Banter with Tricia Wombell of the Black Book Swap

In the last decade or so; computers, iPads, laptops, Kindles and other such gadgets have replaced opening and reading books, be it academical, reading for pleasure or building the mind. People hardly reference books any more as there is an endless index you online. There was even a case where an old friend from University acknowledged the internet in her Thesis:  "I would like to thank the Internet...especially Google and Wikipedia!".

Tricia Wombell  is a lady that is trying to make sure the tradition of opening and reading a book is never forgotten by this generation (and hopefully yet unborn) nor relegated to the times before the incursion of the http or www. Apart from being so good natured, beautiful and intelligent, she is also a very witty lady.

Can you tell us what the Black Reading Group and Black Book Swap [Black book] is all about?

The Black Reading Group has been meeting for the past 12 years. We meet on the last Sunday of each month at Waterstone’s Bookshop in Piccadilly, London. We discuss books primarily by black authors from anywhere in the world, and also authors who write about the black experience. So as well as authors such as Aminatta Forna, Terry McMillan, Brian Chikwava,Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith, ER Braithwaite, Tendai Huchu, EC Osundu, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Chike Unigwe, we have also read and admired the books of J M Coetzee, Amanda Craig, Maggie Gee and Monique Roffey.  We are currently having a classics season, and at our next meeting on Sunday March 25, we are discussing Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

..................Those are really great authors! And we love Things fall apart!

Just recently with a friends and I put together a one day event, which was the Black Book Swap, it took place on March 3, and the aim was to bring together London’s black reading community to talk about books. They were also able to swap books and hear writers talk about their work. The authors included Alex Wheatle, Colin Grant and Chibundu Onuzo. There was a fabulous turn out – almost 200 people.  

Who can participate in the Black Reading Group? Is it a membership club?

Anyone who is of African descent – whether from the continent itself, America, Canada, the Caribbean or Europe, can come along to the monthly Black Reading Group meetings. Visit my blog Black Book News to find out about the books selected for the meetings. We also occasionally have joint meetings with the London African Caribbean Book Club – they only read books by black authors but their membership includes non-Africans.

What informed your decision to start this project and what do you aim to achieve?

The Black Reading Group meets because there is a conscientious black reading community who welcome the chance to discuss what they have read with people similar to them. The fact is that because the members have heritages that are from all over the world, the perspectives they bring to the discussions are much more diverse than the usual book club.

What is the response like? How do you source funding?

For Black Book Swap the turn out on 3 March, was incredible – almost 200, and I am sure that we will do it again. My friends and I funded this first Black Book Swap ourselves.

Where do you hope the project to be in a few years?

I have always admired London’s Jewish Book Week – it has been going for decades. I think that London could easily and confidently host a literature festival for black writers from all over the world.

Tell us about yourself

By day I am a Director of Marketing & Communications – I am involved in creating strategies to encourage leadership development in universities. In my spare time I run the blog  Black Book News. I have been doing it for 3 years now, and find preparing and planning stories for it absorbing. It includes author interviews and I have been humbled by how generous authors have been when answering my questions. I am also one of the founder members of the book club where I work – and we are about to read a Charles Dicken’s novel in honour of the great man’s 200^th anniversary.

And our 'ridonculous' question, which is same as a silly question....just because...lol

If you had superpowers for a day, what would it be? And what would you use it for?

I guess that I am supposed to say something meaningful about improving the world for the better. I think that if I am to have such powers for only one day, I would love to travel while enjoying the best the world has to offer. I would start with a big breakfast in Copenhagen, I’d go shopping and on to a photography exhibition in Paris. Next I’d go to Rome for a leisurely pasta lunch with great wine; early afternoon would be spent in Sao Paulo shopping and a visit to an art exhibition at MASP. The late afternoon I’d spend on a beach and swimming off Anguilla, and then whizz off to do a bit of book shopping in New York. The evening, I’d while away dancing in Rio di Janeiro, and if there is still time, it would be great to see the sun rise from a Peloponnese beach. For me that would be adventure enough.

We will take that any day too Tricia! You can find out more about the swap on www.tricia-blackbooknews.com.