Sing the Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection

A powerful must-read collection of bold BIPOC voices. All proceeds support The Kweli Journal's mission to nurture emerging writers of color and foster a vibrant literary community.

"It gave me great pleasure to read this beautiful collection of important, diverse, sometimes heartbreaking, and always moving stories; it had the extra benefit of introducing me to several authors whom I'd never read before and whose work I've started to seek out. Highly recommended." --Nancy Pearl, acclaimed librarian, bestselling author, and literary critic

"With this new collection of short stories, we are once again the beneficiaries of brilliant prose that dances off the pages and into our hearts. I'm proud to be in the chorus praising SING THE TRUTH." --Monique Greenwood, co-founder of Go On Girl! Book Club and owner of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns

"As the editor of the groundbreaking journal Kweli, Laura Pegram has introduced us to many of the finest writers of the contemporary literary landscape. In this new, monumental anthology, Pegram has gathered several of these writers, welcoming us to a luminous community in the word." --Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois

Hailed as "The Paris Review of BIPOC literature," The Kweli Journal has been a launching pad for many of today's most celebrated writers. Kweli--"truth" in Swahili--marks its fifteenth anniversary with this luminous collection edited by founder Laura Pegram. These vivid narratives explore the devastation of leaving home and the struggle to adapt to reimagined lives, lost loves, distant families, and buried pasts, deepening our understanding of the human experience.

Featuring works from acclaimed authors Naima Coster, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Daphne Palasi Andreades, Susan Muaddi Darraj, and others, this anthology stands as a testament to voices too often overlooked in contemporary literature.

"The stories in this collection serve as windows into diverse communities while inviting readers of all backgrounds to engage with and appreciate the richness of our cultures." --Edwidge Danticat, from the foreword of Sing the Truth

Author: Laura Pegram
Publisher: Authors Equity
Published: 05/13/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.90h x 4.90w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9798893310252


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/25/2025 pg. 1

About the Author
Laura Pegram, founding editor and publisher of The Kweli Journal, is a multi-hyphenate artist whose work is influencing a new generation of writers. She is an author, educator, and jazz vocalist who teamed with acclaimed jazz pianist Donald Smith in cabaret performances. She is also a painter whose richly hued murals are part of several private collections. She was mentored by the poet-activist June Jordan, who taught her that the sky was her ceiling. She lives in Manhattan.

Edwidge Danticat was born in Haiti in 1969 and came to the United States when she was twelve years old. She graduated from Barnard College and received an M.F.A. from Brown University. She made an auspicious debut with her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, and followed it with the story collection Krik? Krak!, whose National Book Award nomination made Danticat the youngest nominee ever. She lives in New York.