6 Black Canadian writers to watch in 2021

In honour of Black History Month 2021,CBC Booksis highlightingsix Canadian writers of Black heritage who are making their mark.

C.L. Polk

C. L. Polk is a fantasy writer from Calgary, and the author of the critically acclaimed novelsWitchmark,StormsongandThe Midnight Bargain.Witchmark, their debut novel,won the 2019 World Fantasy Award for best novel.

• C.L. Polk's fantasy novel The Midnight Bargain explores love and magic and now it's on Canada Reads

The Midnight Bargain, theirlatest novelis a fantasyabout a woman named Beatrice Clayborn who makes her debut at "bargaining season" an annual event where wealthy young men and women gather from all over the world to make advantageous marriages.

Rosey Edehis championingThe Midnight BargainonCanada Reads2021.

The Next Chapter14:06C.L. Polk on The Midnight Bargain

C.L. Polk on her Canada Reads 2021 contender, The Midnight Bargain.

Bertrand Bickersteth

BertrandBickersteth is a poet, author and educatorwho was born in Sierra Leone, raised in Alberta, and has lived in the U.K. and the U.S.Bickerstethwas onthe 2018CBC Poetry Prize longlistfor the poemWakanda, Oklahoma.

"Storied soil" is thephraseBickersteth uses to describe his home province of Alberta in his debut poetry collectionThe Response of Weeds. The collection, named one of the best poetry books of 2020 by CBC Books,brings to life the experience of early Black settlers in Western Canada,including his own experience growing up as a Black Albertan.

• The best Canadian poetry of 2020

Bickersteth's poetry features themes of displacement, history and belonging within the African diaspora.

The Next Chapter13:08Bertrand Bickersteth on The Response of Weeds

Poet Bertrand Bickersteth talks about his new collection The Response of Weeds, which is inspired by his experiences as a Black man in Alberta.

Francesca Ekwuyasi

Francesca Ekwuyasi is a writer, artist and filmmaker. She wasborn in Lagos, Nigeria and is currently based in Halifax. Her work explores themes of faith, family, queerness, consumption, loneliness and belonging.Her writing has appeared in the Malahat Review, Guts and Brittle Paper and she waslonglisted for the 2019 Journey Prize.

Ekwuyasi's debut novelButter Honey Pig Breadtells the interwoven stories of twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother, Kambirinachi. Kambirinachi is convinced she was born an ogbanje, a spirit that plagues families with misfortune by dying in childhood to cause its mother misery.Butter Honey Pig Breadis a story of food, family and forgiveness.

• Francesca Ekwuyasi explored food and forgiveness in her first book and was longlisted for the Giller Prize

Butter Honey Pig Breadwas on the2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.Chef, recording artist and TV personalityRoger Mookingis championingButter Honey Pig BreadonCanada Reads2021.

The Sunday Magazine10:53How food can be its own language with author Francesca Ekwuyasi

We kick off an ongoing focus on what food can reveal about life, culture and society with Francesca Ekwuyasi, the Nigerian-Canadian novelist behind the Giller Prize longlisted novel Butter Honey Pig Bread. She speaks with Chattopadhyay about the role food plays in complex family dynamics and how cooking can be a way of expressing care, regret, desire for forgiveness, and more.For more, visit: www.cbc.ca/1.5737303

Antonio Michael Downing

Antonio MichaelDowningis a Trinidad-born musician, writer and activist who now lives in Toronto. He published his first book, the novelMolasses, in 2010. In 2017 he was named by the RBC Taylor Prize as one of Canada's top emerging authors for nonfiction.

• 47 works of Canadian nonfiction coming out in fall 2020

Downing'smemoir,Saga Boy,is an exploring of Black identity and belonging.Saga Boyis Downing's story of life as a Canadian immigrant and the lasting effects of cultural dislocation.

• Being Black in Canada: Highlightingthe stories and experiences of Black Canadians

Janice Lynn Mather

Janice Lynn Mather was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. The Vancouver-basednovelist and short story writer holds aBFA andMFAfrom the University of BritishColumbia.

In 2018, Mather released her debut novelLearning to Breathe. The book wasa finalist for the2018 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature text.

• Janice Lynn Mather's debut novel was 15 years in the making

Released in 2020, Mather's YAnovelFacing the Sunis a coming-of-age story set in the Bahamas.Facing the Sunis about four young girls Eve, Faith, KeeKee and Nia and the choices they are forced to make one fateful summer.

Mather's upcoming YA novel,Where was Goodbye?, is slated for a 2022 release. It's about a teenage girl searching for answers after her brother dies by suicide.

The Next Chapter8:52Janice Lynn Mather on Facing the Sun

Janice Lynn Mather's YA novel Facing the Sun is a coming-of-age story set in the Bahamas. It's about four young girls Eve, Faith, KeeKee and Nia and the choices they are forced to make one fateful summer. When a hotel developer makes a move to buy the community's beloved beach, all four teens are faced with decisions that might change them forever.

Jane Igharo

JaneIgharowasborn in Nigeria and immigrated to Canada when she was 12 years old. The Torontowriter and novelisthas a journalism degree from the University of Toronto and works as a communications specialist.

Igharo's debut novel,Ties That Tether, was released in 2020. Inspired by Igharo's own experience as an immigrant,Ties That Tetheris a contemporary romance novel about a young woman named Azere who is trying to stay true to her Nigerian roots. When she meets Rafael, a man who is not Nigerian, Azere must decide between a promise she made to her dying father and following her heart.

• 60 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in fall 2020

Igharo's upcoming novel, titled The Sweetest Remedy, is set to be released in fall 2021.

• Being Black in Canada: Highlightingthe stories and experiences of Black Canadians