of prizes and widespread
critical recognition.” *Filigree* includes compelling work from established
Black British poets residing inside and outside the UK, as well as new and
emerging voices of Inscribe poets who have been nurtured and supported by
the Inscribe Writer Development Programme.



*Editor: Nii Parkes*

Nii Ayikwei Parkes is an author, performance poet, and socio-cultural
commentator and advocate for African writing. He is the author of the
poetry chapbooks: *eyes of a boy, lips of a man* (1999), *M is for Madrigal*
(2004) and *Ballast *(2009), an imagination of the slave trade by balloon.
His novel *Tail of the Blue Bird* (Jonathan Cape, 2009) has been hailed by
the *Financial Times* as “a beautifully written fable…grappling with urgent
issues”. Parkes has led forums internationally and has sat on discussion
panels for BBC Radio with literary heavyweights such as Booker winner,
Margaret Atwood. In 2007, he was awarded Ghana’s National ACRAG award for
poetry and literary advocacy.



*Foreword: Dorothy Wang*

Dorothy Wang is Professor in the American Studies Program and Faculty
Affiliate in the English Department at Williams College (Massachusetts).
Her monograph *Thinking Its Presence: Form, Race, and Subjectivity in
Contemporary Asian American Poetry* (Stanford University Press, 2013)
received the Association for Asian American Studies' award for best book of
literary criticism in 2016, garnered honorable mention in the Poetry
Foundation's inaugural Pegasus Awards for Criticism in 2014, and was named
one of *The New Yorker*'s "The Books We Loved in 2016." The first national
conference on race and creative writing in the United States was named
Thinking Its Presence (2014) And conceived of and co-founded the "Race and
Poetry and Poetics in the UK" (RAPAPUK) research initiative, She has also
published on Asian Australian literature.




*About Inscribe *Inscribe, is a successful professional writer development
programme run by Inscribe Publications Manager Kadija George, FRSA and
Programmes Manager Dorothea Smartt, both published poets. With its roots
in Peepal Tree’s practice of editorial development, Inscribe began as a
project to develop specific writers of African and Asian descent in
Yorkshire. It was created in 2004 by Kadija (George) Sesay and joined in
2008 by Dorothea Smartt, taking the ACE funded programme, national. An
essential aspect of the programme is their series to publish emerging and
new writers.



*About Peepal Tree Press*

Peepal Tree Press is the home of the best in Caribbean and Black British
fiction, poetry, literary criticism, memoirs and historical studies. In
2017, Peepal Tree won the Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishers,
which recognises excellence and creativity in literary publishing. Based in
Leeds, it is an independent company, founded in 1985, and features both new
writers and established voices. In 2009, Peepal Tree launched the
‘Caribbean Modern Classics Series’, which restores to print essential
classic books from the 1950’s and 60’s. Peepal Tree's focus is on what
George Lamming calls the Caribbean nation, wherever it is in the world,
though they are also concerned with Black British writing.

For more information and bookings, please contact:

Kadija George: [log in to unmask]
Hannah Bannister: [log in to unmask] Hannah Bannister:
0113 245 1703

             www.peepaltreepress.com

--

*The Writer & The City: Kadija in The Gambia http://tinyurl.com/y9vzlpv8
<http://tinyurl.com/y9vzlpv8>*

*The Importance of Independent Black Publishing*
*http://tinyurl.com/yc838cdn <http://tinyurl.com/yc838cdn>*

*Arts can save children, no matter what's going on in their homes. Afeni
Shakur*

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