Someone from my writing group, uh, the group I was going to when I was writing regularly, linked to a blog, White Readers Meet Black Authors. I checked it out and as a direct result checked out Getting Mother’s Body by Suzan-Lori Parks, on CD. So the CD is in my car and I am sitting here wondering what is going to happen next when I should be figuring out what is going to happen next in my own novel.
Anyway, I visited her blog again just to see what’s up over there and was saddened to read that some people have responded to her blog in a very negative, hateful way. Can we all just read and let read? Sheesh.
I dig the site and learned a thing or two. One thing that has always embarrassed me on the job is when people assume that I am up on “African American” books, and then I disappoint them. In that moment, it feels personal, and I, generally good at not taking things at work personally. It’s not that I don’t read black authors, it’s just my reading choices are pretty organic. One day I’m reading about Richard Nixon, I find out about some pie that his mom used to make…next thing I know, I’m reading about growing that particular fruit. So there are times when I am reading a lot of black authors, and then on the other hand, there are times I’m not reading any at all.
Funny, the day I set a goal to write 1000 words a day on my novel, I find the time to blog not once, but twice.