Photography: Keith Major
Literature has the power to reclaim narratives, preserve histories, and reimagine the world. The Black Girls Bond Book Club and Author Talks was created as a space where Black women’s voices are explored with intellectual depth, cultural reverence, and meaningful dialogue.
Through carefully curated works, the book club illuminates themes of identity, spirituality, resilience, and creative expression, inviting readers to engage with narratives that affirm and expand the literary canon of Black women’s storytelling.
A Literary Vision Rooted in Legacy
Founded by Beverly Bond, creator of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, this platform continues her mission to honor and amplify Black women’s achievements. Her book, Black Girls Rock!: Owning Our Magic and Rocking Our Truth, celebrates the brilliance of Black women through the voices of Michelle Obama, Angela Davis, Shonda Rhimes, Misty Copeland, Rihanna, and more. It stands as a cultural manifesto of resilience, ambition, and self-determination.
This same ethos shapes the Black Girls Bond Book Club, providing a platform where Black women’s literary contributions are examined with the depth and nuance they deserve.
Anita Kopacz and the Power of Ritual Storytelling
The inaugural book selection features award-winning writer and spiritual advisor Anita Kopacz, whose work exemplifies storytelling that reclaims history and deepens cultural understanding. Her latest novel, The Wind on Her Tongue, is a powerful continuation of the spiritual and historical odyssey she began in Shallow Waters.
In Shallow Waters, Kopacz reimagines Yemaya, the Yoruba Orisha of the sea, within antebellum America. In the lyrical and stirring The Wind on Her Tongue, she brings Oya, the Yoruba Orisha of storms, to life in the 1870s. Born in Cuba, Oya inherits a lineage of power and responsibility. Unlike her mother, whose healing abilities are rooted in water, Oya’s command over storms is untamed and potentially destructive. To harness her gifts, she is sent to New Orleans to train under Marie Laveau, the legendary Queen of Voodoo.
Her journey across a fractured America introduces her to historical figures such as Mary Ellen Pleasant, Jesse James, and Lew Hing, while confronting the intertwined forces of racism, colorism, and classism. Oya’s story is one of self-discovery, resilience, and transformation—an exploration of what it means to claim one’s power in a world determined to suppress it.
Described as “spellbinding” by Harper’s Bazaar, The Wind on Her Tongue exemplifies the kind of literature the Black Girls Bond Book Club seeks to highlight—narratives that seamlessly weave history, spirituality, and identity while offering profound reflections on personal and collective liberation.
Creating a Space for Literary Exploration
As a literary strategist and global advocate for Black authors, I see this book club as an essential platform for critical engagement and meaningful exchange. My work as CEO and Publisher of Mocha Ink has been dedicated to literary advocacy and fostering transformative conversations—a mission that aligns seamlessly with the vision of the Black Girls Bond Book Club.
Through my career, I’ve curated influential book exhibits for the Library of Congress, NAACP, and the Congressional Black Caucus, developed literary student exchange programs for the U.S. State Department, and supported the launch of books that shift cultural narratives. Most notably, I had the honor of publishing Don’t Let Them Bury My Story by 110-year-old Viola Ford Fletcher, a Black Wall Street survivor whose powerful testimony became a global literary event.
With this background, I approach each book club selection as more than a reading experience—it is an opportunity to examine layered themes, historical context, and the personal connections we bring to the stories we read.
Through author conversations, deep-dive discussions, and thematic explorations, the Black Girls Bond Book Club encourages readers to engage with literature in a way that is both intellectually stimulating and personally transformative. Each book opens the door to new perspectives, offering an opportunity to challenge ideas, broaden understanding, and celebrate the depth of Black women’s storytelling.
Expanding the Conversation
I invite you to join this literary journey. Let’s read, reflect, and engage with the stories that shape us.
For upcoming book selections and author discussions, visit BlackGirlsBond.com and sign up for our newsletter.— Mocha Ochoa
CEO & Publisher, Mocha Ink
Executive Producer, The Lit Lounge by Mocha
Book Reviewer, Black Girls Bond
