New Review of Lez Talk by Atticus Review

In the introduction to Lez Talk, a collection of short fiction by Black lesbian writers, editor S. Andrea Allen writes her aims: to put together stories that aren’t “full of overly wrought sex scenes or lesbian melodrama,” and avoid clichés of “’urban fiction,’ which mostly include[s]some combination of violence, sex, money, or drugs.’” Meanwhile, co-editor Lauren Cherelle puts forward that “We should value…stories that extend cultural representations and incorporate a range of literary devices.”

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Lambda Literary Review of Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color

Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color is published by Black Feminist Press (BLF), “an author-centered independent, Black feminist press dedicated to amplifying the work of women of color.” In Solace, a collection of prose, quotes, photographs, and poetry edited by S. Andrea Allen and Lauren Cherelle, BLF does just that—it amplifies and illuminates ruminations centered around finding comfort and resistance, especially in sadness and alienation.

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Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction named 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist

March 17, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: S. Andrea Allen
706.254.9582

Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction named 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist

Clayton, North Carolina, March 17, 2107—Today, BLF Press is pleased to announce Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction has been recognized as a finalist in the 19th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

As part of their mission to discover, review, and share the best books from small, university, and indie publishers (and authors), independent media company Foreword Reviews hosts its annual awards program each year. Finalists represent the best books published in 2016, and submitted to Foreword Reviews for award consideration, and were narrowed down by Foreword’s editors from over 2,200 individual titles spread across 65 categories. A complete list of finalists can be found at:

https://awards.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2016/

“We are thrilled that Lez Talk has been recognized as an INDIES finalist in LGBT Adult Fiction,” said S. Andrea Allen, BLF Press founder and publisher. “BLF Press is honored to be in the company of so many forward-thinking presses doing the work of amplifying marginalized voices.”

INDIES finalists are moved on to final judging by an expert panel of librarians and booksellers curated specifically for each genre and who will determine the books who will be named Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award winners. Winners in each genre—along with Editor’s Choice winners, and Foreword’s INDIE Publisher of the Year—will be announced during the 2017 American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago on June 24, 2017.

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About Foreword: Founded in 1998, Foreword Magazine, Inc, d.b.a Foreword Reviews is an independent media company featuring a Folio:Award-winning print magazine, stable of e-newsletters, and an online platform. Foreword exclusively covers small, university, and independent (non “Big 5”) publishers, the books they publish, and the creators they work with. Foreword is based in Traverse City, Michigan, USA, and has employees and writers all over the world.

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Entropy Magazine Interview with S. Andrea Allen Founder and Publisher

How did BLF Press start?

I started BLF Press when I was still in graduate school working on my dissertation. I had been researching Black lesbian writers for a few years, and I came to realize that the challenges that the women faced in regards to publishing still existed (lack of diversity in publishing; the [false] notion that lesbian literature was now “mainstream;” lack of access to agents, editors, and other publishing professionals; and more than anything, the notion that our stories were somehow unworthy or had no literary merit). I decided right then that I could do something about that.

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Interview. Entropy Magazine. January 17, 2017.