​​Being a teenager, trying to understand who you are, and what you stand for, is hard. If you are a Black girl, this can be even harder, as you may not always see yourself represented in the books you read, the films you watch, the adverts you see or the history you are taught. 

Best friends Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie A. Carter, presenters of the Black Girls’ Book Club, a literature and social events platform that celebrates literature by Black female writers, wrote Grown: The Black Girls’ Guide to Glowing Up with all these issues in mind. 

Join the festival for a discussion about glowing up, their current book recommendations and representation in literature.

About The Speaker

Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie A Carter

Best friends Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie A. Carter met at secondary school in North-East London and bonded over their shared love of books. Years later, Melissa, now a business development manager, and Natalie, a real estate lawyer, decided to channel that passion for reading and form the Black Girls’ Book Club, a literature and social events platform that celebrates literature by Black female writers. Black Girls’ Book Club has been featured in media such as: Vogue, Stylist, BBC Radio, Buzzfeed, The Metro, gal-dem, Pride and more. Melissa and Natalie were named as two of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2019.