When writers of colour complain about the lack of opportunities available to them, they’re told that maybe they need to write better books – a good read is a good read. And, it follows, that if a book should only be judged on its literary merit then there is no need for a prize that exclusively commends writers of colour.
But I would argue that if books are purely judged on literary merit, then why have the Baileys prize for women? Or the Polari first book prize to celebrate the LGBT experience in the UK? These prizes exist because we know literary tastes are not neutral, and an imbalanced society affects what is published, valued and rewarded.
British writers of colour feel marginalised. They rarely appear at literary festivals, in review pages nor, crucially, on prize lists, so we decided to set up a book prize. Joining forces with Sunny Singh and Media Diversified, with support from The Authors’ Club and a prize fund donated by an anonymous benefactor, we set out to celebrate the achievements of writers of colour across all genres, including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short story and children’s books. I’m glad to have found like-minded souls to help make this prize a reality.
The Jhalak prize for book of the year by a writer of colour will, I hope, make publishers note where their lists are lacking, and provide them with an incentive to begin nurturing homegrown talent. If, as a result of this prize, only one publisher signs a new homegrown writer of colour, then we will have made a necessary and valuable difference. We will open for submissions from publishers and self-published writers in September, and the winner will be announced at Bare Lit festival 2017.
