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Black Public Joy: No Permit or Permission Required
From writer, award-winning placemaker and urbanist, Jay Pitter, this is a profoundly beautiful and essential text that asserts, with intimacy and insight, our collective responsibility to protect and enhance each other’s public joy.
When Jay Pitter was growing up in a poorly designed government housing neighbourhood, her mom inundated her with public space etiquette rules in hopes of helping her to transcend the city’s oppressive margins. Pitter’s mother believed that for Black people, especially poor Black people like them, survival and dignity hinged on presenting well in public. Despite a deep regard for her mother’s efforts, decades later, Pitter has emerged as an award-winning placemaker and urban planning lecturer advocating for equitable public spaces where people aren’t made to present well or repress healthy self-expression.
Authored during a global pandemic and sparked in large part by the public execution of George Floyd, Black Public Joy is an intimate narrative contextualizing these and other events while evoking Pitter’s personal experiences navigating public spaces. She locates polarizing media headlines and neighbourhood debates in actual public spaces expertly guiding readers on a revelatory collective journey. The book explores themes such as the contemporary significance of the “slave” action block, invisible urban policies that continue to restrict Black peoples’ freedom, and the trauma of constantly assessing racial safety risks. She reminds us too of Black people’s sacred place-based wisdom and vibrant pageantry. In a book both urgent and necessary, Pitter deepens our understanding of Black public joy as a democratic right and summons everyone to become each others’ safe(r), sacred space.
When Jay Pitter was growing up in a poorly designed government housing neighbourhood, her mom inundated her with public space etiquette rules in hopes of helping her to transcend the city’s oppressive margins. Pitter’s mother believed that for Black people, especially poor Black people like them, survival and dignity hinged on presenting well in public. Despite a deep regard for her mother’s efforts, decades later, Pitter has emerged as an award-winning placemaker and urban planning lecturer advocating for equitable public spaces where people aren’t made to present well or repress healthy self-expression.
Authored during a global pandemic and sparked in large part by the public execution of George Floyd, Black Public Joy is an intimate narrative contextualizing these and other events while evoking Pitter’s personal experiences navigating public spaces. She locates polarizing media headlines and neighbourhood debates in actual public spaces expertly guiding readers on a revelatory collective journey. The book explores themes such as the contemporary significance of the “slave” action block, invisible urban policies that continue to restrict Black peoples’ freedom, and the trauma of constantly assessing racial safety risks. She reminds us too of Black people’s sacred place-based wisdom and vibrant pageantry. In a book both urgent and necessary, Pitter deepens our understanding of Black public joy as a democratic right and summons everyone to become each others’ safe(r), sacred space.
- GenresNonfiction
8 pages, Audiobook
Published January 27, 2026
9 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2026
Can I give this 10 out 5 stars!?! Amazing!! A book not focused on Black trauma but restoring Black joy! Black people are complete people, filled with beauty… this book is very impactful and encouraging and should be required reading for all. This book will be a household name for the culture and part of our own declared classics! So proud of the author for providing our world with this literary excellence! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Honestly, I finished The Narrative of Sojourner Truth right before this book. When I finished it, there was a heaviness in the world from recent (political) events. I told a friend I needed to read something lighter—admittedly, I love nonfiction and historical fiction. I saw “joy” on the cover and thought it would be a lighter read…
I love the book so much that I went online looking for more info (😂). I also was hoping the author might have the affirmations and meditations somewhere separately.
Another thing that resonated with me was the “gaze”!! 😮💨 The way the author wrote about that! Too powerful—and with the added affirmations? I was so overjoyed!
I just want to name that I planned to either listen to it again or buy a hard copy! The end where the author describes black joy in great detail, especially from the lens of our elders, empowered me so much I went to social media with some quotes!
Elated to be the first to review of this book on Goodreads! 🥳
Honestly, I finished The Narrative of Sojourner Truth right before this book. When I finished it, there was a heaviness in the world from recent (political) events. I told a friend I needed to read something lighter—admittedly, I love nonfiction and historical fiction. I saw “joy” on the cover and thought it would be a lighter read…
I love the book so much that I went online looking for more info (😂). I also was hoping the author might have the affirmations and meditations somewhere separately.
Another thing that resonated with me was the “gaze”!! 😮💨 The way the author wrote about that! Too powerful—and with the added affirmations? I was so overjoyed!
I just want to name that I planned to either listen to it again or buy a hard copy! The end where the author describes black joy in great detail, especially from the lens of our elders, empowered me so much I went to social media with some quotes!
Elated to be the first to review of this book on Goodreads! 🥳
Review of advance copy
Recommended for all place-makers wishing to be uplifted and emboldened by this wise and moving narrative -- in part a memoir for the author and also celebrating many others' successful community spaces. I hope many community activists and urban planners take this know-how to heart!
Much gratitude to Jay Pitter, publisher, and Libro.fm!!!
Much gratitude to Jay Pitter, publisher, and Libro.fm!!!
January 29, 2026
I was so very moved by this book! There were times I paused to reflect, times I got angry, times I felt icky, and times I wanted to debate a bit. I loved it. “Public space performance” is a new to me phrase, but it is definitely a concept we’ve all been familiar with at some point or another. I was fascinated to take the deep dive into it! This book is for people of all colors, genders, beliefs, etc. YOU should read it.
Review of advance copy
What took me 20 years to figure out on my own through self-study and exploration is now in a book - Black Public Joy: No Permit or Permission Required by Jay Pitter.
Young people, preorder it. Request it at your local bookstore. You need this book.
For the others, as you prepare to step into your role as an elder, carry joy with you. Tell stories that hold laughter and light, and if you don’t yet have joy to share… go make some.
What brought me to tears was the care Jay Pitter took in unpacking the history of Mardi Gras. Years ago, my husband and I traveled to New Orleans to learn its history. Museums, meals in Tremé, and time spent far beyond the tourist routes. That trip sparked my deep love for NOLA culture. The people are the best part. I’ll never forget how lovingly they shared both the struggle and the wins in their stories.
The history and stories in this book are eye-opening, but more importantly, they all lead back to finding, protecting, and sharing Black public joy. We deserve it.
@jay_pitter I felt the love you are offering our community. Thank you!!
@librofm @penguinrandomhouse and @mcclellandstewart thank you for the ALC. My smile is bigger and my dance moves are more defined after reading this book. #drpoughbookshelf #poughreview #civilrights #culturalstudies #JanuaryPagesChallenge @the.storygraph
Young people, preorder it. Request it at your local bookstore. You need this book.
For the others, as you prepare to step into your role as an elder, carry joy with you. Tell stories that hold laughter and light, and if you don’t yet have joy to share… go make some.
What brought me to tears was the care Jay Pitter took in unpacking the history of Mardi Gras. Years ago, my husband and I traveled to New Orleans to learn its history. Museums, meals in Tremé, and time spent far beyond the tourist routes. That trip sparked my deep love for NOLA culture. The people are the best part. I’ll never forget how lovingly they shared both the struggle and the wins in their stories.
The history and stories in this book are eye-opening, but more importantly, they all lead back to finding, protecting, and sharing Black public joy. We deserve it.
@jay_pitter I felt the love you are offering our community. Thank you!!
@librofm @penguinrandomhouse and @mcclellandstewart thank you for the ALC. My smile is bigger and my dance moves are more defined after reading this book. #drpoughbookshelf #poughreview #civilrights #culturalstudies #JanuaryPagesChallenge @the.storygraph
March 13, 2026
Loverly insights into the way we inhabit space and the ways that black people need more opportunities to experience public joy.
I listened to the audiobook, and the pacing was quite clunky and awkward throughout. I was surprised to see that the author recorded it herself because the language seemed to feel unfamiliar and stilted. I think I would much rather enjoy reading this instead of listening.
I listened to the audiobook, and the pacing was quite clunky and awkward throughout. I was surprised to see that the author recorded it herself because the language seemed to feel unfamiliar and stilted. I think I would much rather enjoy reading this instead of listening.
February 3, 2026
Thank you to Libro.fm for access to this audiobook. It was a bit jarring how much I resonated with this book. It gave insight into why I have felt so guarded moving in the world. It gave me validation and the ‘green light’ to live fully and freely. To show up authentically and unapologetically. Here is the book I didn’t know I needed. Loved it😊
January 31, 2026
"Surely if inter-generational traumas can exist, so can inter-generational joy." This was the perfect transition into Black History Month. *ALC from Libro.fm
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews