In England, Covid restrictions are slowly starting to ease and, combined with the improved weather, the idea of (shock, horror!) leaving the house is becoming ever more appealing. We can now meet with friends in private gardens, hit the gym and get that long-awaited haircut if we please. As Covid vaccines are rolled out in […]

When a writer is touted as being a potential successor to the late, great Toni Morrison you know you are dealing with someone destined for great things. Afia Atakora’s debut novel ‘Conjure Women’ has garnered just such praise. Nell Freudenberger, author of ‘Lost and Wanted’, wrote, “If you are grieving for Toni Morrison, Afia Atakora […]

Black Women’s History month in April is all about celebrating the achievements and contributions of black women. One such woman whose legacy continues to make an impact is Audre Lorde, in fact it was her words that inspired our April theme. She writes, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the […]

Every year Books that Matter dedicates its April box to celebrating Black Women’s History Month and 2021 is no exception. If you were to look at mainstream history books written and studied over the last hundred years or so, you may be forgiven for thinking that black women played little to no role in changing […]

We are super excited to introduce you to our wonderfully talented Herstory artist, Judith Poitras-Raynault. We collaborated with Judith to create the gorgeous artwork you’ll see for our Herstory International Womens Day campaign across the Books That Matter platforms. We hope you love our chat! Who are you and what do you do?I’m Judith Poitras-Raynault, […]

We’ve all heard the phrase “you can’t have your cake and eat it too,” but what if this didn’t have to be the case? As we come together to celebrate and reflect on International Women’s Day, we wanted to pay homage to the #ChooseToChallenge and our Herstory campaign. Progress has been made, but there’s still a long way to go. It’s not […]

Throughout the month of March, in recognition of International Women’s History Month and to celebrate our Herstory theme, we’re celebrating inspirational women who have made an impact. Here, we highlight Tarana Burke who with just two small words launched an international movement.  Back in 2006 when Tarana Burke created the “metoo” hashtag, she could never […]

Continuing on in our series of celebrating inspiring women, this post highlights Yara Shahidi who at just 21 years old has achieved more than many of us could hope to achieve in a lifetime.  Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to an African-American mother and Iranian father in 2000, Shahidi began her acting career at just 6 […]

In light of this year’s theme for International Women’s Day on March 8th, Choose to Challenge, we’re spotlighting 10 of our favourite female activist-writers who choose to challenge through their words and work: Alice Walker: known for her novel The Color Purple, Walker’s explored ‘womanism’ and female awakening through her works. Having been raised in segregation […]

This International Women’s Day, we are spotlighting one of our favourite authors and activists: Alice Walker. Poet, novelist, short story writer and activist, Alice Walker is known for her works including The Color Purple, and for coining the term ‘womanist’ (a black feminist or feminist of colour). Born the youngest of eight children to a family […]