Author to sign books in Pasadena

Wave Staff Report

PASADENA — Author Denise Crittendon will discuss and sign copies of her new book “Where It Rains in Color” at 6 p.m. May 9 at Octavia’s Bookshelf, 1361 N. Hill Ave. The book is a sci-fi novel that uplifts Black women, celebrates the power of melanin and shines the spotlight on the Dogon Tribe of Mali, West Africa.

Crittendon is a former feature writer for the Detroit News.

She said the book “elevates African culture and what it means to be Black.”

“I wanted to usher in a new Black aesthetic and project people of African descent into a future that doesn’t strip us of our innate majesty,” she added. “The inhabitants of my futuristic Black planet are powerful, technological geniuses far removed from the misery of the past.

“I want readers to walk away with the awareness that no race has a monopoly on intelligence, innovativeness and beauty,” Crittendon said. “We don’t see with our eyes. Our beliefs, beauty standards, and even the foods we eat are rooted in conditioning and what we’ve been taught.”

For more information, contact Janice.kyser@gmail.com or Caroline Lambe at caroline@angryrobotbooks.com