My White Best Friend

“Could you put your white best friend on stage and remind them that they're part of the problem? Even if you love them? Even if you never want anyone to feel for even a moment how you feel living in this world every day? Would - could - a white person finally hear what you have to say?” Originally commissioned by The Bunker Theatre as a critically-acclaimed festival that ran in 2019, My White Best Friend collects 23 letters that engage with a range of topics, from racial tensions, microaggressions and emotional labour, to queer desire, prejudice and otherness. Expressing feelings and thoughts often stifled or ignored, the pieces here transform letter writing into a provocative act of candour. Funny, heartfelt, wry and heart-breaking, whether a letter to their younger self or an ode to the writer's tongue, this anthology of exceptional writing is always engaging and thought-provoking. Featuring different letters from some of the most exciting voices in the UK and beyond, My White Best Friend (And Other Letters Left Unsaid) includes work from: Zia Ahmed, Travis Alabanza, Fatimah Asghar, Nathan Bryon, Matilda Ibini, Jammz, Iman Qureshi, Anya Reiss, Somalia Seaton, Nina Segal, Tolani Shoneye, Lena Dunham, Inua Ellams, Rabiah Hussain, Mika Johnson, Jasmine Lee-Jones, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, Shireen Mula, Ash Sarkar, Jack Thorne and Joel Tan.

What's the one thing that you need to say but have never dared? And who needs to hear it? Based on the original concept by playwright Rachel De-Lahay, this follow-up volume to My White Best Friend (And Other Letters Left Unsaid) collects a series of personal letters, monologues and writings by 20 Black and ethnically diverse writers from across the North of England. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes political and full of fire, these letters explore the personal and political of the things we don't dare say – even to those closest to us. Originally commissioned by Everyman & Playhouse theatres, Eclipse and the Royal Exchange in 2021, in response to The Bunker Theatre's critically acclaimed 2019 festival, this volume contains a foreword by Rachel De-Lahay, creator of the project and editor of the first volume, as well as writings from some of the most exciting voices in the North of England: Levi Tafari, Brodie Arthur, Kiara Mohamed Amin, Yasmin Ali, Chantelle Lunt, Dominique Walker, Keith Saha, Samuel Rossiter, Cheryl Martin, Nikhil Parmar, mandla rae, David Judge, Yusra Warsama, Nick Ahad, Malika Booker, Jamal Gerald, Khadijah Ibrahiim, Chanje Kunda, Marcia Layne and Naomi Sumner Chan.

What's the one thing that you need to say but have never dared? And who needs to hear it? Based on the original concept by playwright Rachel De-Lahay, this follow-up volume to My White Best Friend (And Other Letters Left Unsaid) collects a series of personal letters, monologues and writings by 20 Black and ethnically diverse writers from across the North of England. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes political and full of fire, these letters explore the personal and political of the things we don't dare say – even to those closest to us. Originally commissioned by Everyman & Playhouse theatres, Eclipse and the Royal Exchange in 2021, in response to The Bunker Theatre's critically acclaimed 2019 festival, this volume contains a foreword by Rachel De-Lahay, creator of the project and editor of the first volume, as well as writings from some of the most exciting voices in the North of England: Levi Tafari, Brodie Arthur, Kiara Mohamed Amin, Yasmin Ali, Chantelle Lunt, Dominique Walker, Keith Saha, Samuel Rossiter, Cheryl Martin, Nikhil Parmar, mandla rae, David Judge, Yusra Warsama, Nick Ahad, Malika Booker, Jamal Gerald, Khadijah Ibrahiim, Chanje Kunda, Marcia Layne and Naomi Sumner Chan.

Writing from the perspective of a friend, Frederick Joseph offers candid reflections on his own experiences with racism and conversations with prominent artists and activists about theirs—creating an essential read for white people who are committed anti-racists and those newly come to the cause of racial justice. “We don’t see color.” “I didn’t know Black people liked Star Wars!” “What hood are you from?” For Frederick Joseph, life as a transfer student in a largely white high school was full of wince-worthy moments that he often simply let go. As he grew older, however, he saw these as missed opportunities not only to stand up for himself, but to spread awareness to those white people who didn’t see the negative impact they were having. Speaking directly to the reader, The Black Friend calls up race-related anecdotes from the author’s past, weaving in his thoughts on why they were hurtful and how he might handle things differently now. Each chapter features the voice of at least one artist or activist, including Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give; April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite; Jemele Hill, sports journalist and podcast host; and eleven others. Touching on everything from cultural appropriation to power dynamics, “reverse racism” to white privilege, microaggressions to the tragic results of overt racism, this book serves as conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former “token Black kid” who now presents himself as the friend many readers need. Backmatter includes an encyclopedia of racism, providing details on relevant historical events, terminology, and more.

What if you lost the thing that made you who you are? Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face.

A fearless and darkly comic essay collection about race, justice, and the limits of good intentions. In this stunning debut collection, Catapult editor-in-chief and award-winning voice actor Tajja Isen explores the absurdity of living in a world that has grown fluent in the language of social justice but doesn’t always follow through. These nine daring essays explore the sometimes troubling and often awkward nature of that discord. Some of My Best Friends takes on the cartoon industry’s pivot away from colorblind casting, the pursuit of diverse representation in the literary world, the law’s refusal to see inequality, and the cozy fictions of nationalism. Isen deftly examines the quick, cosmetic fixes society makes to address systemic problems, and reveals the unexpected ways they can misfire. In the spirit of Zadie Smith, Cathy Park Hong, and Jia Tolentino, Isen interlaces cultural criticism with her lived experience to explore the gaps between what we say and what we do, what we do and what we value, what we value and what we demand.

"In mid-life Afro-American journalist Raybon made a conscious decision to stop hating white people. Her journal/analysis provides discourse on hatred and forgiveness, the rise of her hatred, and her efforts to conquer her fears and forgive the past. An unusual account of conscious change."—Kirkus Reviews.