October 1, 2024
First published in 2022 in a limited run from a small press, this book from Cottage in the Court podcaster Speight (coauthor of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City, 2022) showcases Black florists and flower farmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs, allowing them to share their stories and what inspires them. With a focus on the power of floriculture, Speight highlights people like floral artist Gina Lett Shrewsberry, who sees the ways that flowers affect people and helps add a positive impact to people's lives, particularly on their wedding day. Weddings, indeed, are key; Shanda Zelaya, who was motivated on her journey to becoming a floral designer after people saw the flower arrangements she did for her own wedding, shares her belief that "in the same way food nourishes our body, flowers nourish our soul." Black Flora is a garden, and each contributor is a flower, taking their time in the sunlight and sharing their beauty and wisdom with the world.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 16, 2024
In this vivid coffee-table book, Cottage in the Court blogger Speight (coauthor of The Urban Garden) explores Black florists’ creative processes and inspirations. The individual profiles detail how florists and others who work with flowers got started in their trade. For instance, Speight recounts how botanical artist Nicole Cordier’s desire to find a sense of community inspired her to take a job with a farmer-owned cooperative for cut flowers, where she learned the “many different ways to work” with the plants. Entries touch on the racism that Black florists encounter (wedding design studio director Joy Proctor recalls how clients sometimes assume her white assistant is her boss) and the importance of representation (flower farmer Whitney Jaye discusses how seeing established Black farmers helped convince her “this can be viable work”). The vibrant photos illustrate the florists’ creativity. For instance, Speight shows off a strapless top clothing designer Ashley Robinson wove from “shiny tropical foliage,” as well as artwork in which blue flowers spill out of concrete cinder blocks, designed by Kiara Hancock to represent the beauty in her “gritty concrete jungle” upbringing. The delectable arrangements and heartfelt profiles showcase Black floral designers’ ingenuity and talent. This is worth checking out.