Meet Angela Yarber

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Yarber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.

Angela, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

As a queer clergywoman, I often found myself in spaces where I was not only the only woman in the room AND the only queer person in the room, but I was also surrounded by people who thought my very existence was an abomination. For fourteen years, I grappled with this difference on a regular basis, forming community with other marginalized clergy and academics, honoring my mental health, and setting boundaries.

When the toxicity, microaggressions, hate mail, and even death threats became too much, I opted to leave, creating a “third space” where all marginalized people can find belonging–where we do not have to deny parts of ourselves to fit. I started Tehom Center Publishing, a nonprofit press publishing feminist and queer authors, with a commitment to elevate BIPOC writers. I left the church, but abided in solidarity with those subverting toxic spiritual systems from within by creating Ministry from the Margins Books.

Ministry from the Margins Books gathers queer, BIPOC, disabled, and/or women spiritual leaders for group coaching about book writing, book marketing, and spiritual authorpreneurship that leads to a publishing contract with TCP. In the past 15 months, we’ve had five cohorts with over 60 participants and half their published books have become bestsellers. More than quantifiable successes is the spirit of what we’re doing. As one disabled trans participant said, “In any other space, we’d be tokens. Here, we’re community.”

Yes, marginalized people can find the inner resilience to be effective and successful in spaces where no one looks like us. And sometimes, we can leave those rooms and create better more inclusive spaces where everyone can see reflections of themselves as beloved, honored, and sacred.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

After nearly fifteen years as a professor and pastor, I formed Tehom Center Publishing, a nonprofit press publishing feminist and queer authors, with a commitment to elevate BIPOC writers. After traditionally publishing eight books with four different presses, I realized that *most* publishing companies simply do not support the nuances of marginalized authors, especially when it comes to book marketing. Statistics reflect my experience since only 16% of published authors are LGBTQ+ and, even worse, only 11% are BIPOC.

Inspired by one of my favorite writers and ancestors, Gloria Anzaldua, I formed a press to compensate for what the rest of the industry neglects. Anzaldua claims, “The world I create in my writing compensates for what the real world does not give me.” I created Tehom Center Publishing as an act of compensation, of hope, of revolution. In addition to publishing authors at no cost and offering royalties that are double industry standard, we also offer equitable coaching programs aimed at empowering marginalized authors in book writing, book marketing, and authorpreneurship. In this way, we dismantle the “struggling writer” stereotype by attending to the whole writer’s life.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Creativity. Self-Love. Critical thinking skills.

My advice for those early in their journeys would be to love themselves deeply and to read perspectives from those who are different. Look at your bookshelf, the influencers you follow, and the media you consume and see what voices are missing.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a marginalized spiritual activist who wants to change the world by writing a book.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tehomcenter.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tehomcenterpublishing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tehomcenter
• Other: https://www.threads.com/tehomcenterpublishing

Image Credits

Jordan Torelli