Urban fiction, also known as Street lit, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the socio-economic realities and culture of its characters as the urban setting.
The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside of city living. Profanity, sex, and violence are usually explicit, with the writer not shying away from or watering-down the material.
In this respect, urban fiction shares some common threads with dystopian or survivalist fiction.
Genesis and historical forces behind urban fiction
Contemporary urban fiction was (and largely still is) a genre written by and for African Americans. In his famous essay “The Souls of Black Folk,” W. E. B. Du Bois discussed how a veil separated the African American community from the outside world.[1]
By extension, fiction written by people outside the African American culture could not (at least with any degree of verisimilitude) depict the people, settings, and events experienced by people in that culture.
Try as some might, those who grew up outside the veil (i.e., outside the urban culture) simply could not write fiction truly grounded in inner-city and African American life.
City novels of yesteryear that depict the low-income survivalist realities of city living can also be considered urban fiction or street lit.
In her book, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature (2011), Vanessa Irvin Morris points out that titles considered canonical or "classic" today, could be considered the urban fiction or "street lit" of its day.
Such titles that depict the inner-city realities of city living from yesteryear include titles such as Stephen Crane's Maggie, A Girl of the Streets (1893), Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1838) and Paul Laurence Dunbar's The Sport of the Gods (1902), to name a few.
In this vein, urban fiction is not just an African American or Latino phenomenon, but rather, the genre exists along a historical continuum that includes stories from diverse cultural and ethnic experiences.
Emergence of contemporary urban fiction
In the 1970s, during the culmination of the Black Power movement, a jailed Black man named Robert Beck took the pen name Iceberg Slim and wrote Pimp, a dark, gritty tale of life in the inner-city underworld.
While the book contained elements of the Black Power agenda, it was most notable for its unsparing depiction of street life. Iceberg Slim wrote many other novels and attained an international following. Some of the terminology he used in his books crossed over into the lexicon of Black English.[2]
Other writers included Donald Goines[3] and, notably, Claude Brown's Manchild in the Promised Land, which was published in 1965. Also published that year was The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Because this non-fictional read captured the realistic nature of African American urban life for coming-of-age young men, the book has consistently served as a standard for reading among African American teenaged boys.
Hip Hop Lit: Hip Hop Music as an Urban Ballad
During the 1980s and early 1990s, urban fiction in print experienced a decline.
However, one could make a cogent argument that urban tales simply moved from print to music,[4] as hip hop music exploded in popularity, with harsh, gritty stories such as "The Message" and "Dopeman," set to a driving, strident drum-kit rhythm. Of course, for every emcee who signed a recording contract and made the airwaves, ten more amateurs plied the streets and local clubs,
much like urban bards, griots or troubadours telling urban fiction in an informal, oral manner rather than in a neat, written form. One of the most famous emcees, Tupac Shakur, is sometimes called a ghetto prophet and is undeniably an author of urban fiction in lyrical form.
Shakur also wrote a book of poetry called The Rose That Grew From Concrete.
Hip Hop lit in print form, though, is thriving.[5]
Non-fiction books from players in the hip hop realm such as Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, LL Cool J, and FUBU founder Daymond John are also filed in this genre. Carmen Bryant and Karrine Steffans have both written blockbuster books for this audience, as has shock jock Wendy Williams.
Both Steffans and emcee 50 Cent had such success with their books that they were given their own imprints to usher in similar authors.
50 Cent's G-Unit Books adds a legitimacy to a fictional genre that was previously disregarded.Contemporary Street Lit: The new wave of urban fiction
Toward the end of the 1990s, urban fiction experienced a revival, as demand for novels authentically conveying the urban experience increased, and new business models enabled fledgling writers to more easily bring a manuscript to market.
One of the first writers in this new cycle of urban fiction was Omar Tyree, who published the novel Flyy Girl in 1996, but reissued it as a reprint in 1999.
The genre really gained momentum in 1999 with Sister Souljah's bestseller The Coldest Winter Ever.[6]
Teri Woods's True to the Game was also published in 1999, and became the standard from which the entrepreneurial publishing and distribution of contemporary urban fiction took note.
The simultaneous publishing of these three novels created a momentum of readership for urban fiction and carried that wave for years. Thus "Coldest Winter Ever," "True to the Game," and "Flyy Girl" are considered classics in the renaissance of the genre [7].
Other major writers of contemporary urban fiction include Ashley & JaQuavis Coleman, K'wan Foye, Treasure E. Blue, Wahida Clark, Anthony Whyte, Erick Gray, Shannon Holmes, Deborah Cardona, Vickie Stringer, Miasha, T.N. Baker, Deja King, Solomon Jones, Nikki Turner, Jeff Rivera, and the writing duo Meesha Mink & De'Nesha Diamond.
Other notable urban-fiction writers include Kole Black, author of The Chance She Took, which was released 2007, and The Risk of Chance, which was released 2008 by Spaulden Publishing. In 2009, the first known urban Islamic fiction novel The Size of a Mustard Seed by Maryam “Umm Juwayriyah” Sullivan was published.[8]
Feeling the absence of stories like her own, Sullivan created her novel as a natural evolution of urban fiction, portraying the lives of multi-generational, inner-city American Muslims of various and blended backgrounds.
In 2010, Rahiem Brooks released Laugh Now, and followed up in 2011 with the sequel Die Later and his mystery novel, Con Test: Double Life. Rahiem Brooks is noted for creating the Urban Literary Awards
(http://www.urbanliteraryawards.com), which is uniquely broadcasts on Blog Talk Radio with live presenters and award acceptances.
In less than a decade, urban fiction has experienced a renaissance that boasts hundreds of titles. The newest wave of street fiction is urban Latino fiction novels such as Devil's Mambo by Jerry Rodriguez, Chained by Deborah Cardona (a.k.a. Sexy) and Jeff Rivera's Forever My Lady.
There is also an unexpected literary wave to hip-hop fiction and street lit, which was sparked by Sister Souljah. Authors with a book or books in this offering include Sofia Quintero of the Black Artemis Novels;
E-Fierce, also known as Elisha Miranda; Heru Ptah; Ferentz Lafargue; Saul Williams; Abiola Abrams; Felicia Pride; Marcella Runell Hall;
and Martha Diaz. These are hip hop lit or street lit books that take a more literary approach using metaphor, signifying and other literary devices. These books may also be used in socially redeeming or classroom capacities, while maintaining love and positivity for the music and the hip hop culture.
With this new wave of renaissance street lit comes a whole new ballgame when it comes to promotion and exposure. Aside from hand-to-hand sales, which seems to work best in a genre where word-of-mouth has proven to be worth more than any large ad campaign, the Internet has increased the authors and publishers the ability to reach out to the genre's readers.
With Internet savvy, many self-published authors who once had no shot of recognition are now household names, such as author Rasheed Clark, who went from relatively unknown, to being honored with fourteen Infini Literary Award nominations for his first two novels,
Stories I Wouldn't Tell Nobody But God and Cold Summer Afternoon, both of which became instant bestsellers and proved that Clark was a fresh voice in African American fiction.
From online book groups and Web sites such as StreetLiterature.com, QBR, RawSistaz, Urban Reviews, and Coast 2 Coast Readers to e-zines such as The Urban Book Source, Internet sites geared toward Urban readers are making themselves felt and can often make the difference between a bestseller and a book that does not receive adequate readership.
Authors in this genre such as K'wan Foye, Nikki Turner, Kole Black, and Relentless Aaron are known for bringing street teams and other musical promotion efforts to the book scene.
In recent years, these authors have joined with hip hop artists such as 50 Cent to further promote the genre by penning the musicians' real-life stories. In 2010, the hip hop music label, Cash Money Records, established a publishing branch to their brand, Cash Money Content.
Cash Money Content has recruited the best street lit authors in the game, Wahida Clark, husband and wife team Ashley and JaQuavis Coleman, K'wan Foye and Treasure E. Blue and is actively publishing and promoting street lit novels as well as working to move some of the stories to the movie screen.
Early criticism of street lit was that books were badly edited due to lack of copy editing by independent publishers. However, in recent years the mainstream publishing industry recognized the genre's potential and signed many of street lit authors to contracts, thus producing better packaged product.
One such author was Treasure E. Blue, according to Kirkus Reviews Magazine, a self-published sensation--it has reportedly sold 65,000 copies before getting signed to a major six-figure deal with Random House Publishing.
Authors of Contemporary Urban Fiction
Relentless Aaron
Takerra Allen
T. N. Baker
J.M. Benjamin
Treasure E. Blue
Rahiem Brooks
Tracy Brown
Deborah Cardona
Jordan Charles
Chunichi
Rasheed Clark
Wahida Clark
Ashley Coleman
JaQuavis Coleman
Keisha Ervin
Nina Foxx
Treasure Hernandez
Erick S. Gray
Shannon Holmes
La Jill Hunt
Jihad
Antonne M. Jones
Solomon Jones
Deja King
K'wan
Darien Lee
Thomas Long
Victor L. Martin
Miasha
Eric Pete
Daaimah S. Poole
Sofia Quintero, aka Black Artemis
Sapphire
Sister Souljah
T. Styles
Vickie Stringer
Kwame "Dutch" Teague
Nikki Turner
Nathan Welch
Silk White
KaShamba Williams
Eyone Williams
Teri Woods
Urban Publishing Companies
Currently four major Urban Literature publishing companies are recognized and although Urban Literature publishing companies exist, they are not the only publishers of Urban Literature. Over the last ten years, larger publishing companies have created imprints, such as Strebor Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
Good2go Publishing
Good2go Publishing began in 2005. Co-owner author Silk White. Books published by Good2go Publishing "Married To Da Streets" by Silk White, "Tears of a Hustler, Tears of a Hustler PT 2, Tears of a Hustler PT 3 by Silk White", "The Teflon Queen by Silk White"
Prodigy Publishing Group
Prodigy Publishing Group (http://www.prodigypublishinggroup.com) was founded by author Rahiem Brooks in late 2009.
Books published by Prodigy Publishing Group include "Laugh Now, "Die Later", and Con Test by Rahiem Brooks, and Coming of Age by Jibrail Jones. The publishing house is also noted for creating the first-ever blog radio hosted awards:
Urban Literary Awards (http://www.urbanliteraryawards.com).
Q-Boro Books
Q-Boro Books, which is stationed out of Queens, New York was launched in 2004 by Mark Anthony. Since its started as an imprint of Urban Books, Q-Boro Books has grown to compete with some of the top Urban Literature publishers in the country including Urban Books and Triple Crown Publications.
Books published by Q-Boro Books include The Last Chance by Darrien Lee, King of Spades by Kiniesha Gayle, Drama in the Church by Dynah Zale, Obsession 101 by Michelle McGriff and My Skin is my Sin by Dejon.
Teri Woods Publishing
Teri Woods Publishing was founded by author Teri Woods in the late 1990s. Books published by Teri Woods Publishing include True 2 the Game by Teri Woods, The Dutch Trilogy by Teri Woods, Deadly Reigns by Teri Woods, Triangle of Sins and its sequel "Rectangle of Sins" by Nurit Folkes and B-More Careful by Shannon Holmes.
Triple Crown Publications
Triple Crown Publications began in 2001 with the debut novel Let That Be The Reason by Vicki Stringer. Books published by TCP include Let That Be The Reason by Vicki Stringer, Dime Piece by Tracy Brown, Sheisty by T.N. Baker, Flipside of the Game by Tu-Shonda Whitaker, Cut Throat by K. Roland Williams, The Guilty Saga by Evilyn Rose, and A Hustler’s Wife by Nikki Turner.Urban Books
Urban Books was founded in 2002 by author Carl Webber. The company slogan is "Urban Books: Where Drama Meets the Streets".
Books published by Urban Books include A Gangster’s Girl by Chunichi, Street Life by Jihad, Around The Way Girls Series, Girls from the Hood Series and Drama Queen by LaJill Hunt.Urban Literature
The company Urban Literature was founded in 1996 by Joseph A. Wilkerson III and Edward Fullwood while students at North Carolina A&T State University. Originally a t-shirt company, Urban Literature has gone on to produced North Carolina's first urban-themed film festival (the Urban Literary Film Festival), a magazine called Urban Literature, as well as various Hiphop events. {{citationneeded Their slogan is "The Next Level of Creativity".References
1.^ [1]
2.^ [2]
3.^ [3]
4.^ [4]
5.^ PINTO, C. "Urban lit blazes off bookshelves." Gannett News Service. 2009, August 31
6.^ (Morris, Hughes-Hassell, Agosto, & Cottman, 2006)
7.^ (Morris, 2011)
8.^ Diana "Urban Islamic Fiction: A New Genre in Muslim Lit" Muslimah Mediawatch 15 July 2002 retrieved 8 August 2010
DC Bookdiva Publications Founded by T. Short in 2005, started as a book promoter and vendor and grew the company to a boutique publishing company. Home of authors Nathan Welch, Kwame "Dutch" Teague, Darrell Debrew, Eyone Williams, RJ Champ and many more.Research Articles
Morris, V. I. (2011). The Street Lit Author and the Inner-City Teen. Journal of Young Adult Library Service 10(1), 21-24.
Morris, V.I. (2010). Street Lit: Before you recommend it, you have to understand it. In Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice. (pp. 53-66). Chicago: American Library Association.
Brooks, W. & Savage, L. (2009). Critiques and Controversies of Street Literature: A Formidable Genre. The ALAN Review, 37(3), 48-55.
Hill, M.L., Perez, B., & Irby, D. (2008). Street fiction: What is it and what does it mean for English teachers ? English Journal, 97(3), 76-81.
Morris, V. I., Hughes-Hassell, S., Agosto, D. E., & Cottman, D. T. (2006). Street Lit: Flying off teen fiction bookshelves in Philadelphia public libraries. Young Adult Library Services, 5(1), 16-23.
Books
Morris, Vanessa Irvin (2011). The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature. American Library Association. ISBN 0838911102.
Honig, Megan (2010). Urban Grit: A Guide to Street Lit. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 159158857X.
Ratner, Andrew. (2009). Street Lit: Teaching and Reading Fiction in Urban Schools. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0073378437.
External links
Lit Up: Keisha Ervin's gritty tales of the St. Louis streets have made her one of the nation's hottest purveyors of urban fiction Riverfront Times. April 2009.
Readers Embrace 'Ghetto Lit' Genre, National Public Radio Morning Edition, January 20, 2004.
Publishing Company Called Out over 'Ghetto Lit', National Public Radio All Things Considered, October 12, 2007.
New literary genre emerging from underground authors, San Francisco Chronicle, October 19, 2003.
Nick Chiles: Don't call this smut 'literature', Dallas News, January 8, 2006.
StreetFiction.org: An Urban Fiction Review Web Site Street Literature: Poundin' the Pavement to Bring You The Word On Street Lit, blog site by Vanessa Irvin Morris.
Reading lists
Because this genre is very popular with urban teenagers, the following reading lists should prove to be helpful for teachers and librarians.
Resources for Street Lit: Books, Blogs, & Lists by Vanessa Irvin Morris, Drexel Univ., Phila, PA
SpeakEasy: Articles About and/or Related to Street Lit by Vanessa Irvin Morris, Drexel Univ., Phila, PA
Urban/Street Fiction Title/Author List by Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
African American Book Club Urban/Street Fiction List
Crazy Quilts Blog with Urban Lit for School Library Collections by Edith Campbell, Arlington High School, Indianapolis, IN
Library Journal. [5]
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