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Everyday People: The Color of Life--a Short Story Anthology Paperback – August 28, 2018
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“Showcases the truth and fullness of people of color.” —Book Riot
In the tradition of Best American Short Stories comes Everyday People: The Color of Life, a dazzling collection of contemporary short fiction.
Everyday People is a thoughtfully curated anthology of short stories that presents new and renowned work by established and emerging writers of color. It illustrates the dynamics of character and culture that reflect familial strife, political conflict, and personal turmoil through an array of stories that reveal the depth of the human experience.
Representing a wide range of styles, themes, and perspectives, these selected stories depict moments that linger—crossroads to be navigated, relationships, epiphanies, and times of doubt, loss, and discovery. A celebration of writing and expression, Everyday People brings to light the rich tapestry that binds us all.
The contributors are an eclectic mix of award-winning and critically lauded writers, including Mia Alvar, Carleigh Baker, Nana Brew-Hammond, Glendaliz Camacho, Alexander Chee, Mitchell S. Jackson, Yiyun Li, Allison Mills, Courttia Newland, Denne Michele Norris, Jason Reynolds, Nelly Rosario, Hasanthika Sirisena, and Brandon Taylor.
Some of the proceeds from the sale of Everyday People will benefit the Rhode Island Writers Colony, a nonprofit organization founded by the late Brook Stephenson that provides space for speculation, production, and experimentation by writers of color.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 28, 2018
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101501134949
- ISBN-13978-1501134944
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A vital, riveting anthology that emphasizes the complexity and diversity of minority experience."--Kirkus
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
For a while I had this long-standing joke that when Black babies are born they are smacked to encourage their first cry of life, swathed, and placed on the bosom of the person who brought them into this world, and then they’re handed a copy of The Black Poets, edited by Dudley Randall. The Black Poets was the quintessential book I’d see on the shelves of my fellow Black writer friends. If you were into literature, especially poetry, as an African American, then you had to have this book. It verified your commitment to the cause and for the culture. If you don’t have it, why not? How will you learn about those who came before us? Where we’re going and where we’ve been? No shade, but I have my copy. Whether I got the book soon after coming into the world or not, I cannot say.
There are other seminal anthologies used for study and inspiration, such as The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction or E. Lynn Harris and Marita Golden’s Gumbo, a celebration of African American voices. I’d like to think that Everyday People: The Color of Life—A Short Story Anthology will be that type of book over time. On shelves not only for reference but for pleasure, a book housing short fiction from an array of wonderful contemporary writers both established and emerging that speaks to experience, loss, fulfillment, and also being at that fork in the road where decisions must be made yet are not always pursued due to failings of moral fortitude. Each story will always speak to our humanity and the universality of who we are as People of Color/Indigenous People.
As I told the contributors when I approached them, Everyday People isn’t “my baby” in terms of inception. This book was birthed through the ingenuity and enthusiasm of the late Brook Stephenson, a wonderful person and literary citizen who loved books as much if not even more than I do. He wanted to see a new collection celebrate PoC voices. The aim here is to continue what other writers have cobbled together of not only Black voices but Asian/Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and Latinx ones as well. At a time when “diversity” is used as a buzzword, Brook sought to invest in the stories that people may not be seeing. The name of this anthology is not meant to solely focus on the racial composition of the writers or characters but to showcase the larger story and relationships depicted as well as the landscape—be it in New York City, Maine, Alabama, Great Britain, South Korea, Ghana, or Sri Lanka. As the Sly & the Family Stone song of the same name goes “I am no better and neither are you / We are the same whatever we do . . .”
I inherited this anthology after Brook passed away suddenly and Atria was gung ho about seeing it come to fruition. From there I solicited and corresponded with contributors during a very tense time (the 2016 US presidential election). I was heartened by how eagerly those I reached out to wanted to add their names and fiction in any way they could, or even offer a hand after the fact. In 2017, I found that reading their submissions reinvigorated me with the power of the written word when things seemed bleak. In addition, the versatility of our experiences as expressed in each story fortified me in new ways. These stories, mostly new and some republished, pack a punch in all their iterations, leaving me sated knowing that the world will have a chance to also engage with these characters and writers. From the political to the personal, from familial strife to geographical displacement, from heartbreak to ego checking, stories that gain inspiration from Langston Hughes’s Simple series (Jason Reynolds) to expounding on the depths of grief (Glendaliz Camacho), each contributor draws from a well of work that can be studied and should be savored.
I hope that in this time when people seek to be more inclusive and representative in their writing and reading that Everyday People will be that compilation reached for and sought after for the bevy of short fiction that doesn’t relegate the authors or characters to their “status” as much as recognizes their skill.
I want to extend a tremendous amount of thanks to every contributor (Courttia, Brandon, Alex, Nana, Allison, Mitch, Carleigh, Dennis, Yiyun, Mia, Nelly, Hasanthika, Jason, and Glendaliz) for sharing not only these stories with me but for the continuous work you do in your craft and your unyielding support of other writers in this industry so that we may see more PoC/Indigenous voices rise up. And thanks/blessings to Brook Stephenson, who is greatly missed. I’m confident we did you and your vision for Everyday People proud.
—JENNIFER BAKER
November 2017
Product details
- Publisher : Washington Square Press (August 28, 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501134949
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501134944
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,691 in Fiction Urban Life
- #13,361 in Short Stories Anthologies
- #55,457 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional of 20 years, the creator/host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, and faculty member of the MFA program in creative nonfiction at Bay Path University. In 2019, she was named Publishers Weekly Superstar for her contributions to inclusion and representation in publishing. Jennifer is also the editor of the BIPOC-short story anthology EVERYDAY PEOPLE: THE COLOR OF LIFE (Atria Books, 2018) and the author of the forthcoming novel FORGIVE ME NOT (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023). Her fiction, nonfiction, and criticism has appeared in various print and online publications. Her website is: jennifernbaker.com.
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022Great compilation of short stories! Loved it!!
- Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019A wonderful collection of BIPOC authors. Each story drops you into the lives of extraordinary and everyday people around the world, enriching your understanding of humanity, and leaving you wanting more. Revealing the interior of the oft overlooked, many of the characters and situations will stay with me—sparking curiosities and connecting to snippets of my everyday life.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2018I've long appreciated short stories, but they took over my reading pile after I found myself with unpredictable bursts of reading time when I was in the throes of my newborn babies. When my hygiene might be suspect and there may or may not be a well-rounded meal on the table and I might not remember when the floor was tidy enough for me to vacuum thoroughly, I could find satisfaction in beginning and finishing a short story in one sitting. I am past that sleep-deprived state, but I will always have a fondness for short stories.
Everyday People: The Color of Life--A Short Story Anthology is a curated collection of short stories. Many had me highlighting a line or passage (certainly not a given for me), and I would sometimes have to pause mid-paragraph to digest.
In the introduction, we learn the stories have all been written by people of color. And regarding the title Everyday People, Jennifer Baker reveals, "The name of this anthology is not meant to solely focus on the racial composition of the writers or characters but to showcase the larger story and relationships depicted as well as the landscape--be it in New York City, Maine, Alabama, Great Britain, South Korea, Ghana, or Sri Lanka."
My heart would tug as I would become invested in these stories, wishing I could alter outcomes and guarantee happiness. The fact that I was so drawn in speaks to the caliber of the work. They are far reaching. Perhaps we're following a fantastical account of a mental connection that allows individuals to communicate without speaking. Then there's the story of the older woman who enters homes with newborn children to support the families, but only for a fixed amount of time before she takes her leave. And the account of how people get into drugs and prostitution. Or maybe we're reading of the grandmother and granddaughter who can catch ghosts in their hair.
I imagine this title being used as required reading in a college course, leading to rich conversations in class. Some of these stories will make you uncomfortable, but as we wrestle to articulate what wrung us out, there can be insight into ourselves.
For those wanting more, at the close of the book you can find numerous recommendations in "Reading List of Contemporary Works by Women, Nonbinary, and Transgender Writers of Color/Indigenous Writers."
(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for my honest review.)
- Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2020Beautiful collection of stories from writers of color from diverse backgrounds. A must have for anyone who loves short stories.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2019This book was wonderful, an expertly put together collection of work by a diverse range of authors. Jenn Baker is an extremely talented editor and I can't wait to see what she puts together next!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018"Everyday People: The Color of Life," by Jennifer Baker, the impressive editor of Electric Literature, is an important fascinating short story anthology of diverse voices that should be assigned to high school, college and MFA classes everywhere. I was lucky to read it in galley form and was blown away on every page!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2018Beautiful, nuanced stories.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018Everyday People is an anthology of short stories written by people of color about people of color. A lot of the stories were really gripping and it is amazing how writers can compact their words and still create a powerful impact in just a few pages. That is what you will find in this collection. If you want a contemporary, anthology collection that is rich in storytelling and impactful characters and theme then you will not be disappointed. The three stories that resonated with me the most were A Sheltered Woman by Yiyun Li, High Pursuit by Mitchell S. Jackson, Mine by Alexander Chee, and Last Rites by Dennis Norris II. All four of those stories were just powerful, the words jumping right out at me on the page. Thank you to Atria Books for a free e-arc copy for review.