October is when City, University of London celebrates Black Futures Month. This year’s theme is Saluting Our Sisters and at CityLibrary, we have a display with all kind of genres available. The choice ranges from essay collections, science fiction, biographies, and contemporary fiction.
There are also two lists on the Overdrive website and the Libby app that look at stories by Black voices. The books include the singer Arlo Parks’ new poetry collection, the excellent science fiction novel Binti, The Other Black Girl which is coming soon to Hulu and Disney Plus, and the informative Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic.
The National Theatre collection on Alexander Street Press have a wide range of performances from a retelling of Chekov’s Three Sisters set in 1960s Nigeria, Michaela Coel’s poignant Chewing Gum Dreams, 2021’s Rockets and Blue Lights, and the hit adaptation of Small Island by Andrea Levy.
The University have a wide range of activities and panels that can be signed up for on the Student Hub. These include a film streaming of Rye Lane to discussions about public speaking and confidence to black queer history and how to build a community wellness.