Dear reader, dear cook, dear friend--
Thank you for joining us on this journey! We’re two sisters--one an actor and writer and the other a creative producer and curator--who decided to fold our love for food and books and cultures of the African diaspora into a bookstore called BEM, a riff on our grandmothers’ initials.
We come from a line of dynamic and brilliant Black women who season with love and spin tales with the best of them. Honoring that legacy and those of Black folks and families across time and place is at the heart of BEM. We believe food opens a door to life, to sustenance, to love, to politics, and are thrilled to welcome you into our community as we explore it all together.
What you’ll find here is but one expression of what we hope to do--we imagine growing into cooperative structures as our team expands, realizing the brick & mortar vision the pandemic interrupted, launching products in collaboration with artists and makers, and serving as a home for scholarship about foodways of the African diaspora.
There may be a title or two on the site that makes you raise an eyebrow--yes, it’s Black and yes, it’s brilliant, but is it really food literature? We’ve chosen to be flexible though: if a single food moment or metaphor is central enough to work its way into the title, for now, we think that counts!
We’re proud to share BEM | books & more, and can’t wait to read, eat, and cook with you--
Follow us on social media or drop us a line at getintouch@bembrooklyn.com and happy shopping!