Hidden Sussex, a new anthology for Sussex: Fiction, non-fiction and poetry from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic experience

by Amy Zamarripa Solis, Georgina Parke, Jenny Arach

Ever heard 'Black people don't go camping' or 'Black people don’t eat pasta?' This new Writing Our Legacy anthology aims to debunk outdated but still current stereotypes of Black people through a reimagining of the Sussex landscape from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic perspective. Twenty-three contributors from across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton tell their own stories and narratives. The anthology tells stories of many firsts – first trip to Afro-Caribbean hairdressers, first sexual awakenings, first visit to the Chattri Memorial. The writing also deals with middles and ends – raising children, solitary pursuits, and the deaths of friends and family. We are transported to local places of interest such as Cuckmere Haven and Brighton Pavilion, and also elsewhere – to Pakistan, India, Iran. Some authors deal with pressing issues of contemporary Britain, including Brexit and the Windrush scandal, while others cast their eye over history and the natural environment. Contributors Georgina Aboud, Jenny Arach, Sheila Auguste, Alinah Azadeh, Priti Barua, Bebb Burchell, Josef Cabey, Suchi Chatterjee, Lisa Climie, Joyoti Grech Cato, Sally-Claire Fadelle, Josephine Hall, Jasmine Harris, Maggie Harris, L Oluwafemi Hughes Jonas, Farah Edwards Khan, Dulani Kulasinghe, Georgina Parke, Annie Richardson, Zaid S Sethi, Hayat Nezameddin Shehab, Sonny Singh and Nina Thaddeus.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2019

Reviews

[Scribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I'm involved in running Writing Our Legacy so consider this review biased ;) However, I wanted to leave a review as I like the idea of leaving a trail of thoughts behind me.

To be honest, I wasn't sure quite what to expect here - anthologies can often be a bit hit and miss. I'm also fairly new to the field, and wasn't familiar with pretty much all the writers here. But wow, this was fascinating. Taking in so many backgrounds and cultures, the anthology feels (to me) more like a travel book sometimes - the fusion of local and global, and the nature of jumping from one nation to another felt hugely raw and diverse.

Some great talent in here.

[Harrison Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good nuggets but some are not that incredibly written