Yesterday, the New York Times published an article on the growing presence of urban lit at public libraries.The article alludes to the fact not some people—including Toni
Morrison—are not crazy for urban lit because of the way it represents
black Americans and potentially glamorizes gangsta life, but the point
is not that controversy. Mostly, the article is noting that when
libraries carry these books, a large group of people, many of whom
never used libraries before, come in looking for them.

What I found most interesting about the article was learning of urban
lit's journey into libraries. Many writers couldn't get their work
published by the big houses, so they self-published (something that's
still looked down upon even though there have been many success
stories) and sold their books on the street, or elsewhere. As the
books gained popularity, people came into the libraries looking for
them, forcing the librarians to go out to the street to get the books.
I find that really fucking exciting. For everyone. It's great for the
authors, and it's incredible to see how responsive some librarians, or
branches, are to their clientele. They are not dictating what should
be read, they're listening to the public, and making what people want
to read available to them (while also recommending other works along
the way). Getting your art to the public isn't always very democratic
process, and it's refreshing to know that there are entire communities
creating art or demanding access to it, and getting it.
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a32601/urban-lit-at-the-library-blog/
www.esquire.com
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