The Cultural Significance of Indie Black Romance

Have you ever opened a novel and been immediately thankful to read descriptions of characters who look like you? Only to find that three pages into the story - you absolutely cannot relate to their lives? You aren’t alone. Many readers seek to find themselves on the pages and the authors within the Indie Black Romance community work steadfastly to create characters who provide representation from all over the varied spectrum of the Black experience. This session will highlight the important role played by Indie Black Romance as a literary genre, and the opportunity it provides to relate authentic, real-life stories to the everyday Black reader. In this presentation, I would like to explore the importance of this subgenre of romance by taking a look at the necessity of its place in the overall romance landscape, the audience it serves, and cultural signifiers within the texts that underscore its unique niche.