We’ve been rocking with our own Bookstagram Instagram page for a while, @BNPLit, and love to share the written word for the ‘gram with book lovers. I want to put a spotlight on a handful of smaller bookstagramers that are rocking to the beat of their own drum, making waves with their own aesthetic and their own reading picks. If you’re knee deep in the tags for reading material on Instagram, here are some standout pages you’ll love and want to follow too!
1.) Brown Kids On The Cover
Started up by BNP fave Connie who is a multimedia superstar by way of writing, editing, podcasting, moderating panels, the works — Brown Kids On The Cover is a creative project she thought up at her day job as a children’s magazine writer. From the bio of the page: “I wanted a place to display books we get in the office, esp the ones with PoC kids on the cover.” This is one of my favorite pages as it’s also a breath of fresh air to see the variety of different kid lit books all with diverse art, bright colors and kids of color! Hashtags that this bookstgram operates under include: #brownskidsonthecover, #diversekidsbooks and #kidsbookstagram.
2.) Hermanas Who Read
Hermanas Who Read is run by the adorable Rosa sisters, Latina readers by the names of Sobeida & Lenis. These two share what they’ve been reading with cute selfies with current reading material along with photos that also showcase their super cute nails. What I love best are their many pics of their mini trips showcasing their book hauls and their mini reviews and impressions of what they read. The sisters cover a wide range of books from best sellers to YA to books with recent film adaptations to even some volumes of manga. Hashtags that this bookstgram operates under include: #wellreadmujer and #latinaswhoread
3.) ddeabreu
Dee runs a unique page here. It is a perfect mashup of art by mostly Black and Brown artists featuring Black and Brown folks while also functioning as a bookstagram page. This is part digital museum, part library. Throw in clips from Dee’s outings for book signings, artist talks and even concerts, and you have a wonderful rabbit hole to fall down and get lost in. If you have a commute that gets long one evening or a few minutes to kill while waiting in super long line while shopping, this is the spot. Self described as a “Bespectacled shutterbug, book junkie, art lover and sometime professional vacationist”, Miss Dee has the life I want if we’re talking about IG envy with her many beautiful photos in different places and her eye for captivating art. Hashtags this bookstgram page operates under include: #missdeereads and #fortheloveofart.
4.) Black Girls Lit
Black Girls Lit is a page put together and run by “Two Black & Bookish girls who love to read”. What possibly originally started as a tumblr blog and blossomed this here is another worthy contender on this list simply for two friends doing something fun together. And I am a sucker for origin stories with female friendships, especially Black girls and women. Ran by Victoria & Veronika, this page is special for their dedication to reading and featuring books about and written by Black girls. Couple this with their very obvious love for comics, enamel pins, bookmarks, book sleeves and assorted goodies that they love to showcase. Hashtags that this bookstagram operates under: #blackgirlslit, #modveronika and #modvictoria.
5.) WOC Reads
Longtime BNP follower and friend Bina is a German woman of color who is an active reader. She follows a philosophy of mostly featuring, reading and reviewing lit from writers who are women of color. The rise of diversity initiatives in the publishing industry such as #DiverseBookBloggers has helped her feel brave and find her voice. What I love about her bookstgram, WOC Reads, is that she doesn’t just feature fiction but non-fiction and academic books as well as speculative genres. There’s everyone from Audre Lorde to Britteney Black Rose Kapri to Nafiza Azad to Traci Chee. I love that she doesn’t avoid audio books and ebooks either! Lastly, I’m a fan of her reviews and her diverse reading challenges like her recently revived Diverse Detective Fiction Month reading challenge. Hashtags that this bookstagram operates under: #wocreads and #diversedetectives.
Cover Photo Credit: Tamis Souza
ROLE CALL: Who are your favorite bookstagrammers? Who are the best kept secrets that consistently give you greatness every time you venture into bookstagram land? Let us know in the comments!
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