Courttia Newland's 'The Art of Opposition' Examines Black Artistic Agency and Mainstream Pressures

The essay collection by the novelist, screenwriter, and playwright addresses the challenges Black artists face in an industry that often marginalizes their work.

• Newland stated that Black artists must manage their own depictions and resist external expectations placed on their work.
• He criticized the frequent failure to include writers of color in discussions of working-class literature in Britain.
• Newland recalled an inmate at Wandsworth prison imploring him not to stop writing about marginalized communities, a vow he said he has kept.
• Newland argued that countercultures become sites of opposition when hate-inspired mainstream culture grows.