LAURA PEGRAM
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.
SING THE TRUTH: THE KWELI JOURNAL SHORT STORY SELECTION
Edited by Laura Pegram
Foreword by Edwidge Danticat
Authors Equity – May 13, 2025
A powerful must-read collection of bold BIPOC voices.
“These stories 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
Hailed as “The Paris Review of BIPOC literature,” 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, Princess Joy L. Perry,
Reem Kassis, DéLana R.A. Dameron, JP Infante, Jennine Capó Crucet, LaToya Watkins, Ivelisse Rodriguez, Kaitlyn Greenidge, K-Ming Chang, and Estella Gonzalez. This anthology stands as a testament to voices too often overlooked in contemporary literature.
All proceeds support Kweli Journal’s mission to nurture emerging writers of color and foster a vibrant literary community.
Praise for Sing the Truth
“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
“As readers, how fortunate are we that Laura Pegram and Kweli Journal have made space for BIPOC writers for more than 15 years? Now, 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.
"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