Beyond Fiction
The writing enterprise can be isolating and offers little feedback, so it's always a pleasure to connect to folks who have read (or plan to read) Hunger and A Love Noire when I make appearances and through email. Since I last blogged, I have been doing just that in both Atlanta, GA and my hometown of New York City.
My reading at Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe on Wednesday, September 13th, proved to be an especially poignant exchange. Occuring just two days after the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, the reading's timing was auspicious since Hunger is set in the immediate aftermath of that terrible tragedy. What I didn't know was that two of the people present for the reading had had their own stories of escape from the World Trade Center. One woman, who described herself as a 39-year-old former dancer with an internationally renowed modern dance company and part-time emergency management professional, was vivid in her description of carrying injured people from the burning building and her own flight for survival--hauling an injured person across her back--when one of the towers began to fall. The floors, as they collapsed upon each other, sounded like handclapping, she said. And the trauma of that experience--of escaping with her life and turning to find that her supervisor hadn't managed to escape with his--and the memory of the sounds and smells continue to haunt her.
Another man shared his experience and that of a close friend who managed to escape from the 23rd floor. He also shared the news that a relative, who worked at Windows on the World, didn't make it out. Their stories--the passion with which they shared them and the intentness with which we listened--gave me pause. I was humbled by the fact that my novel had been the catalyst for this very necessary sharing. The dancer had explained that when she learned about Hunger and read about my own story of loss and redemption in the September Essence, she felt compelled to meet me. The connection she felt was beyond the fiction and lived in our collective human experience.
And on September 16th I again connected with a crossection of people, both through the Brooklyn Book Festival and later on that evening, at "A Lounge Noire," held at Frank's Lounge (a Brooklyn institution) and put together by outerboroMUSIC (producer of A Love Noire/Hunger: The Soundtrack) and Nouveausoundz. The evening event was slated to be a sexy and soulful Saturday night of music that featured Marlon Saunders and LEANiN6, both of the Soundtrack. But again, it ended up being more.
In attendance was Bob Davis, whom many know as the co-owner and creater of Soul-Patrol (along with his brother Mike). Touched by the display of family working together, Bob, sent a poignant reflection to his email list, of which I have excerpted a small portion:
So, already this journey has been rich with lessons and revelations--for me and for others. It reinforces that what I do as a fiction writer reaches beyond the bounds of the page and touches people where they live. And for that, I am indeed humbled.
My reading at Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe on Wednesday, September 13th, proved to be an especially poignant exchange. Occuring just two days after the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, the reading's timing was auspicious since Hunger is set in the immediate aftermath of that terrible tragedy. What I didn't know was that two of the people present for the reading had had their own stories of escape from the World Trade Center. One woman, who described herself as a 39-year-old former dancer with an internationally renowed modern dance company and part-time emergency management professional, was vivid in her description of carrying injured people from the burning building and her own flight for survival--hauling an injured person across her back--when one of the towers began to fall. The floors, as they collapsed upon each other, sounded like handclapping, she said. And the trauma of that experience--of escaping with her life and turning to find that her supervisor hadn't managed to escape with his--and the memory of the sounds and smells continue to haunt her.
Another man shared his experience and that of a close friend who managed to escape from the 23rd floor. He also shared the news that a relative, who worked at Windows on the World, didn't make it out. Their stories--the passion with which they shared them and the intentness with which we listened--gave me pause. I was humbled by the fact that my novel had been the catalyst for this very necessary sharing. The dancer had explained that when she learned about Hunger and read about my own story of loss and redemption in the September Essence, she felt compelled to meet me. The connection she felt was beyond the fiction and lived in our collective human experience.
And on September 16th I again connected with a crossection of people, both through the Brooklyn Book Festival and later on that evening, at "A Lounge Noire," held at Frank's Lounge (a Brooklyn institution) and put together by outerboroMUSIC (producer of A Love Noire/Hunger: The Soundtrack) and Nouveausoundz. The evening event was slated to be a sexy and soulful Saturday night of music that featured Marlon Saunders and LEANiN6, both of the Soundtrack. But again, it ended up being more.
In attendance was Bob Davis, whom many know as the co-owner and creater of Soul-Patrol (along with his brother Mike). Touched by the display of family working together, Bob, sent a poignant reflection to his email list, of which I have excerpted a small portion:
"[...] So that's what the event was, it was a combination Book Signing, Book Reading and Nu Soul/Funk concert. However it was actually more because it was all hosted by Erica Simone Turnipseed and her husband Kevin Webb. Because of their presence it felt like a family gathering and therefore you couldn't help but leave with a smile on your face. It's always a nice thing for me to see couples working together, focused on a common direction and set of goals. It kinda flies in the face of how the mass media portrays Black families. Yet we know that the mass media has an 'agenda' in trying to portray Black families in the most negative light possible. So in addition to enjoying the hospitality provided by Erica Simone Turnipseed and her husband Kevin Webb, I enjoyed seeing the mass media myth about Black families once again being dispelled in REAL LIFE!!"In a private follow-up message, Bob expanded on the powerful example of family working together on a shared goal. I was both moved and amazed by his observations. Surely I knew Kevin and I to be a husband-wife duo rolling out an innovative concept--the creation of a book soundtrack--to expand my books' market while also promoting the Soundtrack project and its artists. But until Bob put his thoughts into words, I hadn't fully grasped that Kevin and I were modeling something important, something potentially inspirational to people. I certainly feel blessed to be able to work with my husband in this way, but I hadn't realized that we were blessing other people through our model of marital focus and teamwork.
So, already this journey has been rich with lessons and revelations--for me and for others. It reinforces that what I do as a fiction writer reaches beyond the bounds of the page and touches people where they live. And for that, I am indeed humbled.
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