Bookin' it
On tour with The World of Black Film
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It struck me the other day that, if you don’t follow me on Instagram—and, frankly, a life lived away from Instagram is probably a more pleasurable existence—you might not be aware of some of the stuff I’ve got going on in support of the release of my new book, The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films.
The book came out in the middle of last month, and I celebrated its release with a reading, signing, and conversation with the great film critic Lovia Gyarkye at my lovely local bookstore WORD in Jersey City. I followed that with a three-day screening and signing marathon at London’s BFI Southbank, had a series of flights cancelled on account of the blizzard, and thankfully made it back in time to launch a tie-in series at Brooklyn Academy of Music last Friday with a screening of Julie Dash’s monumental Daughters of the Dust. It’s been an exhilarating whirlwind, and there’s more to come.
This Saturday March 7, I will appear at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY, to introduce two classic musicals: Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz at 1pm, and Med Hondo’s West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty at 4pm. Following the conclusion of The Wiz—so, 3.15pm or thereabouts—I will be in the lobby of the museum signing books, which will be available for purchase in the MoMI bookshop. Tickets here.
This coming Monday March 9 at 6pm (doors 5.30pm), I will be in conversation with the exceptional critic and novelist Vinson Cunningham (Critics at Large; Great Expectations) at Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway. Following the conversation, I will be signing books. This is a free talk, and it’s a first-come first-served situation with limited seating, so don’t get there too late!
On Saturday March 21 at 7pm at Harlem’s Maysles Documentary Center, I will be presenting three excellent nonfiction films: Ephraim Asili’s Fluid Frontiers, Madeline Anderson’s Integration Report 1, and St. Clair Bourne’s The Black and the Green, followed by a book signing and reception. Tickets and more info here.
On Sunday March 29 at 7pm at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, LA, I will introduce an archival 35mm print of Charles Burnett’s masterpiece To Sleep With Anger. Before the screening, I will be signing copies of my book, and following the screening, I will be in conversation onstage with Burnett. This screening is FREE - more info here.
On Monday March 30 at 7.30pm at the Academy Museum, LA, I will introduce the World Premiere of a brand new restoration of Ngozi Onwurah’s one-of-a-kind dystopian debut feature Welcome II The Terrordome. Before the screening, I will be signing copies of my book, and following the screening, I will be in conversation onstage with Onwurah. Tickets and more info here.
On Sunday April 12 at 1pm at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, I will introduce a screening of Melvin Van Peebles’ incredible, France-shot debut feature The Story of a Three-Day Pass, and sign books afterwards. Tickets and more info here.
There’s more in the works—including planned trips to Philadelphia, Toronto, and San Francisco—but I’ll leave it there for now, and encourage you forward this information to friends in the above areas who may be interested in attending.
I’ve been pretty overwhelmed by the kindness and enthusiasm that people have shown towards the book in the last month, and it’s at once exciting, surreal, and a huge relief to have it out in the world after years of working on it.
It’s had nice write-ups on the BFI website, Deadline, RogerEbert.com, BookPage, Library Journal, BK Mag, and It’s Nice That, and I’ve appeared on WNYC’s All of It, the Film Comment Podcast, Writers on Film, and the University of Edinburgh’s Film Podcast to chat about it. Also—and this is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done—I did a two-hour radio show for NTS featuring music from the films I wrote about in the book. (Thank you Estelle Birch, you were amazing to collaborate with!)
If you—yes, you, reading this!—are a writer, and would be interested in a review copy for potential, please shoot me a line.
As far as I’m aware, the book is being decently stocked in stores, but please don’t hesitate to request that your local bookstore or library order it in if you don’t see it.
And lastly, the cringe bit: if you can find it in your heart, please consider writing a review of the book on Goodreads/Amazon etc—especially if you genuinely enjoyed reading it! I am told that it really helps the book’s chances of standing out, being seen.
I think this book is pretty accessible and fun (and it has a Spike Lee endorsement on the cover!), but the reality is that, for many out there, this book is a niche subject within a niche subject, and it’s the kind of thing that could face the sort of thoughtless marginalization that has afflicted so many of the films featured in the book. I wrote The World of Black Film as though I were writing it for myself at 16 or 17 years of age. Back then, I would have loved to have a bright, beautifully illustrated book about Black film that didn’t treat the subject as marginal, as an afterthought. So I’m committed to trying to keep it visible.
Thanks so much for your support, and hopefully I’ll see you around!
Congrats, Ashley!! Lemme know if you're planning on a screening in Chicago (or wanna collaborate on putting one on!)
Not sure what the best way to communicate around review copy would be, but would love to be able to add to this illustrious list! https://marshallandthemovies.substack.com/p/the-best-books-for-movie-lovers