The Bookseller to distribute new print quarterly magazine from WritersMosaic

The Bookseller is to distribute a new print quarterly magazine to be published by WritersMosaic, a division of the Royal Literary Fund (RLF). The edition launches on 9th May, with a retrospective on Malcolm X and contributions from eight writers, including Bonnie Greer, Ekow Eshun and Vanessa Kisuule. Future editions will include reflections on the legacy of Frantz Fanon, Iranian women’s voices and translating poetry from page to film.

Colin Grant, director of WritersMosaic, said the new magazine "was not just desirable but vital". He added: "Though we live in a digital age, as the director of WritersMosaic, I am not ready to give up on the romance of print. When I produced my first book, Negro with a Hat, as I handed a copy to my mother, she wept and whispered: ‘This is history!’ Nothing like it had ever happened in our family. I feel the same way about the new collaboration with The Bookseller, which will give birth to the first WritersMosaic Quarterly in May."

The print edition will amplify WritersMosaic’s online platform that showcases aspirational work from writers primarily of the global majority.

Grant added: "I know that sounds like hyperbole but such writers rarely get a chance to spend time outside of their designated racial box; here, with encouragement and rigorous editing, they are free to experiment and explore while aspiring to the high standard of writing that the RLF reaches for in fulfilling its mission and charter. At least that is our aim; readers will judge for themselves."

He explained: "This space is predominantly for writers of the global majority but all are welcome. WritersMosaic is porous and allows for a flow of ideas and people: Syrian, Cameroonian, Irish, Indian, Colombian, Serbian and myriad others. Our focus is on the art of writing, not representation."

Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller, said: "I am thrilled that WritersMosaic is to use our platform to amplify its work and those of the writers it will publish within the Quarterly. There is no doubt that we are at a moment when the free flow of ideas from a diverse range of voices, many of them previously underrepresented, is absolutely necessary. This, alongside the Jhalak Review, which The Bookseller also distributes, underlines how print can hold its place in the world as a medium of expression and a way of widening the conversation. We hope our readers find it a stimulating addition to their subscription."