Many people are buying books by black authors right now. That is so fantastic! I myself have ordered a lot of books that were on my to-read list. But I also want to remind my fellow allies that reading diversely is an effort that does not end in a few weeks when you've finished reading your most recently acquired books. It is an ongoing effort. Once it becomes something on your mind always, it will become second nature—but first, you have to recode and learn how to diversify your bookshelf year-round. Here are my tips for how to do so:
Track your progress. I keep a reading log, where I record what I’ve read and whether the author was queer or of color. The first year I did this, it was illuminating—in a bad way. But I have made a concerted effort each year to improve (this year, my goal was to increase my percentage of books in translation, for example). By tracking with hard numbers, you gain more awareness of your own reading habits, and also can look concretely at improvement and progress.
Get more involved in your local community. I discovered Hanif Abdurraqib when he read at an event with Eve L. Ewing, I discovered Sofia Samatar by chatting with the booksellers at WCF, I discovered Britteney Black Rose Kapri because I followed local press Haymarket Books. So get involved in your local literary scene. Attend events. Go to your local feminist or independent bookstore and study their Recommended Reads. Follow local authors on Twitter—and then you’ll see who they follow, and who they’re reading.
React to what you don’t know. Are you ever reading an article and think, wow, I don’t know anything about or don’t recognize [insert here an experience, an identity, a moment in history]? Go out and find books, fiction and nonfiction and poetry, and read. I’ve gone on reading marathons of Muslim American YA, of queer graphic novels, of Catalonian nonfiction and translated literature, all by stumbling on topics or experiences I didn’t know enough about and immediately diving in and committing to read more.
