Stories of Blackness — Chapter 5: The Jeli
“We have to work without permission … set a path and start walking.”
In this final chapter, I have to share these words from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time: Ava DuVernay. Ava’s no excuses mantra applies to all of us: artists, writers, filmmakers, and in my case, publishers. I took Ava’s words onboard, realised I had the skills and no real excuses — and thus, the Jeli was born.
The Jeli is a publishing company for Black millenials. It aims to be a place where people of, whether in Africa or across the globe in the African Diaspora can come together and share stories. From Afrofuturism to historical fiction, from stories of life in Accra to stories of life in Atlanta, the Jeli will a place where we can learn about each other and share creativity and wisdom.
So here I am, on the eve of the launch of the Jeli’s very first literary collection. Tomorrow, the first of five literary works will go on sale in ebook form. There are five works in the collection, four short stories and one lyric poem. Our authors span 3 continents and each work is a compelling and unique creative expression. Every Monday for the next five weeks, a new work will be released. I have no doubt that each work will impact readers, and I look forward to the reviews and responses.
In addition to our ebooks, we are passionate about sharing stories and creative expressions in a variety of mediums. If you check out our Instagram, you will find our #jelishorts and #jelipoems — these are micro literary works inspired by wonderful artwork, like this one:
We aim to keep bringing innovation to the literary world. We aim to discover great writers and great writing. We’re excited about being at the beginning of this journey, and we hope you’ll join us:
Sign up now at: www.thejeli.com
