Exhale: Queer African Erotic Fiction
Thabiso Mahlape of Black Bird Books commissioned me to design the book cover for Black Bird’s latest offering in the way of anthologies, Exhale - a collection of Queer African Erotic Fiction.
“)
Exhale is a queer anthology wrapped in the idea of a release, a letting go, breathing out. An orgasm. These are the stories that come out when you play sip or spill, truth or dare, never have I ever and lasts longer than 7 minutes in heaven. With sexual experiences from all over Africa, this anthology introduces some exciting new literary voices and brings you some of your established favourites.”
Thabiso is one of my favourite clients to work for (and also one of Africa’s best publishers). She’s straight to the point, knows her vision and trusts designers to execute it, so I was super excited to work with her on another cover (the last one was Corridors of Death by Malaika wa Azania).
While the process started with a mostly photographic focus, we came to the conclusion that a mixed media cover would be most effective. Black Bird has fantastic, eye-catching, bright colours that aren’t afraid of screaming “PICK ME” from the book shelf, and it was important that this cover captured BB’s energy and aesthetic while being true to the anthology itself.