Can Black characters simply exist on the page without always being expected to represent politics, race or an entire community?
That question sits at the heart of Beyond the Political Frame, a major Black literary conversation at the Cheltenham Literature Festival bringing together Candice Carty-Williams, Caleb Femi, Emma Dennis-Edwards and Paula Akpan.
The event explores the expectations frequently placed on Black writers and artists to make their work explicitly political, and asks whether Black lives can be represented in literature with the same freedom, complexity and ordinariness routinely afforded to other characters.
Leading the conversation is Candice Carty-Williams, the British-Jamaican novelist, journalist and screenwriter whose bestselling novel Queenie became one of the defining works of contemporary Black British fiction.
She is joined by poet and filmmaker Caleb Femi, whose work has become known for its powerful portrayal of Black British boyhood, masculinity, community and life in South London.
Emma Dennis-Edwards brings a theatre and performance perspective to the discussion, while historian and writer Paula Akpan examines the ways Black history, identity and representation are shaped through storytelling.
Together, the panel will look at who gets to decide what Black literature should be about, why Black writers are so often expected to explain racism or speak on behalf of entire communities, and what happens when writers reject those expectations.
The discussion also raises wider questions about publishing, theatre, poetry and cultural representation: whether Black creators are given the same freedom to write about love, humour, family, fantasy, failure, desire and everyday life without their work automatically being interpreted through race.
Taking place during Black History Month 2026, this is a particularly relevant conversation about the position of Black writers within contemporary British culture.
Beyond the Political Frame takes place at The Hive, Montpellier Terrace, Cheltenham, on Friday 16th October 2026 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
Tickets are £16.
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