Speech Debelle

Black Fish: how to fish, and stories of the wata, kin & community 📖 We chose our hobbies and passions for a reason. I wrote about the driving forces that shaped the desire to find peace and freedom 🎣

Big 📚📚📚 news! I’ve officially signed to write my first ever book… @watkinswisdom senior commissioning editor Ella Chappell has acquired world English language rights excluding audio to Debelle’s memoir and practical fishing guide, provisionally titled Black Fish: How to Fish, and Other Lessons in Patience, Community and Joy. Chappell brokered the acquisition with Crystal Mahey-Morgan of @own_it_ldn literary film and television agency. The book will be published globally by Watkins in May 2026 and will be distributed by Watkins in the UK and by @penguinrandomhouse in all other English language territories. The publisher explained that in the book, Debelle “uses fishing as a powerful allegory for navigating life’s challenges and triumphs”, adding that it’s the perfect title “for both seasoned anglers and curious novices”, and “inspires readers to find patience, resilience and joy in every cast–whether that be in their next catch or in their life’s journey”. Chappell said “I am utterly thrilled and incredibly honoured to add such a brilliant creative to Watkins’ 2026 list. Speech’s founding of the Black fishing community, We Are Black Fish, offers a safe space for people to come together to celebrate their ancestral history with the water. This in turn has inspired her to record her eclectic experiences and life lessons through her passion for fishing in this lyrical memoir-plus. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read her tremendous and moving memoir... and feel as inspired to go fishing as I am!” Debelle said: “It’s with great excitement that I get to share this memoir, which is a profound experience for me as a rapper. Although the written word is the very seed of each of my songs, there isn’t the voice or the colours of the music to move with, and there is absolute frisson that comes with that! It offers a subtle vulnerability that I hope invites readers to join me on a journey of patience, community and self-discovery. Learning to fish has brought me closer to myself and the @we.are.blackfish community allows me to fish, catch and cook with those who are called to be by the water as well.”

Welcome to the community. A safe place to reconnect with the water. An ancestral need. A community. Sign up and stay connected for our next hook up.

I swear as soon as I pick up this damn filming stick the saxophones get louder!! Sharing this is my millennial exposure therapy Tonight at @thefolkestonebookshop come muse and laugh and have a moment of reflection 📖 #folkestone #blackfish

to see the average person fishing in the UK, solemn, in solitude and silent; you’d think that’s they only way it should happen. But why, when we’re so full of flavour and vibes? 😎 Black Fish: How to fish, and stories of the wata, kin & community’ has a chapter on how to safely and confidently take up space - as we should - for Black and Brown bodies, femme bodies, those who are disabled, queer bodies, and others who policed in the streets. Grab your copy, your rod! 🎣 #blackfish #girlswhofish

“Just like the water, I ain’t felt this way in years.” Using fishing as a metaphor for personal growth, healing and belonging, Black Fish is a captivating blend of practical fishing guide, intimate memoir and cultural reflection, written by multitalented musician Speech Debelle. OUT NOW!

Happy Publication Day to @speechdebelle ‘s ‘Black Fish: How to fish, and stories of the wata, kin & community’, published with @watkinswisdom Using fishing as a metaphor for personal growth, healing and belonging, Black Fish is a captivating blend of practical fishing guide, intimate memoir and cultural reflection. Lyrically woven across an array of practical fishing advice, each chapter interlaces interviews and stories by seasoned anglers with Speech’s reflections on community, identity and finding one’s roots. On Wednesday 20th May at 6:30pm, join Speech Debelle and Cyndi Handson in conversation about Black Fish at Round Table Books. Tickets available in @roundtablebooks bio #OWNITAgency #blackbritishliterature #memoirs #mindfulness #fishingbooks

“I gotta finish this album” 🎵 TODAY SHE’s HERE. ‘BLACK FISH: how to fish, and stories of the wata, kin & community’ has landed. Thank you @watkinswisdom and the entire team for believing that this book just makes sense! Thank you @own_it_ldn and the entire team for championing me every time! Thank you @anapryor and @iamafreedom for your art! Thank you to everyone who has ordered this very special offering. I hope it brings you joy, reflection and adds just a little seasoning to your healing 🎣

It’s out this week! Tuesday 12th May! Congratulations darling friend @speechdebelle - I am so incredibly proud of you, and forever inspired by you. Get your copy in stores from tomorrow at @waterstones amongst other places. See @speechdebelle IG for other places to buy, as well as upcoming talks and events. Always a shout out to wonderful @iamafreedom for their incredible illustrations and talent on this project! 🐟💙 #bookdesign #blackfish #speechdebelle #newpublication #author

Two signed copies and launch party access next week in London 🔌 Just comment ‘BLACK FISH’ and tag who’s you’d bring with you and they’re yours 🎣

One week until release day! I have 2 tickets for the London book release (south London) on May 14th plus 2 signed copies for you. COMMENT ‘I am Black Fish’ and tag someone you’d bring with you in the comments to win 🎣 #blackfish #healingyourself

‘BLACK FISH: how to fish, and stories of the wata, kin & community.’ Available wherever you get your books now! Video of a fisherman on Lake Malawi 🇲🇼 #blackfish #healingyourself #bigbang