Booth Books

There are presently no open calls for submissions.

Birth of the White House Cool: Reflections on the Obama Years

We invite submissions of literature, art, and graphic narratives that consider the impact of the Obama family on the past decade of American culture. We especially invite essays and poems that explore moments that enrich our understanding of the president’s relationship to modern culture, our understanding of race and politics, and/or our understanding of how “cool” can exist inside of institutional frameworks. 

About this project
President Obama has slow-jammed the news with Jimmy Fallon, freestyled with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the White House lawn, sung Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at the Apollo Theater, rebuilt the White House tennis lawn into a basketball court, and recast the “In Performance at the White House” series with a dynamic list of some of today’s top African-American artists, including Common, John Legend, Usher, Esperanza Spalding, Gary Clark, Jr., and more. Along the way, President Obama has shifted the possibilities of how the standing president intersects with current events. This collection will offer a robust gathering of works that illuminate this new intersection between American politics and popular culture. 
Booth Books