“My mama’s family is Alabama for at least four generations. Though I grew up in Illinois, my soul is rooted here. So whenever anyone narrows their eyes and cocks their head to question how I — a Black woman — could possibly love this place, my answer has been: ‘Because generations of my people’s bloodContinue reading “Footprints In Alabama”
Author Archives: Jamila
To Have, To Hold
Judging by the way victory drained from Malachai’s eyes, he never expected another key. I guess that all-important, all-French phone call wasn’t so urgent after all. Without the espresso to his lips, I had a full view of his shocked face from across the apartment just before the door slammed behind me, and now, hisContinue reading “To Have, To Hold”
The Rumpus Interview: Connecting our Past to our Present
“Our language reflects our personal history and culture. I try my best to preserve language because it is one way we can connect our past to our present. Alice didn’t just fall out of the sky and land in New Jessup—she was raised by loving parents who did the best they could for her andContinue reading “The Rumpus Interview: Connecting our Past to our Present”
Poets&Writers Ten Questions for Jamila Minnicks
“My approach to historical fiction is to write from a place of honesty, creativity, compassion, and intelligence to avoid creating historical distortion, and I always believed that if I wrote with purpose and integrity, my work would find its true readers.” Read more here.
The Rumpus Most Beautiful Books of 2022
“Winner of the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, a thought-provoking and enchanting debut about a Black woman doing whatever it takes to protect all she loves at the beginning of the civil rights movement in Alabama.” Read more here.
The PEN TEN: An Interview with Jamila Minnicks
“The words truth and fiction seem at odds because fiction is, by definition, a product of our imagination. But bell hooks told us: “To be truly visionary, we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond reality.” Historical fiction is the concrete reality of our past meeting the imagination of our pen. SomeContinue reading “The PEN TEN: An Interview with Jamila Minnicks”
Writing to Preserve My Family on the Page
“Family has blessed my life and trusted me to tell our stories for true. To render us on the page in recognizable ways. From the first word to the last.” artwork courtesy of Catapult; Jacket design courtesy of algonquin books Read the full essay here Published by Catapult Photography by Samia Minnicks
Tracks
“Her eyes seek permission to settle next to me. To me. Yet in her eyes and slight, polite smile, there is no recognition of my face. Just the muted, demure acknowledgment of a similarly aged, similarly hued woman similarly traveling alone. Continue reading here Published by CatapultOriginal art by Sirin Thada for Catapult
Reaching Forward, Reaching Back
I jumped up with the bell, prepared to make good my escape. But as my classmates milled around, blocking any speedy exit, He asked me to stay behind. Again. It was the second time in as many days that my teacher had asked to speak with me after class, but this time, I knew itContinue reading “Reaching Forward, Reaching Back”
Practice Makes…
Working on Moonrise one last time. Loving my novel more than ever and thankful for the journey to get here. Though an artist of a different time, medium, and stratosphere, Michaelangelo approached each block of marble as an opportunity to release the art from the inside. He considered himself not a maestro, but an artisanContinue reading “Practice Makes…”