Zeba Blay

Zeba Blay is a Ghanaian-American writer, film and cultural critic and former senior culture writer for The Huffington Post. She coined the hashtag #Carefree BlackGirl in 2013 and published her accompanying debut essay collection Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture in 2021.

Zeba Blay
Born1988 or 1989 (age 34–35)[1]
Ghana
EducationThe New School
Occupation(s)Writer, cultural critic, film critic
Years active2013 – present
Known forCarefreeBlackGirl (hashtag)
Websitehttps://www.zeba-blay.com/

Early life and education

Blay was born in Ghana and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey.[2] She took a film class in high school that helped her develop an interest in film criticism.[3] In 2013, she received her bachelor's degree from The New School's Eugene Lang College, where she created an original concentration in cultural criticism.[4]

She named Toni Morrison, Janet Mock, Manohla Dargis, and Greg Tate as writers who are particularly influential to her work.[5][6]

Career

Writing

Blay's writing has been in published in The New York Times, The Village Voice, IndieWire, Film Comment, and others.[2] She was a culture writer at HuffPost from 2013 until 2021.[2] Her work has been cited in outlets including NPR, Vogue, and Vox.[7][8][9] She was a writer for the web series MTV Decoded, hosted by Franchesca Ramsey.[10]

She coined the viral hashtag #CarefreeBlackGirl on Twitter in October 2013, as a method "to assert and affirm my right to exist."[11][2] In October 2021, she released her debut book based on the concept, Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture, an essay collection on the contributions of Black women to American culture.[12][2] The book explores topics including colorism, the policing of Black women's bodies,[2] Cardi B,[2] and her insights as a working journalist.[2][13] She also includes her personal experiences with anxiety and depression.[5]

Blay announced that she will release two books in 2022.[4]

Other work

Blay co-hosted the pop culture podcast Two Brown Girls with Fariha Róisín from 2012–2017.[14]

She uses her personal Instagram as an archive for images related to Black expression, emotion, and care.[15]

Personal life

Blay resides in New York City.[2]

Works
  • Blay, Zeba (2021). Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 9781250231574.

References
  1. Moore, Keesean; Blay, Zeba (2021-05-13). "Besties Zeba Blay and Keesean Moore on radical vulnerability". i-D. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  2. Tharpe, Stephanie (2021-10-20). "Author Zeba Blay Talks Her Debut Book And The State Of Black Womanhood In America". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  3. "Zeba Blay's "Carefree Black Girls" Is an Artful Revelation". Bitch Media. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  4. "Zeba Blay, Liberal Arts '13, Brings #CarefreeBlackGirl to the Masses with Her New Book". New School News. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  5. Bero, Tayo. ""I'm less interested in being a good writer than I am in being an honest writer": A Conversation with Zeba Blay | Tayo Bero". Catapult. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  6. "Zeba Blay". Loup. 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  7. Hemmer, Nicole (2018-01-09). "How to think about consuming art made by sexual predators". Vox. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  8. Castillo, Monica (2016-02-03). "In Conversation About Diversity In Hollywood, Where Does Sundance Fit In?". NPR. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  9. Specter, Emma (2020-07-13). "I Hate the Version of New York Captured on 'The Bold Type.' So Why Do I Miss It?". Vogue. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  10. "MTV Decoded Season 7 - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  11. "For Zeba Blay, Being #CarefreeBlackGirls Isn't All About Joy". Teen Vogue. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  12. Ukiomogbe, Juliana (2021-10-19). "Zeba Blay is Putting Her Shadows on the Page". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  13. Dionne, Evette (2021-10-19). "Zeba Blay's "Carefree Black Girls" Is an Artful Revelation". Bitch Media. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  14. Gurung, Danny (2016-03-02). "Rookie » Daily Links: Two Brown Girls Return Edition". www.rookiemag.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  15. Williams, Noella (2022-02-24). "What Does It Mean to Be a "Carefree Black Girl"?". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
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