Tribute to Sareeta Domingo

We join the rest of the literary world in mourning the sudden loss of author, editor, blogger (and so much more), Sareeta Domingo.

It was announced that Sareeta passed away on the 12th September and many of us are still grappling with this unfathomable tragedy.

Sareeta was a friend of Black Girl Writers. I connected with her not long after launching the service, and we exchanged ideas over Twitter. She was encouraging and supportive, and our correspondence led to a collab with Trapeze alongside her wonderful colleagues Katie Ogunsakin and Carina Bryan.

In an industry that pays a lot of lip service to diversity measures, Sareeta was a breath of fresh air. She used her position to champion Black and other underrepresented authors regardless of their titles, accolades, and the stage of their career. Over the past month I’ve been blown away by the tributes that have poured in, from editorial directors to budding writers drafting their first novels, who have received her help and support. A glance at her career reveals a stunning legacy. It’s well known that Toni Morrison’s tenure as editor at Random House launched the careers of oft neglected authors and directly contributed to a significant spike of Black acquisitions in American publishing. Sareeta, too, is responsible for a similar spike in the UK.

I can’t begin to imagine the pain felt by her immediate family, close friends, colleagues, and loved ones. She will be sorely, deeply missed.