The first edition of The Review, a new publication geared towards writers of the global majority, has been launched in the UK. This magazine, a collaborative effort between WritersMosaic and the Jhalak Foundation, spans over twenty pages of commissioned reviews and features predominantly from UK-based writers from marginalised communities. Jhalak Prize founder Sunny Singh told How To Be Books that reviews for books by diverse writers had “shrunk disproportionately” and even when they are reviewed, it isn’t “reviewed very well”.
Edited by award-winning novelist Guy Gunaratne, The Review aims to highlight diverse books by writers with a commitment to rigorous review standards and high-quality editing. The initiative involves a team of genre-specific curators including Irenosen Okojie for fiction, Will Harris for poetry, Colin Grant for non-fiction, and others for different genres, ensuring a rich diversity of voices and perspectives.
Speaking to the Royal Literary Fund, Gunaratne said of the new publication: “Our new journal intends to throw a rigorous and sustained light on some of the most fascinating writers working today.”
The magazine’s design is the brainchild of Michael Salu, the writer, director, and artist who heads the creative practice House of Thought. The Review is said to enjoy editorial independence while being printed and distributed by The Bookseller.
Curating voices of the global majority
“Oh, it’s a long project. I’ve been thinking about this project for a very long time… as writers, we never get really well-reviewed in the legacy media,” Singh told How To Be Books. The critically renowned writer elaborated on the challenges faced by writers of the global majority in gaining appropriate recognition and representation in traditional media outlets.
The conception of the new magazine involved a collaboration of ideas and needs that aligned with addressing the gaps in representation and justice within the publishing industry. The London Metropolitan University creative writing professor recalled the evolution of her idea into reality, “I had approached The Bookseller about 18 months ago… and Philip Jones, the editor, suggested the insert. We spoke to the Jhalak team and various people, and it just became really clear that would work really well.”
“In England and Wales, from about 2021, one out of every three children is a child from an ethnic minority background. They need to see themselves not only in book, but in the classroom, in their communities, in the city, in the country, in the state. And it is not good enough to say that we are not going to produce books that completely leave out one out of every three kids.”
Sunny Singh
The Review aims to provide a platform for these writers, as well as challenge the norms of the publishing industry. The selection process for contributors was both democratic and organic, focusing on specific literary genres including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult literature. “We reached out to people that are masters in their genre,” Singh explained. This strategic choice ensured that each section was curated by individuals deeply knowledgeable in their respective fields.
A quest for justice in publishing
Addressing the broader question of whether there has been significant progress in the representation of writers from the global majority, Singh offered a mixed view. “If I look back ten years, 2014, we’re in a vastly different landscape… We now have two awards,” Singh remarked, underscoring the advancements made but also pointing out the long road ahead. “It’s about justice… Each time that happens, each time we don’t get it right, it means one out of every three children feels that they do not belong or maybe do not even exist.” But she caveated this, saying: “We’re nowhere close to justice.”
She referred to a report from the International Publishers Association (IPA), who stated that UK publishers released more than 20 new titles every hour over the course of 2014, yet only 153 submissions were from writers of colour. “We’re not even midway through that mark. We haven’t hit the 500 mark yet, but it’s a huge shift already,” Singh said optimistically. Singh also mentioned “It’s Not About the Burqa” editor Mariam Khan‘s Twitter lists that showed the lack of diverse books being published in the UK.
As for sustaining such initiatives amid economic challenges like the cost of living crisis, Singh reiterated the importance of strategic partnerships and minimising overhead costs. “We have always been virtual… And we work with as many partners as possible,” she said. The financial and institutional support from WritersMosaic has been instrumental in this regard.
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This innovative project marks a crucial step towards enriching the literary landscape with diverse voices and narratives, setting a precedent for fairness and equity in literary criticism and representation. The first edition of The Review is available with this week’s edition of The Bookseller, with additional print copies available upon request from independent bookshops and community organisations. The Review will appear as a biannual insert in The Bookseller and benefits from the support of WritersMosaic, part of the Royal Literary Fund.
Congratulations are also in order for the Jhalak Prize as it celebrates another year of remarkable contributions to literature and continues to spotlight the incredible talents of writers of colour.
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