7 BIPOC Authors You May Not Know About Yet (But Should)
If you know me, you know that I am a huge reader. If you don’t know me, hey I’m Mariah and I’m a huge reader.
I worked in book retail for 6 years and throughout my time, I watched mainstream publishing slowly become more diverse. It started in the teen section, with a few quick novels starring white gay men, and grew from there.
Then we had iconic novelist Angie Thomas come out with The Hate U Give. I still remember reading the first few chapters in the bookstore and crying openly among the shelves. I couldn’t help myself!
These stories are important, and should still be written about, but we’ve come a long way from books just about coming out and police brutality. Representation reaches a lot wider now, telling stories of love, adventure, heartbreak, and hilarity. This goes for different races, abilities, sexualities, and body types.
If you’re still stuck in your comfort zone of rotating between 3-4 white guy authors, I implore you to branch out. Because frankly, you’re missing out. These authors deserve to be uplifted and platformed too. I’m not gonna pry the Dean Koontz outta your hand, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to throw a new voice on your shelf every now and then.
The list goes far beyond 7 and is constantly growing, but here are just a few of my favourite BIPOC authors.
Caleb Azumah Nelson
Nelson is a British-Ghanian writer who touches on race and masculinity in a vulnerable way. I read his debut novel Open Water last year. It was a gorgeous and lyrical love story. His is the kind of writing that’s too intimate not to stay with you.
2. Mona Awad
My Mona Awad collection is constantly growing. BookTok led me to Bunny first, and I was hooked. Her writing, to me, can only be described as dark and brilliant. Her characters are deeply developed, but the plot is what’s gonna blow your mind. Every time.
3. Isabel Canas
I am almost done reading Vampires of El Norte and I already know I can confidently add her to this list. She’s described as a “speculative fiction” writer and this story of love, history, and horror with a dash of fantasy is exactly that. All wrapped up in beautiful prose, too.
4. N.K. Jemisin
Fantasy books sometimes get a bad rep for having a high barrier to entry. You feel like you need to dedicate a few hours and draw a mind map to get the world and characters right. Jemisin blows enticing world-building out of the water. She takes you in, guides you through, and keeps you hooked the whole time. Start with The Fifth Season.
5. R.F. Kuang
If R.F. Kuang has no fans, I’m dead. Anytime anyone asks me what my favourite book was in 2023, out of the 60 I read, I say Babel without flinching. Kuang writes under the “dark academia” subgenre with this one, and it is the epic fantasy you didn’t know you needed. Good luck getting over that ending by the way. I still haven’t.
6. Ocean Vuong
Do you like deeply intimate, heartbreakingly beautiful prose? Same. You’re in luck. Vuong is a poet and novelist who delivers on just that, brilliantly. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is an ode to his mother and their unconventional relationship. Get ready to have your heart broken and rebuilt all within less than 200 pages.
7. Tia Williams
The romance GOAT. I love a fluffy romance, don’t get me wrong, but Williams writes her romance with a lot more weight. The themes are heavier, and it intensifies the stories while still keeping them as comfort reads. I’m not sure how she does it, while also being hilarious (like, you will laugh out loud) but I’m gonna buy her books every time. I’d say try out Seven Days In June first.
There you have it. We still have a long way to go in terms of growth in representation in publishing, but I feel optimistic about it. Go pick up a book by one of these authors and thank me later.
