Away from Home: Black British Women’s Writing, 1970 and Beyond

The arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury on 22 June 1948 marked the beginning of an important period in British writing but also an era that largely silenced women writers—particularly women writers of colour. In the years following the arrival of the Windrush, the output of women writers of colour in the UK, or Black British women writers, increased. Yet, recognition of this group was not as forthcoming as acclaim and acknowledgement rested largely on male writers. While the work of all immigrant writers in the UK—particularly those texts that recount the lived experiences surrounding immigration—is critical to literature studies, women writers have historically been isolated to the margins of the canon. Specifically, immigrant women writers in the UK in the post-Windrush years, with a few exceptions, seem to labour almost in silence. This collection proposes an examination of Black British women’s writing, focusing on the years after 1970, addressing the female immigrant experience. Some authors of interest are Eintou Pearl Springer (Trinidad), Binta Breeze (Jamaica), June Henfrey (Barbados), Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria), Hannah Pool (Eritrea), Nadifa Mohamed (Somalia), and Irenosen Okojie (Nigeria). Essays addressing the work of women writers who are British born, second generation, such as Bernadine Evaristo, Patience Agbabi, Monica Ali, and Meera Syal, are also welcome.

Some topics include, but are not limited to:

• Post Windrush female immigrants in British society
• Black British female bildungsroman
• Black British female immigrants and the Welfare State
• Immigration and motherhood
• Marriage and family structure in a diaspora
• Healthcare, NHIS, and immigrants
• Immigrant employment opportunities (or lack thereof)
• Immigration and education

NB: This collection is under contract with Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Final Submission Requirements:

Final essays should be between 5000-7000 words, follow Chicago Manual of Style, utilise British English spelling, scholarly based, and free of copyright restrictions (statement of support required).

All chapters submitted should conform to the grammar and formatting guidelines provided by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, which can be viewed here: https://www.cambridgescholars.com/pages/forms-guidelines;

Due dates are as follows:

300-word abstracts & 50-word author biography September 1
Response September 20
First draft November 30
Feedback December 30
Final draft February 15

Please submit all inquiries and documents to calexander@tuskegee.edu.