your authority
don't mean shit to me
i will live and die by my rules
you're representative
of what i despise
can't tie me down
to be what you want
im not your property
you have no hold on me
i will live and die by my rules
you're representative
of what i despise
i'll hold my ground
only following my rules
MY RULES
MY RULES
My Rules, Buggin
I can’t tell you how excited I am to be reading Black Punk Now. I only ever knew of Afropunk in the iteration it is now and for a long time that is what I thought Black punk was. A very cool concert that my very cool New York friends attended to see some very cool Black artists. Some time last year, I heard James Spooner in an episode of NPR’s Code Switch talking about the differences between Afropunk that I know of today, how drastically different it was when it started, and everything else in between: the music, the pit, the scene, the culture. I wanted to know more and finding Black Punk Now in the comic book shop was my sign that it was time to jump right in.
Check out the reading schedule and places where you can grab a copy of April’s book. 🤘🏽
Schedule
Kick-off: April 5, 2024
Midway Check In: April 15, 2024
Final Discussion: April 26, 2024 - 6PM PST
You can RSVP for the Digital Hang here 🤘🏽 - This means you get an email with the link to join on the day of and gives me a good idea of how many folks to expect!
If you can’t make it to the digital hang, you can always use the comment section to leave your thoughts, reviews, and reflections at any time.
Black Punk Now edited by Chris L. Terry and James Spooner
A canonizing, bold, and urgent anthology setting a new precedent for Black Punk Lit, created by generations of Black punks—featuring both new voices and those from the not-so-recent past
Black Punk Now is an anthology of contemporary nonfiction, fiction, illustrations, and comics that collectively describe punk today and give punks—especially the Black ones—a wider frame of reference. It shows all of the strains, styles, and identities of Black punk that are thriving, and gives newcomers to the scene more chances to see themselves.
Curated from the perspective of Black writers with connections to the world of punk, the collection mixes media as well as generations, creating a new reference point for music-lovers, readers, and historians by capturing the present and looking towards the future. With strong visual elements integrated throughout, this smart, intimate collection is demonstrative of punk by being punk itself: underground, rebellious, aesthetic but not static—working to decenter whiteness by prioritizing other perspectives.
Edited by graphic novelist and filmmaker James Spooner, and author Chris L. Terry, contributors to the collection include critic Hanif Abdurraqib and Mars Dixon, conversations with Brontez Purnell, and a roundtable of all femme festival organizers.
🤘🏽
Where can I get a copy?
Preview it using Google Books.
Check your local library to see if they have a copy.
Grab a print or digital copy directly from Soft Skull Press.
Support an independent bookstore by ordering through Bookshop.org.
Feeling generous? Donate a copy to your fellow punks in need by using our registry.
Like this post ♥ and let me know what you think of the pick. Use the comments or reply to this email.