In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm featuring a BIPOC writer for every day of February. And as a special treat for subscribers to my newsletter, each week one lucky reader will win a copy of a book from all seven featured writers. Not a subscriber yet? Scroll to the bottom of this page, and sign up!
Desmond Cole is a journalist, writer and activist who lives and works in Toronto. He first came to my attention through his articles in the Toronto Star and The Tyee [and if you are not subscribing to The Tyee, you are missing OUT].
A celebrated and uncompromising writer, Desmond left his position at the Star after an editor there insisted that his activism conflicted with his role as a reporter. This, in spite of the fact that other activists have held positions of the newspaper over the years.
Desmond's first book, THE SKIN WE'RE IN, documents his experiences with racism in Toronto. Carded [stopped and required to show ID] more than fifty times over the course of a year, this book is yet more evidence of the deeply systemic racism that exists in this country. Released in 2020, it was an immediate best-seller in Canada, and won the City of Toronto book prize, among others.
CBC calls Desmond Cole one of Canada's young writers to watch, and I couldn't agree more. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you'll have a chance to win his book, along with books by Dionne Brand, Jen Sookfong Lee, and four other featured writers this week. If you haven't yet subscribed, sign up at kcdyer.com for your chance to win!
More soon...
~kc