Vermilion picks up Burke and Brown's essay collection

Vermilion has picked up You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience, an anthology of Black writing edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown.

Susanna Abbott, publishing director at the Ebury imprint, bought UK and Commonwealth English language rights from Fiona Baird at WME.

Released on 27th April 2021, the collection brrings together a dynamic group of Black writers, organisers, artists, academics, and cultural figures. The book will feature an introduction with Burke and Brown in conversation, as well as 20 original essays from contributors.

As the founder of the Me Too movement, Burke has spent decades advocating for justice and healing for survivors of sexual assault, while Brown, a research professor, has spent more than 20 years studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives.

Vermilion said: “This book began as a conversation between two friends. Burke shared with Brown that her work had a profound impact on her, but she found it could be difficult at times to apply it to her life as a Black woman. Burke suggested they team up for a project about vulnerability and shame resilience that centered around the Black experience in the United States. The result is You Are Your Best Thing, a stark, potent collection of essays on Black shame and healing and a space to recognize and process the trauma of white supremacy, a space to be vulnerable and affirm the fullness of Black love and Black life.”