Chelene Knight

Room Magazine is pleased to announce that the next managing editor of the esteemed feminist literary collective will be Jessica Johns. Jessica Johns is a nehiyaw aunty and member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta and is currently living and learning on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

Each year when February rolls around there is a sudden influx of content, online, in libraries and elsewhere, featuring black writers, artists, activists and historical moments and figures. Much of the focus looks to the past and while that’s important, we at Room want to also centre writers in the here and now, and also look to the future. Here is a list of some of our most beloved black Canadian women and non-binary writers to enjoy all year round, compiled by some of the Room collective. Our list is certainly not an exhaustive one but these are some of our favourites.

To ease some of our imminent growing pains, we are hoping to raise $10,000 through new and returning subscribers, merchandise sales, and donations by September 30, 2018 to help keep some of our new projects afloat and free or financially accessible to all, including the Growing Room literary festival, Indigenous Brilliance reading series, our new online response-poem series, Turtle Island Responds, and our two podcasts, Lit Mag Love and Fainting Couch Feminists. These projects and the Roomies who spearhead them are important to us, and your help will make sure they are able to continue doing this work.