Laina Dawes, author of the book What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal (Bazillion Points), is defending heavy metal against new research that suggests a link between the music and teens getting into trouble with the law.

Featuring a foreword by Skin of Skunk Annie, Laina Dawes’s acclaimed debut, What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal, is available now in soft cover wherever books are sold and in eBook form via the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iTunes Books and Kobo platforms.

Dawes is not always the only black woman at metal shows, and she’s not always the only headbanger among her black female friends. In her first book, the Canadian critic and music fan questions herself, her headbanging heroes and dozens of black punk, metal and hard rock fans to answer the knee-jerk question she’s heard a hundred times in the small clubs where her favorite bands play: “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to find other black women like me: metal, hardcore and punk fans and musicians that were rabid about the music and culture and adamant about asserting their rightful place as black women within those scenes. I wanted to find other women who put aside the cultural baggage that dictates that we must listen to certain musical styles, and simply enjoy the music that influenced us, not just as black women, but as individuals who grew up in an era when, thanks to technology, a large variety of music is accessible and available to everyone. I found many black women and have shared their stories, but I also realize there is still a lot of work to be done,” Dawes said in What Are You Doing Here?

Dawes is a journalist, cultural critic and photographer, who has contributed to CBC Radio, Metal Edge, The Wire, Afrotoronto.com and Blogher.com. An active public speaker, she has appeared at SXSW and the EMP Pop Music Conference. Check out her personal blog Writingisfighting.com.