Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

In a moment of frustration Virginia wrote an open letter to Oprah, and shared it with a few writer friends who are going through the same thing we are. Now the letter is starting to go viral--getting a lot of repostings and inclusions in blogs, newsletters and on Facebook, so we decided we should share it with you, the readers who have supported us all these years. We are thankful for you and we wish you a joyful Thanksgiving!

V&D



Dear Oprah:

We don't sing karaoke or dance with the stars, we have been contributing to the cultural landscape long before Jon & Kate, Britney,Rhianna and Chris or Stephanie Meyer and most of America, including you have probably never even heard of us.

We have railed against Kanye's proud pronouncement upon the publication of his 52 page book: Thank You and You're Welcome, that "I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph." Huh?

We are writers and we are in trouble. Big trouble.

I would never have imagined myself writing this with the hundreds of thousands of emails and letters the show receives, I know the chances of this one actually getting through are somewhere between slim and non-existent. But one of the mantras my best friend/business partner and I lived by in the early days, was "It's only postage." Now it's not even that. So I could not find a reason not to write and hit 'send'. Like I said--we are in trouble.

Everyone knows that Oprah is a champion of reading, that books are one of her favorite things and it is precisely because of that passion that I send this note. I'm sure you are aware that publishing, like so many industries today-especially those centered around the arts, is struggling to keep up and figure their way through the maze of new media. What I'm not sure you know is how that struggle is affecting, or more accurately disaffecting an entire segment of writers--black novelists. Not the few who live in the rarefied literary echelons-Toni Morrison, Stephen Carter, Edwidge Dandicat etc. are doing fine-they enjoy the support of the media and the "wider" (whiter) population. These struggling authors also don't include those who now make up the largest growing segment of Af-Am writers-urban/erotica authors whose books are acquired by publishers at little expense and sold at great profit. A quick look at the Af-Am displays in bookstores will make this trend abundantly clear.

The literary marginalization that is taking place largely affects those of us in the middle-much like the economy today. There are many of us who have/had careers courtesy of Terry McMillan, we came along right after the success of Waiting to Exhale and found a warm welcome and an open door for a career we had longed for but so often found beyond our reach. Terry proved, what we had always known, that black folks read, and would buy books featuring characters they personally identify with. Not that we would stop reading all the non-black authors we supported, we would just enjoy a wider choice.

Members of our 'class' include among others, Tina McElroy Ansa, Bernice McFadden and Connie Briscoe.Carleen Brice, a newcomer to writing fiction-though she has written non-fiction, last year started "December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Someone Not Black Month." She also created a blog and pretty funny video welcoming white people to the AA section of the book store.

For the past 20 years, Donna Grant, my writing partner, and I have been writing novels,7 in total. No Pulitzer or Nobel winners, but well crafted stories that have enlightened and entertained tens of thousands of readers. Our first "big book" Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made was published in 1997, has never been out of print, is in its fifth edition and sold over 750,000 copies, without any major advertising or endorsements.

But that was then. This is now.

And we, along with many of our "classmates" find our careers in jeopardy. (After 20 years, and at the age of 60, I personally am on the verge of throwing in towel and looking for a "real" job.) This precarious position is not because we write bad books, but because we all fall in the came category "African American Fiction" and we just aren't selling as well as our "street-lit" sisters and brothers. What we write is women's fiction with Af-Am characters--stories of struggle and triumph, loss, coping, love, and life, learning. But we are labeled, handicapped, before we're out of the gate. Those who are expecting urban lit are disappointed, and those (white folks) who might enjoy our work because the theme might be relevant to their life (like What Doesn't Kill You, our last book about a woman who loses her job after 25 yrs), don't ever see it because it's in "that" section and they aren't going "there." We wrote a blog about this subject a few years ago and repost it every year--because, sadly, it's still relevant. (Nov 20 entry-Writing White. http://bit.ly/3isaSI)

We do our best with our craft, but get "editorial" requests to add "more grit" or "more sex" and when we don't, can find ourselves without a publisher. This tactic has already cost us the final payment of a very lucrative contract---and a publisher. And despite exuberant praise from our editor about our new book (March 2010) "I kissed the manuscript when I finished..." we find ourselves wondering if we will get a deal for another book. We certainly know that if we were starting out in today's climate, it is unlikely we would have ever been given a chance.

I am going to resist the urge to be pejorative about urban fiction, but it is well known that most of these books are "under-written and under-edited" and are viewed strictly as profit centers. I do question what it means when books about pimps, hos and thugs, are fast becoming the predominant image we have on display in bookstores-a kind of anti-Obama if you will. What will happen when our young people find their choices limited like they were only a couple of decades ago?

I will not ask that Oprah select a book by one of us mid-list Afican American authors for her book club. I will not ask her to condemn the proliferation of badly written urban lit which would likely instigate another rap/hip-hop debacle. (While I do liken it to the crack epidemic in our communities in the '80's.) But I will ask for her attention. A word or two on this subject from Oprah, Champion of Things Literary, would I believe, make a world of difference in our plight. It might even mean that we keep encouraging young writers and continue to get emails like this one we received 2 weeks ago:

Hi,
My name is Carlie and I am a writer. I have loved books my entire life but have never been as inspired to write a full novel myself, until I met you when I was in high school. Up until then, I had dreams of becoming a published author, but was afraid to step put and do more than just a collection of short stories and poetry. Not that writing those don't require equal talent, but I have found that there is something about the dedication it takes to write a full length novel that I admire. I believe it was my sophomore year when you two came to my high school (Lanier High School in Austin, TX). You did a reading of Trying... and then handed out copies that you autographed for us. I have read my copy over and over again over the years and I fall in love with the characters every time as if for the first time. I was so excited when the second book came out because it felt like a chance for me to catch up with old friends lol. I have been working on a novel and have almost completed the first manuscript. I know I still have a lot of revision ahead of me but I thought it would be nice to get some advice from someone who has inspired me on how to begin my journey into the world of publishing. I would really appreciate it if you have a few minutes to share some of your words of wisdom and advice. Thank you so much for continuing to do what you do because you give women like me hope for my own future success.

Love, Carlie Dempsey

Thanks for letting me rant,
Virginia DeBerry
http://deberryandgrant.com

What can we readers do?

Hazel wrote: "What can we readers do?"

I'm not sure... I think that while I directed the letter specifically to Oprah because of the influence she has with the general public in every area, and especially books, she is a metaphor of sorts. We (writers) keep hearing how much our work is appreciated, but the support clearly isn't wide enough. Every week I hear from another writer who finds her/himself without a publishing home or a decent contract--these are established writers--and I just wasn't sure "our public" is really aware that, like movies, early sales are crucial. They shouldn't wait until their book club chooses the book 6 or 8 or 18 months later to make their purchase, even if they don't read the book right away. Readers can support their favorite authors early, give books as gifts, send emails to publishers, bookstores, TV/radio hosts. We have to get above the noise, out in front of the store not lost on the table where the urban/erotica has the prominent place, and the only thing that does that is sales.

What I really wanted was to try and shine some light on this situation--I just pointed it in Oprah's direction because she was so obviously an arbiter.

The other thing that I and many others want to do is to expand our readership to include more non-black readers. We need the kind of boost President Clinton gave to Walter Mosley. Without that piece we won't be able to sustain ourselves in the marketplace. Just as black folks read popular white writers--Patterson, Grisham, Meyer etc., we need white readers to read black writers and not just the prize-winners...

It's a complex issue. And it seems to have touched a nerve with many folks--I am getting lots of emails, comments etc.. So we'll see where this leads--if anywhere at all. I do feel better having said "it" because as my grandmother always used to say "There's more room out than there is in."

Thanks for asking...

I hope Oprah pays attention. She is certainly in a position of influence. For the rest of us, well, I'll certainly act on this:
They shouldn't wait until their book club chooses the book 6 or 8 or 18 months later to make their purchase, even if they don't read the book right away. Readers can support their favorite authors early, give books as gifts, send emails to publishers, bookstores, TV/radio hosts. We have to get above the noise, out in front of the store not lost on the table where the urban/erotica has the prominent place, and the only thing that does that is sales.

Thank you for sharing this, Virginia. Keep the faith.

PS, I'm so pejorative (in thought)about urban fiction, that I refuse to read it.

Thanks, Virginia, for posting your letter. If you hadn't, I had planned to do so after having it brought to my attention in Tayari Jones' blog. I know that you are writing this out of concern for all Af-Am writers, but I want to be sure that the members of the group know that you are the co-author of many books loved by readers, including Better Than I Know Myself and Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made, among others. For me, the final heartbreaking moment of your blogpost was seeing the comment by the brilliant Martha Southgate indicating that she is working as a paralegal.

Best wishes to you and your writing partner, Donna Grant. I'm hoping that the new year brings much better times for our beloved writers.

Thank you ALL for your attention and your continued support of us, all of us Af-Am writers, and our work--it means a lot to know you care and want to do what you can.

When I first wrote the letter, I was having a moment of pique and frustration. It was too long to send as email throught the Oprah site, so I mailed it. Then I decided to share it with a few writer friends who I knew were going through similar experiences. They, then asked to share it through their blogs, websites, newsletters etc.. and now it has taken on a life of its own. I hope it makes a difference.

And thank you Wilhelmina for acknowledging our work specifically.

All in all we still have much to be thankful for.

Thank you for sharing this letter and for all of the posts. After reading it, I went and found books by the authors mentioned, added them to my library and can't wait to read them.

I love the idea of December as a month to give folks who aren't Black, books by Black people. And that is my "gifting" strategy for the month of December. I already started - sharing Octavia Butler with a friend who I know loves sci-fi and fantasy, but has probably never heard of Butler.

I think reaching out to Oprah is a fantastic idea. As is using a site like goodreads to post letters and suggestions about how to be supportive. For my part, I'm buying at least 5 people books, trying to tailor it to their likes (style of literature, topic, etc) but also just trying to open some minds. I wonder what would happen if everyone in the reading group committed to gifting at least 2 - 5 books?

Thank you.

I'm so sorry that I am only stumbling upon this important thread just now---unfortunately it's hard for me to keep up with all the great discussions happening on LFPC, but I'm so glad they're happening, even if I arrive late to the party!

Virginia, as a Filipina-American writer who considers myself part of a community of Filipino, and more broadly Asian-American, and most broadly people of color writers, I completely support and can attest to the powerful (and unfortunate) truths in your letter. I hope that Oprah read or at least has knowledge of it, and that some action was taken on her part or on the part of her staff to respond in some way (and if they have, please post any follow-up notes here, as I'd love to read them).

It's such a tragedy to me that African-American writers, and writers of color who are not just going for the 'quick buck' (e.g. urban fiction, etc.), are underrated and underpublished. I myself have been like the young woman who emailed you, pestering my further-along writing 'elders' for encouragement, advice, anything to reassure me that not only could I make a career for myself through my writing, but that I SHOULD. That my voice needed to be heard, and that someone out there would want to help me tell my story by publishing my work. Little did I know that these veteran writers were often struggling to get their own work recognized beyond the mid-list, if even at that level.

One of the reasons I started LFPC was because I wanted, even in some small way, to recognize that writers of color are producing good, literary work---and if I as a writer/reader of color wasn't going to buy/promote this literature, who would? And thanks to Wilhelmina and William and Rashida and other amazing LFPC members (who are far more active in the group than myself!), we are nearly 400 members-strong. And WHO says people don't read literature by people of color?

Virginia, thank you for doing the work you do to lift up African-American authors and literature, and thank you for just continuing to WRITE! Please don't ever stop.

oh, and viriginia, would you mind if i posted your letter in another goodreads group (Voices of Our Nations, a group of writers of color)? i'm sure many of them have read your letter already but just in case, i know they'd love to see it.

Rona wrote: "oh, and viriginia, would you mind if i posted your letter in another goodreads group (Voices of Our Nations, a group of writers of color)? i'm sure many of them have read your letter already but j..."

No problem Rona. Thanks!

Rona wrote: "I'm so sorry that I am only stumbling upon this important thread just now---unfortunately it's hard for me to keep up with all the great discussions happening on LFPC, but I'm so glad they're happe..."

Thanks for your support Rona. And the timeliness of your discovering the post is irrelevant. The problem I addressed is still with us and undoubtedly will be for some time to come. It's good to know that the discussion is being had "out loud" and that it is falling on the ears of those other than ourselves who have been aware of the situation for a long time.

And while I am sure that someone in Oprah's camp has seen my letter- I even snail-mailed a copy, I wasn't expecting a response and to date, there has been none. We will endeavor to forge ahead, at least for now, because writing is what we do, what we SHOULD be doing.

Thanks again for the support, the comment here and sharing the post wherever you find appropriate!

Virginia