According to its website, “the 23for23 initiative amplifies and elevates marginalized voices in promoting, showcasing, and celebrating the works of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color dedicated to telling stories that center marginalized identities.”  The #23for23 challenge was created by romance authors Nikki Payne, Nisha Sharma, and Adriana Herrera.

The mission for #23for23 is to elevate BIPOC authors writing BIPOC communities by reading 23 BIPOC-written romances about BIPOC characters in 2023.  These authors hope that readers can be more intentional about the books they consume in an effort to diversify the publishing industry.  Did you know that there hasn’t been a single Black romance author on the NYT list since 2021?  According to Nikki Payne, there is a “crisis of invisibility on Instagram and TikTock and YouTube for BIPOC books.”  Not only do these authors want you to read these books, they also want you to share about them—online, with your friends, at the library.

And while you might not be able to read 23 titles before the end of 2023—although romance readers are usually fast readers—you can explore our #23for23 display for some suggestions.  We’ve expanded it a bit beyond romance novels for those who don’t read this genre, so come check out the display and diversify for your TBR pile.  You can also see a list of titles featured in this display here: