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NOIRE MAGAZINE GETS TO KNOW
JD GUILFORD
NM:You started out in education, how does that factor into the stories that you write?
JG: This novel, THE EDIFICATION OF SONYA CRANE (which is my debut), found inspiration from many of my former students. As an educator of ten years, I witnessed time and time again that high-school-aged struggle kids go through with their identities. I wanted to write something that spoke to that struggle, something that would be accessible and relevant to both teen and adult readers.
NM: Have some of your students talked to you about THE EDIFICATION OF SONYA CRANE? If so, what did they think?
JG: On Myspace, a few teen readers have sent me emails. Mostly, they've raved about the book. Many said they could identify with the struggles of the characters. I've had more than a few say they knew exactly what Tandy was going through. A few readers expressed anger about Sonya's passing -- one of them called her "the great white hope coming to lead black folks out of trouble." This novel has elicited strong reactions, which I wanted, which was the point of writing it in the first place.
NM: Do you feel that Sonya’s case is the same in that regard or much different?
JG: Actually, readers familiar with Nella Larsen's novel PASSING (1929) will recognize references I've pulled from there. Larsen's novel is a about a black woman passing as white. Some character names (e.g. Mrs. Larsen, the homeroom teachers) allude to Larsen's earlier work. So,yeah, Sonya's plight was inspired by that time in our history when fair skinned, wavy-haired blacks passed as white. On the other hand, the issues faced by Sonya are grounded in a modern day context. Further, because Sonya is a white teen passing as biracial, the power dynamic and social forces are entirely different.
#4. How did you get your book in the hands of KimaniTru?
My agent secured the deal for me. Though this novel took a year to conceive and write, my career as a novelist has been ten years in the making. I moved to NYC three and a half years ago from Atlanta -- I'd decided to jump head first into my writing career. I bumped into my agent in the city. We established a working relationship and the rest, as they say, is history. Kimani Tru, as an imprint of Harlequin Publishing, caters to fiction concerning black teens. In this way, they were a good fit for me.
NM: Do you plan on making Sonya Crane a series or a one book deal?
JG: I'm working on the sequel now. The book ends with -- well, I won't spoil the ending. Let's just say, once readers reach the end they know there is more to come. After the sequel to EDIFICATION, I have two other books -- big books -- I've been thinking on for some years now. I'm excited to get going on those. Still, Sonya, Doris, Tandy, Kush and the other characters continue to surprise me. You never know. After EDIFICATION II they may have more still to say.
NM: You and I grew up in a time when most people who were fortunate to read black teen books may have remembered Walter Dean Myers or they moved on to adult books. Were there other teen books that you enjoyed reading growing up?
JG: I devoured everything by Richard Wright, Alice Walker and the usually canon of black authors. I, too, matriculated through teenagedom in that time when books about black teens were scarce. So, I read the Harlem Renaissance writers -- moved on to adult books like you said. In elementary school, I did the whole Judy Blume thing, but I can't really say I'd read much young adult literary. At the time, I hadn't been exposed to any teen lit.
NM: What is the most exiting thing about being a young adult writer?
JG: I enjoy hearing from readers on Myspace. The first email I received from a teen in Texas had me smiling for hours. I like to know that I'm sparking thought and conversation, that I'm changing minds as well as entertaining our young folks. I like the idea of serving as an ambassador for this new generation. When I taught, I learned to listen closely to my students. I validated their experiences and their experiences. I subjugated myself to their expertise. The most exciting thing for me, so far, is getting messages from readers. It makes me feel like I've done justice to their experiences in my fiction.
NM: Where would you want to see this genre go in the next five years?
JG: Well, I'd like to see more relevant, entertaining, and socially responsible literature on the shelves. When writing EDIFICATION, I kept those things in mind. On the one hand, the content of EDIFICATION is mature and risque. Readers are definitely intrigued and entertained. The content definitely pushes the envelope. On the other hand, the issues raised in the book force readers to think about identity, choice, peer pressure, and self-perception. Above and beyond having been privy to a good story, readers walking away having learned something.
I'm particularly concerned about these gangsta-stripper-dealer books. The emergence of "Street Lit" as a genre in some ways is positive. Books in this category reflect contemporary experiences and/or concerns of some urban brown people. Conversely, these books attract a young readership, but exercise little responsibility in content. I'd like to see authors taking a more in-depth, more critical stance in these stories.
NoireMagazine Note: As a Street Elite Source of Urban Entertainment, NoireMagazine.com challenges the blanket statements voiced by some authors regarding the content of street and urban literature. As creative artists, authors in all genres retain the right to write the stories of their choosing, and it is a parental obligation, not an author’s responsibility, to ensure that children and teens are reading books that are age-appropriate and whose content is suitable for their level of maturity. Instead of genre-bashing or content-restriction, our youth would be better served by responsible parenting and age-appropriate supervision and guidance in their reading, music, and television viewing choices.
Copyright 2006 - 2008 Abednego's Free, LLC & Jarold Imes