By Verdell Wright I used to be a minister. I preached the goodness of God every day. But after deep reflection and honesty, I decided this Black boy had to go. I had to leave the Christian faith, as well as any belief in the supernatural, behind. I was headed toward this point for a […]
By Ashley Young A narrative was erased for me in the summer of 2017 when I was informed by a new doctor that I had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was my mental illness narrative, one with which I had become so strongly identified that, when it was stripped away, it occurred more as […]
by JeCorey Holder
By Briana Lawrence Ah. There they are. Your fave. The person who puts a smile on your face whenever they take a breath. If they’re at a convention, you best believe you’re gettin’ that autograph. Hell, you might even spring for a professional photo — or, at the very least, a selfie. You use their […]
by Tonya McKenzie This essay contains discussions and descriptions of sexual violence, child abuse, and murder There are some things that you never forget, like the sound of a car screeching down the street and slamming into one of your neighbors or the bombastic sound of a gunshot and the sight of the damage that […]
There is Joy and then there is joy. It may seem like Joy only liked you as a child, but it’s not really her fault that she visits less and less now that you are older. She can survive better that way. This world is out to kill her, to stamp her out. And the […]
On May 16, 2018, 16 Black French actresses and performers staged a red carpet protest to challenge anti-Black racism in the French film industry during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals.
A native of South Bronx, Saraciea Fennell has been a longtime supporter of the area’s literary scene. The creator of The Bronx is Reading, which works to foster an interest in reading in Bronx children using author events and book donations, Fennell noticed a need for increased literary prominence in the area after its last remaining […]
Editor’s Note:Â May is Mental Health Awareness Month and National Masturbation Month. This is also the month that we celebrate Mother’s Day. At BYP, we will be exploring these topics alongside the theme of Imagination and the Arts, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. By Antoine […]
The GenForward report has published its latest, bimonthly survey, “Political Polarization and Trust among Millennials”, compiling key findings in the views of ethnically and racially diverse adults.
I just knew that things would change for me the day I closed on my book deal. In my mind, this moment was going to be bigger than anything I had done in my 32 years of life, and I wanted to be aware and very present. I wanted to rejoice like all the viral […]
Junot DÃaz, the award-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, has been accused of sexual harassment and misogyny in the literary world by fellow woman authors Zinzi Clemmons, Monica Byrne, Carmen Maria Machado, and others.