The first time i visited A different book list In early 2004, I heard poetry being sung from the cozy backyard that branched off from the main floor of the bookstore. I was struck by a spoken and friendly finger-snapping applause with the words. This is my kind of bookstoreI thought, since I was performing a poetry series at the time, and was soon sitting in front of an open mic hosted by author and event producer Dwayne Morgan.
When A Different Booklist first opened in 1995, on the west side of Bathurst Street, south of Honest Ed’s, its original owner, Wesley Crichlow, may not have imagined how it would grow from its modest roots to become a center for the black community.
A Different Booklist has been a quarterback for the husband and wife team of Miguel San Vicente and Itah Sadu since 1998, when Crichlow landed a full-time teaching position, and they continue to store and promote books that reflect the Black and Caribbean communities, and the African diaspora. They also encourage poets, authors, and political scientists to host events in their space, which are often free to the public.
The store moved to the east side of Bathurst in 2017, after the development replaced Honest Ed’s and Mirvish Village. A stroll through the book-laden shelves reveals a truly panoramic view of Black history and culture: one section features the work of James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Roxane Gay; another features fictional titles by Toronto authors like David Chariandy and Catherine Hernandez. The children’s literature section offers books like “I love my hair!” by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley and EB Lewis, and “Mixed Me!” by actor Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans.
“(Young black readers) get excited when they can see themselves reflected in books, which is rarely the case,” says San Vicente. “And we really appreciate how so many schools have bought our books for their students, which has helped us survive all these years.”
For adult readers, St. Vincent says the most popular books in his store include Frantz Fanon’s “Black Skin, White Masks,” a 1952 deconstruction of racism, which he says talks about what Bob Marley called “mental slavery in ‘Redemption Song ‘, and how the colonial mentality has affected many blacks. ” Another best-seller is “The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal by Toronto-based author Afua Cooper. There may be books on Canadian slavery written by white people, “says St. Vincent,” but it is important that a black author share these important stories. “
A different book list saw a surge in buyers during and shortly after the protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. “It was great to see so many people come out of the closet, including many non-black readers, and buy books on the fight against discrimination, racism and inequality,” says Saint Vincent. “And it really helped when the Black Lives Matter movement encouraged people to support black-owned businesses like ours.”
The bookstore is also home to the A Different Booklist: The People’s Residence Cultural Center. Launched in 2016, the nonprofit organization has held author talks, book launches, children’s programs, and art exhibits.
During the closure, the store kept the public engaged with virtual readings and interviews, such as a Zoom conversation with George Elliot Clarke, the former Toronto poet laureate.
In the fall of 2022, the store will move again, this time across the street. However, your mission will remain the same. “We want people to learn from the past and challenge themselves to put their knowledge into practice,” says Saint Vincent. “And our books and our programming help with those goals.”
Reference-www.thestar.com