An Open Letter To Literary Agents And Publishing Houses

Dear (powerful) members of the literary world,

My name is Arielle. Well, that may not be what it says on my birth certificate, but you know how it is. I am a North American writer with a partially British-cultivated mind. I have been doing my due diligence as a young writer to get your attention so that one day you may work with me.

Now I know that you shunned even J. K. Rowling multiple times, and Elizabeth Gilbert had to struggle both fiscally and mentally to get to where she is today. But to quote a hip-hop song, “I got the juice.”

Along with being a writer, I am an artist, and one of the mediums I use is rap. I fell into this genre honestly, as I’ve always been a poet, and had a love of hip-hop’s vibe and sound. On top of being a female MC, I am a singer, drawer, painter, dancer, etc. I am a creative being.

I was told that my creativity was an illness. I was told that my bursts of energy were not normal, and my interests, taboo. A judge told me I was “too intelligent,” and needed to be medicated as a result.

Well if the judge is right, then this should work. But if the judge was wrong, and the forced medical drugs I am on right now are in fact slowing down my mind effectively (as they are designed to do), then my inbox will remain empty of messages from you or your associates.

But at this point, I have to step out of the box to reach your eyes, and hopefully capture your hearts.

I am sitting on a lot of unpublished literature. I have spent my time since completing my Masters writing every single day I can. There was a time period after my institutionalization at psych wards as a consequence of being too vocal and passionate of a social activist, where I couldn’t even write a sentence. Now I can write a book in a day. And I do.

During the fall I released the beginning of The Herstory Series, my autobiographical-perspective books on my website Trust Love. The first book Gibberish has seen relative success considering that in just a few months, there have been hundreds of downloads from me marketing on my own. Some people were waiting on that particular book for three years. Next came Sex On House Arrest and then Five O’Clock In The Psych Ward, which have both also seen relative success, in my eyes.

I released the books for free because Gibberish was written with the intention to open minds. It was supposed to free people, and for that reason, I felt like it should be free. Then came my next two bodies of work, which I felt passionately about sharing now, so I did. I’m sorry, but after years of trying to get in contact with you and getting rejection after rejection, I had to do something about it.

But since releasing my books I haven’t stopped working. I am currently in the midst of working on The War Home, a book that details what life was actually like in a psych ward and how it is a microcosm for the trials of the world at large.

My style is different. Since I am a rapper, I have a rapper’s mouth. I can be profane, blunt, and damn near blasphemous at times. But I’ve also got a couple of degrees under my belt, which is where I learned the value of structure and concision in my writing.

Along with being an artist, I am also a political scientist. This led to me becoming an activist upon completing my human rights degree when the world was in a new state of turmoil in 2011-2012. Between “The Arab Spring,” “Occupy Wall Street,” and student protest movements, I became flooded with stimulus, exposed myself to new information, and became the woman I am today.

I am not someone you should overlook. I was born to do this sh*t. I know that my talent is a blessing from God, which allows me to stay humble, despite my sometimes seemingly bodacious rapper nature.

So this may be a shot in the dark but here it goes:

There are SO many talented writers in this generation that need to be embraced by you, some on this site (please see Kovie Biakolo’s work for further evidence of that). Our word choices may be confusing to you at times, and our attitude may seem blunt, but we’re frustrated with being unheard.

The population needs to hear our voices on a grand scale, your scale. Our words need to reach the older generations so that we can bridge the gap for the next generation. Us twenty-somethings are the closest adults to the youth, and a lot of us still hold onto our youthful nature, which is a blessing. Because not only can we speak your language, but we can speak theirs. As millenials, we are the current link between you and them.

If you want to continue to reject us, that’s cool. Somehow, somewhere we will get heard. But if you want to embrace our generation, you’ll also get the next generation. And that my friends is just good fiscal sense.

Feel free to read any of my work that is available online and decide whether or not you want to take a chance right now and contact me. My voice is strong and my skills are on point. I have multiple projects in the works, and will continue to create with or without you. I just hope one day soon it’s with you.

Sincerely yours,

Arielle London