Kathleen Collins, the first African American woman to produce a feature-length film, tragically passed away in 1988 at the age of 46. Now, with the help of her daughter, we are releasing a never-before-published collection of Collins' short stories, Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? Stirring and electric, examining deeply human topics with a clear eye and a beautiful voice, this is truly a special release. One story in, it becomes apparent Collins is a vital voice in American literature. See below for a sampling of the early praise:
"Gorgeous and strikingly intimate...Collins has a spectacular sense of dialogue….Though most of the pieces span only a few pages, they are frequently overwhelmingly rich—not just in their sharp takes on sex, race, and relationships, but in the power and music of their sentences. Collins' prose is so precise and hypnotic that no amount of rereading it feels like enough. Astonishing and essential. A gem." —Kirkus starred review
"Race, gender, love, and sexuality are portrayed beautifully and humanely….Full of candor, humor, and poise, this collection, so long undiscovered, will finally find the readers it deserves." —Publishers Weekly starred review
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? goes on sale December 6th. Vibrant, important, and timely, we expect big things for this collection. In anticipation of its on-sale date, we will send a finished copy upon its release to the first 20 people to email us at librarylovefest@harpercollins.com. To get the egalley, visit the Edelweiss page here.
-Chris