Thabiso Mahlape is a trailblazing publisher who is the owner of Blackbird Books. Blackbird Books, a globally recognised publishing house, was founded in August 2015, the first black owned publishing imprint in South Africa. The launch of Blackbird Books transformed the South African literary landscape and since 2015, Blackbird has put an immense amount of effort in pioneering and establishing a home for new African narratives and stories that reflect the African experience.
Blackbird Books is also a pioneer for young black voices and focuses on amplifying brilliant young authors and their writing in order to give them the opportunity to tell stories that showcase the wealth of their African experiences. Blackbird Books is especially proud of this goal and their success in publishing young black authors so far. As stated in their website: “We pride ourselves in being a launchpad for black narratives that would otherwise not get the attention they deserve.”
Thabiso is currently a Publishing Specialist at Nal’ibali Trust.