June 24th, 7PM McLaren Center
Suheir Hammad, Tayari Jones, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Mat Johnson, David Mura and Elmaz Abinader with musician Tony Khalife
July 1st, 7PM Fromm Hall
Tananarive Due, Ruth Forman, Willie Perdomo, Andrew X. Pham, Chris Abani, M. Evelina Galang, Elmaz Abinader and Diem Jones with musician Len Wood
Speaking at Alexander Book Company
Friday, July 09, 12:00 PM
50 Second Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105
Trisha Thomas
Toni Morrison speaks about what the title of “black writer” means. One critic said she was “too good to limit her canvas” to only black stories. what does that really mean? It means that for white critics, being good means being white. Writing stories about black people is limiting? I guess that explains why we give props to white writers who write about “ethnic” experiences and “ethnic” characters. I always thought that was so inauthentic. Fiction is a lie, yes, but to me fiction is about finding truth and beauty. Why should we be discouraged to write about from our hearts and from our experience? I agree with Morrison, I don’t want to be an “honorary white writer”. Black literature is literature. Literature is literature.
Walter Mosley interviews Chris Albani about the context of his work. There is some great stuff here about the political and moral responsibilities of writers as well as some great notes on craft and process.
Tags: chris albani, Craft, moral, political, walter mosley
Old list:
1. Have a career
2. Live in fabulous apartment
3. Live in Fabulous city
4. Have fabulous boyfriend/girlfriend who you’ll marry before 30
5. Think often about “buying”
Please note: Career comes from the Latin word carraria, which means road for vehicles, from Latin carrus car
I clearly have a particular beef with numero uno. We’re supposed to follow the path. Stay in line. Free spirits and hippies go off course, nowadays known as writers and artists, the ones who have had to come to terms with the fact they may never make money. Today I have 58 days left as a 25 year old. Part of me wants to race against myself to see what accomplishments and goal meeting I can squeeze out of myself just for fun, just to say I did. The other part of me says fuck it, age aint nothing but a numba anyway and I have 4 years and 58 days left until it really matters.
All laziness and ageism aside, I do want a career and I want it to be one where I am paid pathetic amounts of money (I’ve accepted that) to amuse myself and others with my stories and ideas. With that said.
My new list of things to do all the time, at any age, forever:
1. Do the thing I am most passionate about
2. Find my happy place.
3. Be curious
4. Nurture myself, people and things I love
5. Open my heart to new experiences and people
Now for the realistic list:
1. Be so deeply in debt that talk of “buying” anything, let alone a house, makes you lol
2. Have a sloppy career you like OK but don’t love and agonize over your passions and how to pursue them (on company time)
3. Have at least 3 forms of technology communication systems going at all times
4. Prioritize shopping over paying off old credit card debt
5. Rent
Here I am at list 3, working towards list 2. Off with the head of 1. Off course is way more exciting. Will give updates on my success as the end of my youth approaches.
Shuggie Otis had it right when he said, “Here’s a pencil pad. I’m gonna spread some information…”. I have moments where I am so inspired (in my head) and fail to open up my laptop, too lazy to pull my journal out of my purse, daunted by the thought of the stories I started and didn’t finish and then I’ll listen to a song like this one, look at my immense library, the stack of New Yorkers and dogeared books at my night stand and I’ll realize I am surrounded by friends who probably struggled with the very same things. They did it! So why the hell can’t I? Pick up a god damned pen! Or, rather, open up your broken laptop! Whatever the method, work. Spread some information.
