Hey, it’s DJ!
I know it’s been a minute but I had to come out of hiatus for this one:
BNC Co-Founder, Brilliant Writer, and Community Builder @yanawroteit.bsky.social got her first book deal, y’all! 🎉
Thank you!
TALK TO @yanawroteit.bsky.social NICE!!!
So incredibly proud of you, friend. Cannot wait for this book to be out in the world. You more than deserve this. We don’t deserve you!
We’re thrilled to share the news that Fuse client Bayana A. Davis’s TROUBLE THE WATERS has sold in a seven-way auction to Lois Evans at Knopf Books for Young Readers! Congratulations, Bayana!
I couldn’t be happier to share the news that my client @yanawroteit.bsky.social’s TROUBLE THE WATERS has sold in a seven-way auction to Lois Evans at Knopf Books for Young Readers!
Congrats, Bayana! 🎉🎉🎉
I'm so fucking proud! Follow my talented friend and congratulate her on this incredible accomplishment. I promise y'all are going to be in awe of the world and characters she's created 😭 I can't wait for everyone to meet Blessing 💜
🗣️ A WRITER!
THAT'S MY MF FRIEND!!! Congratulations, Bayana 🎉 l can't wait for the world to fall in love with your work!
🫶🏿🫶🏿🫶🏿
🥳🥳🥳
I can't wait to share more about TROUBLE THE WATERS in the coming months. I always knew I would write stories about Black girls with magic, and never expected it would be historical, but I feel really honored that this will be my debut novel.
art by nicole.deal.art
yelling at me when my plots hurt their feelings, and always always gassing me up. I decided to seriously pursue becoming an author in 2018, and the book won't be out until 2028, but I've always felt your excitement, curiosity, and faith in me and I appreciate it more than I can say.
There are FAR too many people to tag, but I want to thank all my family, friends, and community who have supported me at every stage of this journey: giving me invaluable feedback, supporting me in moments of uncertainty, asking if I was still writing, asking what was up with my book,
Big thanks to my wonderful agent @erniechiara.com for believing in and advocating for me and my words, and to my editor Lois Evans for seeing the vision - I'm so happy to be working with her & Knopf BFYR to bring this story to the YA space.
Lois Evans at Knopf has acquired, in a seven-way auction, Trouble the Waters by Bayana A. Davis, a YA historical fantasy debut in which a Black teenager from the antebellum South, bound by her masters' blood-magic, escapes with her sister to a mystical maroon settlement deep in the Dismal Swamp, only to discover that her very presence threatens the newfound freedom and community she holds dear. Publication is slated for spring 2028; Ernie Chiara at Fuse Literary did the six-figure, two-book deal for North American rights. Art by Nicole Deal
TROUBLE THE WATERS By Bayana A. Davis Imprint: Knopf Children's Bayana A. Davis's TROUBLE THE WATERS, in which a Black teenager from the Antebellum South, bound by her masters' blood-magic, escapes with her sister to a mystical maroon settlement deep in the Dismal Swamp only to discover that her very presence threatens the newfound freedom and community she holds dear, to Lois Evans at Knopf Children's, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2028, by Ernie Chiara at Fuse Literary (NA). Rights: ernie@fuseliterary.com Film/TV: ddeuble@independentartistgroup.com
Born with the ability to sense and control water, Blessing has always been drawn to the Dismal Swamp. But she has never considered running into its wild depths, especially not after her master sold her to the Mason siblings—a doctor with deep interest in the secrets of the swamp and his sister, whose blood magic keeps Blessing tightly bound to her. When her mother meets the fatal consequences of leading a failed rebellion against the enslavers of Sweet Tide Plantation and the surrounding county, she's the only one left to protect her younger sister from the doctor's experiments and her mistress's binding magic. Determined to keep her sister from a beastly fate, she decides it's time to leave Sweet Tide behind. Fleeing into the Dismal Swamp, Blessing and her sister find Solace, a maroon settlement cloaked in magic and secrecy. Determined to be welcomed into the village, Blessing hopes to keep the true nature of her magic secret-but when a strange rot forcing its way through Solace's barriers connects back to her own traumatic past, it's up to her to confront the monsters who bound her in order to keep her sister and new community safe.
A picture of Blessing, a Black girl in a blue dress walking through the swamp. Words float around her with descriptions of TROUBLE THE WATERS: YA historical fantasy Set in 1808 Magical maroon community Dismal Swamp Ancestral magic Black resistance Art by Nicole Deal
When I first read about the maroons of the Dismal Swamp a couple years ago, the idea for TROUBLE THE WATERS practically unfurled before me & I'm so so so excited and honored to be able to share Blessing's story with readers.
👀👀
A new season of Wizard Team is coming soon! Listen on your favorite app Follow @wizardteampod on IG & Tumblr Support on Patreon (repurposed from BNC)
Wizard Team continues on with a new season starting soon! Fans of Black fantasy and SciFi need to make sure to tune in with @yanawroteit.bsky.social @robynrambles.bsky.social and Porshèa!
A decorative announcement that reads: Some News from Black Nerds Create
A Birthday Announcement from the team!
🚨 Big News! 🚨
Positive Obsession by @susiemaye drops August 19, 2025! 📚
A cultural biography of the legendary Octavia E. Butler, chronicling her trailblazing legacy in sci-fi and how history shaped her writing.
Pre-order now🔥
Published by @AmistadBooks
#PositiveObsession #OctaviaButler #SistahSciFi
Guardian-ing a preteen sure is something
Oscillating btwn being nervous about coming back to my WIP next month & being nervous about what’s gonna happen to Bree in Oathbound 💀
So excited for Rico’s new era, feels like it’s about to be exactly what I need 🔥 www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
Come hang out and debate with us!
New #WizardTeam out now!
Photo of actor Laverne Cox in a golden starburst frame. The text reads "Actor and advocate, Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy in an acting category for her role in Orange is the New Black. She is currently starring in Clean Slate on Amazon Prime. Also known for her activism, Cox was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The New School for her work on gender equality."
Today we celebrate #BlackMagicalHistory by uplifting Laverne Cox. Who is a leading LGBTQ+ artist that inspires you?
Photo of Dr Debi Thomas on a dark purple background with golden moons. Text reads “Two-time national champion, 1986 World Champion, and Olympic bronze medalist, Dr. Debi Thomas is not only the most famous Black American figure skater, she also graduated from medical school in 1997. In 2023, she competed in the World Figure and Fancy Skating Championships at the age of 56.”
Today for #BlackMagicalHistory we want to acknowledge Dr. Debi Thomas.
Who is a Black athlete that you believe deserves more recognition?
Writer and Distinguised Professor of English at USC, Percival Everett is a prolific writer who can often be found on the finalist lists of the most prestigious literary awards. He writes across genres, authoring poetry, children’s literature, and genre fiction to name a few. His latest work James, won the National Book Award and cemented his place as a literary icon.
Writer and Distinguised Professor of English at USC, Percival Everett is a prolific writer who can often be found on the finalist lists of the most prestigious literary awards.
What’s a classic (racist) story that you’d want to reimagine from a Black character’s perspective? #BlackMagicalHistory
Soon as I get my mind and my body together it’s over for y’all*
*my to do list
Which non-Cowboy Carter songs are y’all hoping to see at the tour?
I’m ready for Daddy Lessons (obv), PURE/HONEY (w SHB), and 6 Inch
