Last Friday evening, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews and the UNC LGBTQ Center hosted a launch party for the Young Adult anthology, "Cool. Awkward. Black." at the Varsity Theater. The collection of works, which was edited by fantasy author Karen Strong, was released on January 10.
Terri Phoenix, the director of the LGBTQ Center, said the center’s decision to promote the book came about out of a desire to bring attention to many lived experiences.
“We really want to raise awareness of diverse audiences and diverse experiences,” Phoenix said. “We felt that this was a good book to contribute toward that mission.”
Epilogue Events Coordinator Gaby Iori said the establishment partnered with the LGBTQ Center to spotlight the Black authors featured in the anthology.
“Epilogue is very community-focused,” Iori said. “Our goal is to uplift voices of marginalized identities, people whose voices are traditionally silenced.”
The evening began with three performances by area-based artists: Joelle Adeleke, a UNC student and head of outreach for The Bridge, an online platform for content by women of color; the inaugural Chapel Hill poet laureate, CJ Suitt, who spoke on toxic masculinity and self-acceptance; and spoken word artist Dasan Ahanu, whose poems discussed Black resilience and generational trauma.
Suitt said they enthusiastically accepted the invitation to the LGBTQ Center because the center's messages were affirming for them as a queer person.
The event’s centerpiece was a conversation between Strong, who wrote "Eden’s Everdark" and "Just South of Home," and Tracy Deonn, a UNC graduate and the New York Times-bestselling author of "Legendborn" and its sequel "Bloodmarked."
Deonn contributed a story, “Catalyst Rising,” to "Cool. Awkward. Black." Strong said she put together the anthology to spotlight tales of Black fandom, coming-of-age and queerness.
