Alina Stefanescu talks to Birmingham author Monique L. Jones about her new book, her web magazine, amazing Black Americans, and promoting a nonfiction book during a time of pandemic.

Author Monique L. Jones.

Because I got to hear you read and share at the book launch The Book of Awesome Black Americans, I'd love to start by asking you to tell us a little bit about your book--which is beloved in my house--and how it came about. I remember being surprised and inspired by the story since, in my mind, we write a book and then struggle to find a publisher. 

MONIQUE JONES: The book literally came about because of my website, colorwebmag.com. Yaddyra Peralta, my editor at Mango Publishing, is a fan of my writing, and she thought of me for this book, which is the second in Mango’s “The Book of Awesome” series. After the editorial team decided between me and another writer in the running, I was officially given the opportunity to write the book. 

I’d always wanted to write a book, but I never knew when that opportunity would come. On the practical, non-spiritual side of things, this goes to show how important putting your best work out there is, as well as making lasting connections, because you never know when an opportunity will strike. But I also count this as a spiritual lesson for me--God had placed the will to write a book on my heart because He knew I could do it, and sought to give me that opportunity specifically at a low point in my life. I’d been--and still am, frankly--dealing with depression and anxiety after a terrible situation at a former job, and I was doubting my abilities, my mind, and even my purpose for living. It was during this dark night of the soul that I was given the responsibility to write this book and use it as an opportunity to give back to future generations so they can be better than the generations that have come before them. That responsibility is something I’ve always wanted to take on, and it’s fascinating to me that the opportunity to put my mission into practice came when I was doubting if I was the right vessel for such a task. It’s a lesson that I’m still learning from and accepting today, even as I write this response. 

This story means so much--it testifies to many things, including the value of having a blog or creating a web magazine that makes space for the writing you want to do in the world. I don't think we can ever imagine who is reading us, or how that will create opportunities, as you said. How did Color Web Mag come about? And how do you decide what to feature? What are your favorite topics? 

Just Add Color’s original iteration, Moniqueblog, started between my sophomore and junior years of college, after my mom said she thought I’d be good at writing about entertainment because of my love for movies and television. I was already the editor-in-chief of UAB’s paper, the Kaleidoscope, so I worked on my blog in between my time at the Kaleidoscope. 

At first my site was generic, more in line with general entertainment news, but it was after a negative comment on a post I made about the then-upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a Nickelodeon animated series focusing on Asian and Indigenous characters, that I began to think about how race and culture are reflected in entertainment. Even though the animated characters were non-white, most of the actors chosen from the roles were white. 

The negative comment focused on how I had initially excused away some of the bad casting decisions as “people being right for the job,” when in actuality, the casting decisions reflected how racially and culturally biased Hollywood can be, even with an Indian-American, M. Night Shyamalan, as the director. Internally, as I was writing the post, I didn’t agree with the casting choices either, but the comment made me realize how I’d still internalized the harmful thought of non-POC actors somehow being “better” for the role based on “talent” rather than recognizing the racist systems in place that keep POC actors from even being considered for POC roles. It was then that I decided to turn my site into a place for my own self-discovery as well as an avenue where readers can learn along with me. I’ve always used entertainment to learn more about myself as well as the world around me, so the comment presented a challenge to me to bring that personal habit to my website. I’ve kept that challenge alive with Just Add Color as well, applying all of the knowledge I’ve gained to give my commentary on Hollywood and how it intersects with our societal ideas about race and culture. 

One of my favorite parts of my old site was when I wrote a series of articles on Hadji from Jonny Quest and its ‘90s sequel series, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Through that series, I hoped to teach viewers more about India through Hadji’s character, including learning more about his home country, Bangalore, Sabu--the ‘40s actor who inspired Hadji’s creation, and I even conducted an interview with Hadji’s voice actor, Michael Benyaer, about what the character meant to him as a brown actor in Hollywood. I also loved writing about the series Sleepy Hollow, which pressented audiences with a masterclass of how networks can interfere with a show’s dynamic--in this case, a set-up for an interracial couple on television--and ruin it by being too afraid to portray how love can occur between anyone, regardless of race. 

For my current site, Just Add Color, I’ve loved writing about BTS, the K-pop boy band who has taken the world by storm. I’ve written about a lot of their ups and downs (one of the articles was cross-posted to Asian-American cultural site Reappropriate), but in particular, I’ve written about how they are redefining the K-pop industry, an industry that has routinely appropriated Black American culture without paying proper homage, by actually giving back to African-American fans and the culture, most recently through their $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter. I also have a popular Queer Coded and Color Coded series in which I analyze how some characters in TV or movies are coded in a way for us to recognize difference (usually in a negative way, unfortunately). My brother Julian also writes film reviews for my site as well, and it has been great to be able to give him his first job and foster his writing voice. 

The way Just Add Color has expanded to cover more aspects of the entertainment industry--the way it identified and embraces this challenge rather than shirking it--is incredible. I've heard you mention before that you prefer writing to speaking--that writing is where you feel more comfortable--and your writing output is a prodigious testament to that. It's like you think with the reader as you write, and bring that level of engagement to your words. On that note, you've experienced having your first book launch as this pandemic began to spread. How are you juggling the demands of publicizing your book with the constraints imposed by physical distancing? And what advice do you have for writers who feel uncomfortable with in-person interviews?

I hope I have been juggling the demands of book promotion, especially during the pandemic, well. I always feel there’s more I can do with anything because I’m a perfectionist and have been taught since an early age to try to do everything to my best ability. I’m also someone who has had to become more comfortable with self-promotion despite the fact that I have to self-promote my site on social media. The book, I feel, has required me to up my game of self-promotion, so that has been a challenge. But I have done well, overall, since one of the people I featured in my book, model Leyna Bloom, actually promoted the book to her followers on Twitter and Instagram. So hopefully, along with my own efforts, I can get more subjects from my book to get the word out.

My advice for writers who don’t particularly feel comfortable with in-person interviews is to remember that the interviewer is just a person with flaws, just like anyone else. I’ve learned this as an interviewer myself. 

For my profession as an entertainment writer, I’ve interviewed hundreds of TV and film actors, producers, directors and social media creators over my near-decade in the industry. Before that, I was interviewing students, professors and others at UAB for the Kaleidoscope. At the very start of my journalism career, I was very nervous; I wasn’t someone who was used to public speaking, much less interviewing someone one-on-one. Sometimes, I’d have to push myself out of the car to go complete my interview assignment for the week. But the repetition of doing those interviews helped me gain a quiet confidence and a thicker skin when it comes to managing my social anxiety. Even though I still get nervous before interviews, the nervousness usually lasts for a couple of minutes before a call instead of a week in advance because I know the person on the other end of the call, regardless of their status in society, is just another person who has a full life with ups and downs like me. 

Secondly, it’s important to remember that you, as the person being interviewed, actually hold the power in the interview. It might seem like the interviewer is the one who is calling all of the shots since we are the ones with all of the questions. But we are like any other journalist, looking to the people with the answers and opinions to help us with our story. We are, in fact, trying to elevate other people’s stories and help create better understanding for readers. So if you’re being interviewed, remember that the interviewer is looking to you to showcase your expertise; interviewers are just there to document it. 

You might find that you’re actually a natural at being interviewed. Even though I have anxiety issues, I do recognize that I do have a knack for speaking, particularly when it comes to capturing people’s attention (and hopefully inspiring them). I think some of my success comes from just being myself. That’s the third piece of advice I’d give. Being yourself goes a lot farther in life than trying to be someone you’re not. This is advice I have to constantly give myself in other areas of my life, because I realize that part of my anxiety comes from the false belief of thinking I’m not enough. But if you are yourself, you are at your most authentic, and people can connect to folks who are authentic and real. 

Monique with her sister, Alabama poet Ashley M. Jones at Thank-You Books in Birmingham.

“We are, in fact, trying to elevate other people’s stories and help create better understanding for readers. So if you’re being interviewed, remember that the interviewer is looking to you to showcase your expertise; interviewers are just there to document it. ”

— Monique Jones

From Black American Environmentalists to little-known Civil Rights leaders, your book covers so many important historical and contemporary persons. If you had to pick to Black Americans from your book that inspired you and that you wish people knew more about, who would they be and why?

I’d pick Ron Finley, a master of urban and guerilla gardening. He reminds me a lot of my dad in the sense that both are passionate about putting something good back into the earth. I’ve written in another post, before I was even approached about writing a book, about how my dad’s gardening is inspiring because of how it shows how the simple garden can give so much back to families, nature and the world. My dad can take almost any piece of our back and front yards and make something spectacular. For instance, a part of my parents’ backyard used to support a large child’s wooden fort, built by the home’s former owners. My dad tore down the fort and used the wood as a frame for a large garden. He recreated some other dead space near the new garden into a flower garden, complete with large sunflowers. That’s just two of the gardens in my parents’ backyard. 

Finley gives me the same feeling with how he is able to reclaim dead spots of grass near a neighborhood curb and use it as a small vegetable garden. In turn, those multiple dead spaces he’s able to reclaim can produce food for low-income families, beautify neighborhoods left behind or seen as “unworthy,” and inspire others, especially younger people, to take care of nature. His work also teaches that nothing is ever without value, a lesson that goes beyond just thinking about the environment. Everyone and everything has the ability to contribute something meaningful to life, if they are nurtured and given a chance. Finley gives that chance to his community, and we should take that lesson and implant it in our own communities (and in ourselves) as well. 

Another Black American I had to include was Tamron Hall. I would watch her on MSNBC nearly every day, and I’ve been a fan of her new talk show. Her commitment to journalistic excellence and integrity is something I really admire, and I hope I am imbuing those qualities in my own work. I hope that one day, I can put my book in her hands to tell her how much her work has meant to my career and how I have looked up to her as a beacon for Black female journalists like myself. 

Apart from Just Add Color, are you working on any other projects right now? If you could publish your dream book--the book that you got to fill in any way you wanted--what would it be about and why? 

I’m always working on my site and I’m trying to keep a promise to myself to get back into writing screenplays, something I used to do in college. A dream goal is to have a screenplay of mine optioned for a film or television series. I’m also working on rebuilding my drawing and painting hobbies; I’ve drawn ever since I was 5 years old and I went to the Alabama School of Fine Arts for visual art. But demands for work and adulthood have gotten me out of my long-standing drawing habit. So I’m working on re-aligning myself with my former passions that helped me understand myself in the world. 

My dream book--something I’m going to eventually make happen, I hope--is a YA book series about Black nouveau riche in 18th century England. I love watching period dramas and I love 18th century fashion history among other fashion periods--a book I’d recommend for anyone who loves that period is Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber. I also love the idea of exploring what Black people were doing at this time, because not everyone was a slave, servant, or even poor. One person I will look to when writing this book is the life of Mary Fillis, a 16th century Black Spanish woman who was a servant in England before working her way up to becoming a highly sought-after dressmaker. The BBC has many more clips about under-reported Black history (as well as this Facebook video that links most of the clips in one quick post).

I also have a screenplay idea I’ve been working on regarding POC vampires and other cryptids living in the height of the disco era. Again, fashion--this time, late ‘70s fashion--is a big draw, as well as the music of that time and my own love for vampiric lore. I hope the story will be a creative way for me to merge my love of music, fashion and my spooky side. 

I love this screenplay idea—and your “spooky side"“—and I'm hoping we get to see it sooner rather than later. Thank you for this insightful and incredible conversation. And now, because we are Alabama writers, I have to ask the critical final question, namely, your two favorite places in Birmingham (or Alabama) and your favorite local place to eat. 

My first favorite Birmingham spot is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Growing up, it’s a place my family would frequently go to on the weekends and now that I live right across from it, it’s a place I go to for exercise and communing with myself and nature. Also, since I work from home, it’s one of the few places I can walk to in order to interact with others and feel like a part of society. 

My other favorite place is Railroad Park. Walking is my preferred form or exercise, so if I’m not at the Botanical Gardens, I like going to Railroad Park to get some sun, walk with family and watch others taking in the scenery. Railroad Park is one of the best things to come to Birmingham in a long time. 

My favorite local place to eat is Taj India. Even though I’m not part of the culture, I always feel at home inside Taj India, and the food always makes me feel like I’m eating a mother’s home-cooked meal. Taj India is definitely a comfort food place for me.  

Thank you so much for the time and insight you offer in this interview. As for readers, don’t miss out on the latest from Just Add Color, and make sure to get a copy of The Book of Awesome Black Americans to share with friends, family, Little Free Libraries, and anyone you love.

Monique Jones is an entertainment and pop culture writer, media critic, and TV/Film reviewer. Jones has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has written for ShockYa, TV Equals, Racialicious, Black Girl Nerds, The Nerds of Color, Tor, Ebony, Entertainment Weekly, SlashFilm, The Birmingham Times and The Miami New Times. She also writes about pop culture and media as it relates to race, culture, and representation at JUST ADD COLOR (colorwebmag.com).

AWC: When did you start writing?

I was fascinated with literature from the moment it started spilling from my MeeMaw’s lips. She started reading to me when I was a baby and I still can’t get enough. She read to me so much that I memorized my favorite books. By age 2, I would sit with a book, recite the words from memory. Flip the page—repeat—flip the page—repeat. People thought I was a crazy prodigy who could read at 2 years old, but no, I had it all memorized.

I was so hooked that I started writing my own short stories in 1st grade. One was about a horse, and one was about a blue wedding dress. This was the ‘90s, before such things were popular. At 7, I thought it was incredibly hilarious to write about a literally blue wedding dress who was blue (sad) that she was different than everyone else.

I started writing poetry at 15. The angst of young passions left me confused, and swimming with hormones, and desperately trying to make sense of everything happening internally and externally. Poetry came pouring out. I did very little except pick up the pen. I quickly progressed to reading Langston Hughes and writing my own poetry responses. 

My poetry tends to be an outlet for my passions: relationships, social injustice, idealism. It wells up and spills out whenever it wishes.

AWC: What are you working on now and why?

I’m writing prose poetry and sestina right now. I’ve been concentrating on themes of loss because MeeMaw was just diagnosed with lung cancer and the only thing that makes sense is to write, and cry, and write some more. 

It’s interesting how often that’s happened—I think intense emotions tend to spill out into writing and the next thing you know, the computer screen is a complete blur and you’re doing everything you can to see the words as you type them. I remember writing my thesis for my English Master’s at the University of South Alabama. Since I was concentrating in Creative Writing, I  wrote a memoir with poetry at the beginning of each chapter and analysis at the end of each chapter. It’s collage style, with the central story focusing on my trip through Europe at age 16, and thematically related flashbacks throughout.

I began writing about Austria and how I bought my mom a souvenir with an Edelweiss because she loved that song in The Sound of Music. I thought that was the gist of it, until I found myself blubbering on about how my mother had always dreamed of visiting Austria and how I freaked out when she mentioned going with me and my school friends because she would totally cramp my style. It hit me out of nowhere that I was a selfish person—an absolute spoiled brat who had robbed her mother of her dreams when she’d done nothing but encourage mine. The tears flowed and flowed, and the writing was my most honest work.

Catharsis aside, funny stuff happens too, and I laugh out loud more than I cry. I remember writing the flashback that I titled, “Unbound Passion” and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. I was 4 years old and I was absolutely in love with Matthew McKinley—a boy in my Kindergarten class. I thought he was so hot. I called him, “my hero” because I watched a lot of princess movies back then and some boy was going to save me from something and make me fall in love with him, no matter what. I saw him lining up for lunch one day, and I truly could not resist him. I ran across the room, knocked him down into a chair, and started kissing him all over the face quite energetically. He proceeded to toss his head quickly side to side and scream for me to stop. He resisted in every way possible, but I would not give up. My teacher, Mrs. Turner, quickly came over and lifted me off of him. She sent me down in the lunch line and tried, rather unsuccessfully, to stifle her uncontrollable laughter. much the same as I am doing, even now as I am typing out this interview answer.

So, I am writing these things now because I can’t help it. Just the same as always. These things come bursting out of me and I can’t help it. I would never change it for a moment.

AWC: Tell us about yourself in the daily.

I am the creative director for the City of Orange Beach. I live in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and am married with two step children. I teach, and oversee programming for children and adults in Orange Beach.

I also coordinate special events. It’s a southern thing, and since there’s something special and eventful worth doing all the time, it is one of my favorite aspects of my job. I am also the founder of a nonprofit, Poetic Presence.

AWC: So, Hank, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hank Henly: I was in denial and disbelief on my last birthday when I asked Teri how I could possibly have reached my present advanced age. She gave me a succinct and profound answer—“you lived.”

I still have a hard time adjusting to the idea that I’m 60 years old. In many ways I still feel like I did in my 20s, but despite the stunted emotional maturity that keeps me feeling young, there are days my body reminds me that my salad days have passed.

AWC: Interests?

Hank Henley: Well, I’ve already mentioned Teri, my wife of 28 years (truthfully, the actual number could be anywhere between 25 and 30, but 28 feels right)—she takes up a lot of my time. (Note to whoever keeps the AWC mailing list--please don’t add her). 

Travel is a big interest of ours. Teri and I have visited 35 or so countries together—Vietnam, China, Cuba, and Russia, just to name the Communist nations. This year the pandemic has us dividing our time between our lake house in rural Winston County and our “regular” house in Suburbingham.

My rescue mutt Jasper is a 72-pound chunk of boundless enthusiasm, infinite love and complete idiocy as well as an endless source of fascination and amusement. Jasper thinks the whole COVID thing has been awesome since we’re with him all the time these days.

AWC: Occupation?

Hank Henley: I might be retired but I haven’t quite decided. I spent most of my working years in what used to be called the college textbook industry. It paid the bills, but I was on the road a lot. When you spend 150 nights or more each year in hotel rooms for something like three decades, that adds up to, well, it adds up to a lot of nights in hotel rooms. I’ve got stories about my time on the road, but the life of a road warrior isn’t as interesting as you might think.

A couple of years ago I got downsized along with scads of other great people. I was a bit of collateral damage in a dying corner of publishing. Since then, I’ve done some freelancing and found other honorable ways to make money when I’ve been of a mind. I’d probably be officially retired except Teri tells me that’s not an option for me while she’s still professoring, and she isn’t ready to hang up the cap and gown just yet.

The dream library is complete.

AWC: Tell us about your writing?

Hank Henley: Frankly, I do more reading than writing. I’m a voracious reader. When we built our getaway place, I had one demand--it had to have an awesome floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall bookshelf, complete with one of those sliding library ladders. I am happy to report that I’ve realized that dream and can now die happy.

This year, I’ve been a beta reader of two novels written by AWC members. That was really rewarding, and I look forward to seeing both books in print soon. I’ve completed three pre-published novels of my own, each in its own genre—rom-com, southern romance and comic urban fantasy. I’ve never been brave enough to turn one of my masterpieces loose on the world, but I should probably get over that.

I’ve started work on a military sci-fi, but my timing couldn’t be worse since key plot elements include a virus and civil disruption and opening that manuscript just feels weird right now.  

AWC: What is your role with our organization?

Hank Henley: I’m the AWC treasurer. Before that I served as the Membership Chair. The treasurer is the person who makes sure we don’t spend more money than we take in. That means I have to be the meanie at board meetings who grumpily points out that we can’t afford whatever it is we are talking about just before I get outvoted and we spend it on that thing anyway. 

AWC: Well this interview has certainly gone on long enough.  Is there anything else you want to add?

Hank Henley: All kidding aside, it has been an honor and privilege being part of the AWC for however many years it has been. It is a true joy serving the members of our organization and our board. It’s been an even greater pleasure to watch our members develop and flourish as writers. I’ve seen first-hand how the AWC affirms and supports so many great writers from Alabama and beyond.  AWC—you are my tribe.

As an all-volunteer group, the AWC Board wants members to get to know those who represent them and help manage the logistics of this organization. This is part of series in which AWC Board members interview themselves. We hope you enjoy it.

Hi Dean Bonner. What kinds of things do you write?

Mostly humor and memoir, but I write a little poetry when it strikes me.  I can’t force poems-- they arrive suddenly and infrequently.

How do you write?

It’s 90 percent subconscious.  I’ll take a one-line idea and do my normal routine of swinging a hammer and such while stories write themselves.  Occasionally an item needing sorting out surfaces while I work, shop, et cetera: “Use this phrase; delete that, move that idea up/down in the order of the story.”  When I sit down at the keyboard or typewriter, it’s largely just typing up the story.  I’ll do two or three rounds of editing afterwards, but I seldom change much of the material. 

What prompted you to write?

It was an outlet in school, where I was bullied for years.  I got praise for my rudimentary efforts.  Then I didn’t write anything for years, until my college work and job required it.  But those honed my skills in writing condensed stories.  Especially writing intelligence briefings and analyses.

But why I got serious with my writing was largely to preserve a lot of family stories so they wouldn’t be lost forever.  That became the book, which led to a newspaper column and magazine work, and a lot of other things that followed. 

What is your latest effort?

Well, there are two. I got a television development contract from an LA producer I met at an Albertville, Alabama book event put on my now-defunct PDMI Publishing.  Where my original memoir collection is largely humorous, with the darker side of it being the deafening silence of what is left unsaid, the TV material puts both the humorous side and dark side right out there in a sort of Southern Gothic dark comedy.  

The TV project has a working title of Tar Nation, based on my book I Talk Slower Than I Think.  I cowrote the pilot screenplay with a magnificent writer, Heidi Carroll.  Our plans to shop it around some more were put on hold when some major film conferences were cancelled by COVID.  But the pilot placing as a Second Rounder / quarterfinalist in the 2019 Austin Film Festival should give it a boost, once we can pitch it in person again.

The second project is called NC-34.  It’s an audio show in a sort of Burns and Allen format.  It weaves the tidbits of random humor that my brain spits out daily into a show that is set in the living room and kitchen of a middle-aged couple who have odd friends, neighbors, and relatives. 

Is it odd to interview yourself?

Not really.  I talk to myself sometimes, and I win most of the ensuing arguments. 

What is the best way to make your garden, or yourself, grow?

With the help of detractors. 

It’s an honor to talk to member Kerry D. Brackett, (Poet Kerry B), an award-winning spoken word artist and author who uses hip-hop and jazz influences for his poetry. He is currently pursuing his doctorate and serves as a faculty member in the Division of Humanities & Communications at Miles College in Birmingham, AL.

---

I want to start with that first question writers often wonder about each other, namely, the beginning of the writing. Tell us a little about how you came to writing and poetry--what part of it called you--and who encouraged you along the way.

Kerry B: I started become serious in writing poetry when I was a freshman at Berea College. I would write poems to help me cope with being far away from my hometown of Birmingham, AL. My roommate listened to most of my poems so I can see what I needed to edit. A lot of people read my poems on Facebook, including family and friends. I was serving in the Navy when an old college friend asked me when was I going to publish a book.

My first self-published chapbook Soul Appetizer: A Sampler was released in 2012. Due to support from family and close friends, I am able to keep writing and performing poetry today.

The role that family and community plays in supporting writers is critical for so many writers. I feel like we start off writing poems because we love it, because we can’t help it, because we can’t stop—and then entering the world of publishing can be a nightmare, a distraction from writing and investing in others. On that note, self—publishing offers one way for a writer to have more control and flexibility in the content of their book, and without tying up resources and energy in seeking publishers. That said, your most recent work is being published by Winn Publications. What would you tell poets who are trying to decide whether to self-publish their chapbooks? And what led you to move towards being published by a publisher?

Kerry B: Self-publishing was definitely a learning experience. I would tell anyone that is interested in self-publishing to make sure they are fully committed in their project. Self-publishing means you're in control of EVERYTHING (marketing, formatting, editing, etc.) While it sounds very promising, it's a lot of work as well.

I wanted to have the experience of getting published by a publisher, mainly because academia still frowns upon the stigma of self-publishing. I am thankful for having a great support group in helping me promote all of my endeavors, which is important for any writer. 

Tell us more about Birmingham--your roots, your relationship to it, your favorite places, the ghosts, the people who come alive for you when you write.

Kerry B: Birmingham is what I call home. I was born and raised here. Every city that I travel to for performing poetry, I make sure they know that I am a son of Birmingham. I look to the mountain to see Vulcan's light.

My grandmother lives a couple of blocks away from the house of Angela Davis. Some of my favorite places to go are Legion Field (especially during the Magic City Classic), Miles College (where I currently teach English and creative writing courses), and the Civil Rights Institute.

When I write, I can hear the voices of those who couldn't speak for themselves. This is especially true for topics that need to be addressed. I am also a co-owner of the Majesty Lounge in Bessemer, where we have a platform for artists to share their gifts.

I can’t wait to hear more about Majesty Lounge, which you co-own with your wife, but before I get to that, I’m curious if there is any particular place in Birmingham that is a personal favorite, a source of reconnection?

Kerry B: My favorite spot would have to be my backyard, especially when it rains. It takes me back to when my grandfather, brother, and the men in my family would have deep conversations on my grandfather's porch. It always rained when we did. I love to go to my backyard and reflect while watching the rain. It's very soothing.

Your first two poetry books seem to center foodways and food traditions. How does food and poetry mingle in your work? And how is Surviving Myself, your most recent book, different?

Kerry B: I used food references for my first two chapbooks because I noticed how easy it was to write when food was around (I love to eat). Poetry and food have an interesting relationship. Each open mic/reading that I've attended has been a great experience when food was involved. Some of our most serious conversations were a little easier to bear when food/drink is involved (coffee, alcohol, etc.) Surviving Myself was a different turn in that I addressed issues that were a challenge in my daily life. I wanted to use my writing to express my feelings and thoughts about each topic.

I’ve heard Birmingham poets raving about it, but I’d like to ask you, personally, to tell us more about Majesty Lounge.

Kerry B: The Majesty Lounge opened in Bessemer, AL in 2018. My wife and I wanted to open a platform for artists in various genres to truly show what they can do in front of an intimate audience. We've had numerous poets and spoken word artists from around the country to perform in our venue.

We just celebrated our 2nd anniversary on May 30th. The venue is also open for anyone looking for a venue for birthdays, mixers, parties, etc. 

The role of Historically Black Colleges is inspiring, and I don't read enough media talking about the way in which HBC's cultivate and sustain and nurture Black writers. Can you share a little about your experience with this--both the joys and the challenges--at Miles College? I'd also love to know how to share Miles' literary journals and groups with Alabama writers.

Kerry B: I truly enjoy teaching creative writing, especially poetry, at Miles College. It's truly inspiring to see a student's eyes light up when they read poems from the likes of Sonia Sanchez, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, etc. Some of the students have an interest in writing their own poems and love to tell me about their writing experiences.

One challenge that keeps occurring is that students don't see the financial benefits of creative writing, compared to the lucrative STEM majors. I always tell them that employers love to see recruits with great writing and critical thinking skills.

I started the Golden Word Movement (the campus poetry club) in 2018 to provide students a platform to share their poetry writing. We've competed in poetry slams, performed at open mics, and encouraged the campus to look at poetry/spoken word in a different light. The campus journal, Sanctuary, is another platform for student writers to show their work. 

You can learn more about our upcoming virtual poetry slam on the Majesty Lounge Instagram page, as well as our virtual open mic on Thursdays. We are planning to open back up for a live show in the Fall. We also have a gift shop (shirts, hats, bags, etc).

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your work, your life, and your creations. I’d like to end with one of your poems, and let you speak and share from there. I’d also like to encourage fellow Alabama writers to support by buying books, inviting speaking engagements, and becoming part of the poetry scene at Majesty Lounge.

“Uncommon Hero” 

I’ve sailed the Seven Seas 
As a United States Sailor,
Defending this nation 
That once called my people their property. 

I share the same courage as
Crispus Atticus,
Willing to die for freedom. 
Yet, I’m not recognized as equal. 

I wore the same uniforms, 
Received the same training, 
Fought in the same wars... 
But there are no parades for me. 

No “welcome home” signs. 
No chants of “USA!” 
Even in full uniform, I’m asked 
For my military ID on Veterans Day. 

I bled the same blood. 
I cried the same tears. 
My brothers and sisters died the same deaths.
Yet, I’m just an uncommon hero. 

---

Kerry Brackett (Poet Kerry B) is an award-winning spoken word artist and author who uses hip-hop and jazz influences for his poetry. Participating in open mics and readings throughout the nation, he is known for his rhyme scheme and style. His poetry is recognized to carry powerful messages, along with a passionate delivery. Kerry B is the author of the poetry books Soul Appetizer: A Sampler, An Open Table, and the new chapbook Surviving Myself. He has released four spoken word CD’s: Midnight Sunrise, Soulful Seductions, and Urban Griot, and the award-winning album Kadence of a Poetic Gentleman. Kerry B won a National Poetry Award in 2014 for “Freedom Poet of the Year.” He is also a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Kerry B has a bachelor's degree in African and African American Studies and a masters degree in English & Creative Writing. He is currently pursuing his doctorate and serves as a faculty member in the Division of Humanities & Communications at Miles College in Birmingham, AL. Along with his wife, Kerry B is the co-owner of the Majesty Lounge in Bessemer, AL. 

Alina Stefanescu serves as Website Editor for AWC.

A little more than six months ago, the AWC finalized a major transition -- from being a "Conclave" to being a Cooperative. We made that change carefully, deliberately, and with a renewed commitment to "Engaging and nurturing a diverse community of Alabama writers." It wasn't simply a name change. It reflected our attitude, what we expect from ourselves. It signaled our larger aspirations for the kind of inclusivity and tolerance we are committed to fostering amongst Alabama writers everywhere.

As communities across America are again -- still -- squarely facing the pain of persistent racism and racist violence, and as they also express their mounting anger and frustration at waiting for meaningful systemic change -- the Alabama Writers' Cooperative's position is unwavering: we value the lives, contributions, ideas and ideals of people of color, whether they're writers or not. We recognize the longstanding struggle for racial equality in America is far from over, and we as an organization feel a duty to advance that vital effort on behalf of a membership that reflects an array of races, religions, and ethnicities.

Above all, our organization values curiosity and empathy for our fellow human beings -- as those values (curiosity, empathy) are essential to any authentic writing life.

Alabama has a long history of being on the wrong side of history when it comes to Civil Rights and social justice issues, particularly as it relates to its Black citizens, who have been central to its economic and cultural development over its 200-plus years of existence. The AWC has been in existence for almost half of that history. Six months ago, we formally announced to Alabama (and everywhere else) our organization’s path and values. We pledge, now and in the future, to work with renewed vigor to help bridge gaps, right wrongs, and provide platforms for voices that need to be heard as our state and nation forges a new path toward real and meaningful change for the better.​

ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY  ANNUAL 

JOHN AND MIRIAM MORRIS MEMORIAL CHAPBOOK COMPETITION

Deadline is May 31, 2020.

Winner receives $100 and 25 copies of his/her winning chapbook.  

How to enter:

1. You don’t have to be a current member of ASPS in order to enter this contest.

2. Submit 20-24 total pages of poetry, no more than one poem per page, however a single poem may continue for more than one page.

3. Include two title pages, one with author information, and one without.  Author information should appear on only one copy of the title page and nowhere else on the manuscript so that manuscript can be read blind.

4. No need for a theme, index, intro, or acknowledgement of previous publications unless you just want to include these.  Poems may be previously published if poet retains all rights. A table of contents can be helpful.

5. Send entry with $15 reading fee (made out to New Dawn Unlimited, Inc. and postmarked by May 31, 2020) to:

   New Dawn Unlimited, Inc.

   Morris Memorial Chapbook Competition

   1830 Marvel Road

   Brierfield, AL 35035

Previous chapbook winners can be purchased through New Dawn Unlimited, Inc at 1830 Marvel Road, Brierfield, AL 35035 for $5 each. 

A complete list is available at NewDawnUnlimited.com under the "chapbooks" button.

ASPS sponsors both Fall and Spring contests as well as the Morris Chapbook competition.  Info is available through the Muse Messenger newsletter or online at the Alabama State Poetry Society website..

A still from the video readings.

For National Poetry Month this past April, the pandemic put a stop to many readings and forced the poetry community to find other vehicles for celebration. Alabama State Poet Laureate Jennifer Horne did what she has often done in the past—she mobilized an effort from the grassroots and managed to create a gift for Alabama poetry lovers.

A Little Spark, A Love for Poems, and A Lot of Social Media

After deciding to honor Alabama poets by sharing a reading daily, Horne realized she would need to use social media. So she created an event, “Alabama Reads Poetry”, on Facebook, and invited the public to join her in reading a poem on their preferred social media and use the hashtag #ALreadspoetry. To quote:

“In the absence of getting to see people read in person, my hope is that this ongoing statewide event will generate a host of online poetry readings. I also hope that we'll keep using the #ALreadspoetry hashtag for future events and announcements to link our Alabama poetry community. Feel free to include a link if you have a new book. However you do it, that's the right way--just read us all a poem!”

Then Horne slowly, carefully, prodigiously read a poem each day and shared the reading on twitter from the Alabama Poet Laureate account.

To close out #NationalPoetryMonth, I'm reading a poem by former Alabama poet laureate Andrew Glaze, from his book "Remembering Thunder," published by @newsouthbooks. Thanks for a great month, everyone! #ALreadspoetry pic.twitter.com/TbAATNcFQ7

— @ALPoetLaureate (@ALPoetLaureate) April 30, 2020

By the end of National Poetry Month, Horne had created a all-over-Alabama digital archive of readings featuring the work of the following Alabama poets:

1. Andrew Glaze (see above)

2. Brian Voice Porter Hawkins

3. Ken Autrey

4. Carter Williams Martin

5. Bonnie Roberts

6. Emma Bolden

7. Ashley M. Jones

8. Daniel Blokh

9. Ramona Hyman

10. Jeanie Thompson

11. Jessica Temple

12. Charlotte Pence

13. Georgia Ann Banks-Martin

14. Deidra Suwanee Dees

15. Kwoya Fagin Maples

16. Mike Wahl

17. Anne Markham Bailey

18. David Kopaska-Merkel

19. Rodney Jones

20. Jerri Hardesty

21. Jennifer Horne

22. M. P. Jones

23. Lauren Slaughter

24. Sue Brannan Walker

25. Ramey Channell

26. Tina Mozelle Braziel

27. TJ Beitelman

28. Alina Stefanescu

29. Harry Moore

We are grateful and inspired by this beautiful collection—and yet another reminder why our state values and treasures our state poet laureate so much.

Last year, no one anticipated the way literary, domestic, and economic life could change as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even our science fiction writers didn’t quite prepare us for life under shifting quarantine, with it’s sports-lacking spring and its absence of barbecue. Important literary events have been cancelled, including the Alabama Book Festival in Montgomery (which will take place next year) and Mobile Literary Festival (which will be rescheduled at some point in the future).

Some Alabama literary events are continuing in their usual form. For example, the Alabama Writer’s Forum High School Literary Arts Awards took place last month, with Lenore Vickery, Susie Paul, James E. Cherry, Caitlin Rae Taylor, and James M. Hilgartner serving as judges. Visit the website for an exciting list of up-and-coming young Alabama writers.

Other Alabama groups are building alternative venues for literary community which can be accessed online. The Huntsville Literary Association and the Alabama State Poetry Society have been sharing readings, writing prompts, and various other forms of craft fun in their Facebook groups. At times of social difficulty, emotional difficulty is not far behind. We, as a community of writers and readers, are working to find ways to be support, encourage, and nurture each other in hope and life.

The Economic Impact

For the writers whose livelihoods have been impacted by job loss or furlough, national organizations have made efforts to help provide financial relief. If you have been impacted, consider applying for Artist Relief grants. There are countless other organizations, both national and local, currently offering grants and aid to writers. Here’s a list. The Author’s Guild also offers free webinars and financial advice and assistance to working writers of every genre, including a #Support Authors Social Media Campaign for those struggling with the release of new books.

State Poet Laureate’s National Poetry Month Readings

Our beloved State Poet Laureate, Jennifer Horne, has been celebrating National Poetry Month by reading a different Alabama poet every day on social media. She hopes that we'll keep using the #ALreadspoetry hashtag for future events and announcements to link our Alabama poetry community, and encourages poets to include a link if they have a new book.

Today, a poem inspired by a poem of W.H. Auden's, from @emmabo Emma Bolden's stunning book "House Is an Enigma." #NationalPoetryMonth #ALreadspoetry pic.twitter.com/ujMw2DSwcf

— @ALPoetLaureate (@ALPoetLaureate) April 24, 2020

Magic City Poetry Festival

Birmingham’s fabulous Magic City Poetry Festival was scheduled for April until COVID changed the landscape. After mourning briefly, the Board quickly shifted some aspects online, though it currently plans to reschedule readings, workshops, and features. In the meantime, the celebration of poetry continues with the 2020 Virtual Book Fair featuring the work of poets in the 20202 festival as well as the brand-new, just-bloomed Shelter in Magic Reading Series, an online video reading archive of Birmingham-connected poets reading short poems in under three minutes. Stay tuned in for more on that.

And here’s the State of Birmingham Poetry Address by MCPF Director Ashley M. Jones.

PEN America in Alabama

Spoke with @PENamerica about the state of journalism during the coronavirus crisis. Very kind of them to feature my ramblings as part of a new series highlighting conversations w/ local journalists across the country https://t.co/hTpzUESxFi

— Connor Sheets (@ConnorASheets) April 20, 2020

Many of you know that the PEN America Birmingham Chapter opened last year. This put the national power of PEN in the state of Alabama, where we can promote and support writers covering difficult topics or writing against the grain. We are so proud of that accomplishment as well as its Co-Directors, Ashley M. Jones and Alina Stefanescu.

In addition to offering a Writers’ Emergency Fund to support those struggling with loss of income or livelihood, PEN America has been actively trying to promote free expression and support writers through a limited-run podcast, "The PEN Pod," to provide regular updates and conversations about literature & free expression, and provide an outlet for our canceled/postponed in-person events.

“What matters is that the poem gets written; it does not matter if I write it. You cannot humble yourself yourself. You must be humbled.”

— Dan Beauty-Quick, "January Notebooks"

Podcasts

Ear buds and headphones are the quarantined family’s best friend. Podcasts offer auditory engagement, whether for entertainment, craft, or personal development. A few podcasts that writers might find worthwhile:

• The Longreads Podcast features interviews, essays, reporting and discussion from the home of the best longform stories on the web.

• The S-Town podcast is a must-hear for local history buffs. Hosted by This American Life’s Brian Reed, S-Town is a podcast in chapters about a man named John who despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks Brian to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, and the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.

• Paranormal Alabama is Will Hopper’s paranormal podcast about everything unexplained in Alabama. If you like ghosts, thumps, spooks, and uncanny objects, this is worth your listen.

• The White Lies podcast follows the 1965 murder of Rev. James Reeb in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama, including Birmingham’s Chip Brantley, return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.

• The Moth Radio Hour is a weekly series featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, notes, props, or accompaniment. Each Moth Radio Hour mixes humorous, heartbreaking, and poignant tales that captivate, surprise, and delight audiences with their honesty, bravery and humor. You can listen it on your local public radio or stream it online.

• The PEN Pod provides regular updates and conversations about literature & free expression, and provide an outlet for our canceled/postponed in-person events.

• If you’re looking for local book reviews by a bibliophile, look no further than Jacob’s Red Star Reviews. Who knows—maybe Jacob will review your book if you send him a copy?

Virtual Book Clubs & Library Events

Alabama librarians continue to serve their communities through online book clubs, readings, and workshops. Book collectives and clubs are working alongside them to keep books and words alive in conversation and social life. All the events below are free and open to the public.

• Hoover Library hosts a First Thursday Fiction Book Club.

• Burdock Book Collective has a fascinating Sci-Fi Book Club: Imagining the World We Want to Build.

• The Emmett O’Neal Library hosts regular story-time readings for children as well as genre book clubs.

• Thank You Books hosts a regular children’s story hour and will deliver books.

• The Mobile Public Library has numerous children’s services as well as staff on hand to answer your phone calls and requests.

Writing Prompts & Free Workshops

• Ernest & Hadley Booksellers is offering a free online writing workshop with Susan Zurenda on May 28th. Register online before spaces fill up. The workshop will cover both the basics of story and the importance of genuine emotion in stories. It will also examine how writers achieve success in creating human emotion in contrast to why writers sometimes fail in this essential endeavor. Ample illustrations will be provided, some from the Susan’s novel, Bells for Eli, and participants will be given writing prompts with time to write, followed by real time feedback.

• Poetry Highway offers free poetry writing prompts.

• Those wanting to explore poetic form can play with Jacob Jan’s free online Pantoum Generator.

• There’s nothing like a walk in the woods to get the words moving again. If you decide to take a hike, please do it safely. Remember that social distancing rules still apply on trails and footpaths.

Submission Calls & Opportunities

• COVID LIT, a new magazine, spreads art, poetry, and prose using the disease's name. What makes this project a bit different, however, is that rather than accepting submission fees, we require writers to donate at least $3 to a nonprofit of their choice. Write, submit, and assist with the same hand.

• Pangyrus has launched an online series with quick turnaround: “In Sickness & In Health: Life in the Pandemic and Beyond.” Editors are seeking well-crafted, thought-provoking writing and multimedia storytelling in every genre. No deadline.

• Sky Island Journal is seeking poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction from around the world that provides culturally diverse perspectives on, and experiences with, the COVID-19 pandemic. Deadline: June 30th.

• For its “Covid-19 in the South” call, The Bitter Southerner is accepting pitches and full pieces focused on individual and community responses to the coronavirus. How are people across the south coming together in response to the pandemic? No deadline. 

• Appalachia Journal is seeking essays responding to COVID-19 for its “Mountains and a pandemic” call. Thoughtful prose related to wilderness, mountains, and river adventure and environment during this time are being reviewed. Deadline: May 20.

• The Center for Interfaith Relations is seeking “Sacred Essays” exploring “connection, contemplation, and common action in times of social distancing.” Deadline: June 2.

What follows is one AWC member sharing their thoughts on a new book by another AWC member. We are grateful to Brent Stauffer for his close reading of this short fiction collection by Joe Taylor (Sagging Meniscus Press (June 1, 2019).

“Unabashedly conventional horror tales with an understated but remarkable lead character.,” says Kirkus Reviews.

Joe Taylor’s story collection Ghostly Demarcations is a meditation on friendship, growing up in the South and the nature of haunting. Taylor’s voice rings true, with a lyricism woven from homespun cloth, shot through with threads of otherworldly gold. Only the fantastical elements of wraiths, poltergeists and the like remind you that perhaps this isn’t, strictly speaking, a memoir.

We first meet our unnamed hero at ten years old, in rural Kentucky, as his best friend Galen describes his recent ghost sighting. (The book is, in part, dedicated to a person named Galen. Maybe these stories are more true than an adult brain can comfortably fathom!) Their unbreakable bond is a main fixture around which all the events described, spooky or otherwise, revolve.  This is true even when the arcs of their lives have bent away from each other. In “Angel’s Wings,” where Galen is in the Navy, worlds away, he is yet heard by his friend in a time of great need via a rinky dink homemade radio. Not only does Galen figure prominently in every story of the collection, he usually appears in the first page, if not the opening sentence itself. In “Faithful Companion,” which takes place during his days at the University of Kentucky, the narrator remarks, “Ha! Let UK’s atomic clock click it’s loudest: what care I, with such a faithful companion close by?”

   Another near constant element of these tales is a wry humor, sometimes self deprecating, other times displayed with postmodern flair. Taylor teases us a couple times with the nameless nature of our protagonist:  in “I Am the Egg” elderly, clueless  Mister Howard rifles off a list of incorrect monikers. (We get a good sense of what his name isn’t!) In “The Perfect Ghost Story, Plus One,” when a girl introduces herself by name, our hero tries to reciprocate only to be rudely interrupted!

Underneath the humor and homespun texture of these stories, however, lurks the   constant threat of an incursion of the supernatural. Time after time, Taylor regales the reader with a charming tale of growing up in the New South; and when a comfortable mood is firmly established, the bottom drops out with the arrival of something that is Not of This World. More than once a reader might have to go back over a passage for a missed clue, only to find that the abruptness of the shift is, indeed seamless. After continuing to encounter these transformations, one develops a slight tickle in the back of the brain as the story unfolds in stately fashion. The anticipation, subconscious or not, of a surreal explosion creates a pleasing background tension that keeps the reader awake and engaged. 

The combinations of real and unreal, humorous and poignant, full fledged characters and well crafted master storyline, create, in Ghostly Demarcations, an overall delight. The exploration of friendship over time is laid across the known and unknown, in particular, quite naturally, the mysterious dynamics between Life and Death. The reader is left with a profound sense that life, with all its unexpectedness  and certainty of a tragic end, is well worth the living.