How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill,” edited by Jericho Brown

“How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill,” edited by Jericho Brown, is a book that deserves a place on the shelf of any aspiring writer. You’ll find plenty of inspiration and specific advice on writing challenges like understanding character motivation and how to convey emotion on the page.

But that’s only one layer. At its heart, the book is written by Black writers, for Black writers. It’s about language and tradition. Family and kinship. Memory and authenticity. About telling stories and being silenced.

The anthology includes 30+ contributors who share their experiences and insights about finding their writers’ voices. There are essays discussing survival narratives, colorism, and using the storytelling found in fiction to inform memoir writing to create a cohesive whole with a narrative arc that keeps readers turning the page. How We Do It combines practical, actionable advice with a deeper examination of culture, art, and survival.

I received this advanced reader copy of “How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill,” from Amistad and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.