Forever for the Culture - by Steven Underwood (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Follows the construction of a new Black art movement and how creators have defined a community when that community does not have a physical space"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

THE CURATORS OF CULTURE: Celebrate Black digital art in this essay collection revealing how Black artists have shaped everything from TikTok dances to viral memes

Steven Underwood digs into the current Black digital arts movement that has shaped popular culture for the last decade. He connects this current space to historical influences, speaking to a "legacy of audacity and daring that presented us with the opportunity to redirect the conversations on Blackness back on its center. Back to Black people." Written as a collection of thought-provoking essays pulling in social commentary, interviews, popular culture, and deep research, Underwood taps into a topic that is incredibly relevant but often unknown.

The nature of the internet is so ephemeral that sometimes we forget when we do something worth celebrating. For Black people particularly, that's unforgiveable. Digital Black art has become increasingly more outspoken, introspective, and genre-defining. But it's also vulnerable. Original phrases, tweets, dances, songs, and other content are often taken from a Black artist and attributed to a white influencer. And Black creators are paid less for their work, though their engagement is often higher than that of their white peers. There is also the added risk of backlash and hate that comes with publicly existing online. As an award-winning writer with a popular online presence, Underwood is no stranger to the experiences of Black digital artists. Using his own personal stories, he highlights the beauty, vulnerability, and innovation of the Black digital arts movement.

Shining a light on the curators of our culture, Forever for the Culture narratively follows the construction of a new Black art movement and how creators have defined a community when that community does not have a physical space.

Review Quotes

"A commentary on what we owe to those who create it, Forever for the Culture is a peek into the ways Black culture has influenced social media. Underwood's debut serves as a reminder of what we miss when we think it's 'just the internet.'"
--Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online

"Let us be clear--Black cultural power is a prodigious force that some seek to quash and many seek to replicate. Steven Underwood's critical, razor-sharp dive into the realm of the new Black digital arts movement proves that assertion to be true. This absorbing work is a timely nod and a thank-you to the ingenious Black creative and cultural workers who are doing their best work in this age of new and social media."
--Darnell L. Moore, author of No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black & Free in America

"Forever for the Culture is a genre-defying series of wows: harrowing memoir, instructional manual, Black gay educational text, prose poetry, homages to literary icons including Toni Morrison. Steven Underwood is fearless in his ambition and his writing: 'I realized that's my goal as a Black artist, because Blackness is an art form. It is about how we live our lives as much as it is about why.' The vulnerability of every sentence here is the result of the kind of healing work I wish for every man I meet."
--Jericho Brown, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning The Tradition

About the Author

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Steven Underwood is an award-winning writer with a penchant for unveiling magic in the hypercritical. Honest to his experiences, Underwood has published essays on Blackness and identity. Steven was a finalist for Le Maison Baldwin's Writers-in-Residence Program. He has no dogs or cats, but two nieces and a nephew who swear they are smarter than him. His non-fiction work has been published in numerous outlets, including Oprah, NPR, Essence, MTV News, Blavity, NewNowNext, BET, GQ, Out Magazine, AfroPunk, Complex, Refinery29, Them, and many, many more. He currently resides in Los Angeles.