What came out of it, however, is valuable. Many authors and editors are considering race in a new light, working hard to get it righter. Something else that came out of it is a new publishing venture worth watching, Verb Noire. We are honored to have the opportunity to post an interview with the principals of Verb Noire, Mikki Kendall and Jamie Nesbitt-Golden.

1. I understand that Verb Noire is a brand new publishing venture intended to showcase works by people of color. Tell us more about it. What does the name mean to you? What is it intended to signify to readers? What’s your mission?

Verb Noire came about out of the idea that there are untold stories hidden in the dark that deserve to be brought to light. We want readers to see our logo and think of all the stories that they might have missed that are now available to them.

2. Is Verb Noire set up as a traditional small press, or are you more like a co-op publishing venture, or a community program?

We’re about as traditional as two un-traditional people can be. We want our readers and our staff to feel included in the process, but we’re certainly not a self-publisher. There will be no renditions of “You Got Served in the Shire” or “Hobbits vs Orcs, the Battle for Middle Earth Begins on the Dance Floor!” though we are open to comedy, there has to be a line we do not cross. Jamie and I want our subscribers to find quality work in whatever genre they choose every time they log on.

3. What are you going to be publishing? Have you formulated your submissions guidelines yet, and if you have, can you give them to us in a nutshell?

Eventually we want to publish a little of everything, but right now our primary focus is science fiction, fantasy (both urban and traditional), with possible interest in well-written romance, mystery, and erotica. We’re still discussing young adult works, but I will win the battle and we will publish those stories too. We plan to have a poetry anthology available annually. Our basic submission guidelines are that all work must be electronically submitted, must be completely original, and the author must be willing to accept constructive criticism. Our website will detail specific word counts, but in general a novel is 100,000+ words. Specific submission guidelines can be found on our Facebook and Livejournal pages. We should have a working site up by the end of March at verbnoire.com.

4. Are you looking for volunteers? What kinds of help do you need right now?

More than anything else we need publicity. If you’re reading this, feel free to tell a friend. Got a novel or a short story or poem that you’ve always wanted to submit? Send it in. No guarantees, but as of right now you don’t need an agent for us to read your work.Over the days and weeks ahead we’ll need readers (we started taking submissions on March 9th), with some eclectic taste in their fiction. But for now the biggest issue is getting the stories into our greedy little hands.

5. What is Verb Noire going to offer to readers that they might not find elsewhere?

Protagonists that are not cut from the same old mold, compelling stories, and fresh perspectives on genres that we’ve all grown to know and love.

6. What’s the future of Verb Noire in 5 years?

World domination. No seriously, we hope to be here providing a platform for many years to come for all the talented people who have found themselves shut out of the mainstream publishing world.In 5 years I hope that we’ll be as close to a household name as possible and that at least one of our authors will have a spot on the New York Times Bestseller List.

7. So, let’s talk about you two. What do you love to read? What music do you listen to? What are you passionate about? What do your families and friends think about Verb Noire?

Jamie has an obsession with hookers, hobbits, blow, and biographies. I’m a little less interesting, I tend toward smut, young adult fiction, science fiction, and fantasy novels where the heroine can fight for herself. We bonded over Buffy and boys, despite having very disparate taste in music. She’s fixated on De La Soul and Death Cab for Cutie, while my taste is more eclectic and can range from AFI to Queen Latifah to the Doors. I tend to like songs as opposed to individual artists. Between us we probably have every bad dance CD every created. We listen to (and mock) them on a regular basis. We’re passionate about a lot of things from politics to food (I’m always feeding her) to the people we love. Our spouses swing between impressed and horrified as we have a tendency to demand that they contribute time, energy, and talent to this venture. Our friends are starting to shudder when they see us coming because they expect to be pressed into service at the drop of an idea. Fortunately we have people who love us enough to wade in even when they think we’re crazy.

8. There’s always a lot of talk about where speculative fiction is going. Where do you see it going? What would you like to see?

I think the interest in speculative fiction has grown significantly over the last few years. Everything from soap operas to short stories is being consumed by people looking to escape from the stresses of daily life. And small presses are in a perfect position to expand the pie, because we’re not beholden to the same old standards. We’re already taking a risk by existing, so why not take a bigger one and feature those writers who the mainstream may deem too controversial, not commercial enough, or who the bigger companies may assume would not have an audience? I want new myths and legends, I want to see old tropes turned on their heads and protagonists that aren’t retreads of stories that have been told a 1,000 times. There’s plenty of room left for speculative fiction to grow and develop, it just needs an infusion of fresh blood.

9. Since we can’t get a book from Verb Noire yet, and we love the free and low cost fun, what online venue would you recommend our readers visit next and why?

I am obsessed with Smart Bitches. Even if you’re not a romance novel reader I think you’ll enjoy their commentary. If it wasn’t a conflict of interest I’d be trying to start somethig similar for sci-fi and fantasy books.

10. Are there any sites you’d recommend for our readers to educate themselves about the issues you’re most passionate about? What should people be doing/reading/considering that they may not know about?

Well, this is a little self-serving since I’m a blogger at one of my recs, but I think your readers need to check out blogs like Transgriot , Angry Black Bitch, BlackAmazon, and The Angry Black Woman. Now I am Karnythia at ABW, but I was reading it long before I was ever invited to guest blog. Feministing, Jezebel, and Pandagon get a lot of attention, but they are not the only places to discuss LGBT issues, or politics, or feminism, or critical race theory. Intersectionality is one of my biggest hot button issues and I feel like it doesn’t get enough attention in the broader feminist blogs. One of my earlier projects on LJ was to create a community (sex_and_race) that really is a safe space for WOC to discuss these issues. We’ve kept that environment deliberately small and secluded (we’re not taking new members right now) but I do think that those conversations also need to take place on a wider platform.

Leaf Noire by photographer Kris K. G. Visit his Deviant Art page to see more of his work.