Urban Reviews - Inside Out

Urban Reviews: Tell us about Baby Brother's Blues.
Pearl Cleage: Baby Brother's Blues is my fifth novel. It is set in Atlanta's west end community and features a mixture of new characters and characters who have appeared in my last two books, also set in Atlanta. The book opens two years after the marriage of Regina and Blue Hamilton, who were the main characters in Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do. Their impending parenthood is causing Regina to have some second thoughts about the role her husband plays in keeping their neighborhood safe and peaceful. The arrival of a young Army deserter unsettles the small community and sets in motion a number of surprising events among the characters and within their often overlapping relationships.

Urban Reviews: How did you come up with the idea for this novel?
Pearl Cleage: I wanted to continue telling Blue and Regina's love story as well as continuing to chart the evolution of the West End community as a semi-real location. Because of the major upheavals going on all over the world, I wanted to ground the story in what is really happening in the news today. That's why Baby Brother is a soldier having to deal with being sent to Iraq and Zora is an anti war activist. I wanted to continue exploring the character of Aunt Abbie, the "post-menopausal visionary", who was also introduced in Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do. At sixty, she is getting ready to take Peachy Nolan as her lover, a prospect that both delights and terrifies her. As a writer, I am enjoying being able to bring a community to life, book by book, layer by layer. Each book allows the reader to see the place more clearly as they characters continue to grow, evolve and develop.

Urban Reviews: You are currently teaching a class at Spelman College. What subject are you teaching and what made you decide to do this?
Pearl Cleage: I am teaching a class exploring autobiography as a tool for communicating ideas of sisterhood. The class is based in the Women's Research and Resource Center. I am teaching at Spelman this year and next as a Cosby Endowed Professor in the Humanities. This program is made possible by a special grant from William and Camille Cosby which allows Spelman to bring people to the campus who would not ordinarily be teaching there. We are charged with teaching and stimulating thought and discussion on the campus through lectures, readings and special events. I am a graduate of Spelman College and I was honored to be chosen as a Cosby Chair. I have taught at several colleges but for the last few years, I have concentrated on writing and touring. This appointment gives me a chance to have some direct communication with a whole community of young women. That is very exciting for me and, I hope, informative for them.

Urban Reviews: Have you considered being a mentor to aspiring authors?
Pearl Cleage: I am currently mentoring young writers as part of my role at Spelman College. I also do frequent residencies at colleges and universities where I conduct workshops for young writers.

Urban Reviews: What is your stance on the state of the current African-American book industry?
Pearl Cleage: I'm not sure what you mean by African American book industry. I think there are some wonderful African American books being published and some awful ones being published as well. I do not find this unusual. There are good books and bad books being published by and for every racial and religious group. I think the problem we have as African American writers and readers is that we feel that there should be some kind of quality control in place that will keep publishers from publishing "bad" books by African American authors. I don't think we can do this. I think if some readers want "ghetto fiction", some publishers will publish it. Many people are in the book publishing business to make money, not to enlighten readers and strengthen community. It is depressing to see these poorly written books on the same table with great works of fiction under the heading "African American Fiction", but that can be remedied by speaking to the manager of the bookstore in question. Bookstores don't want to offend customers or readers and may be open to changing a display that is offensive. I think it is wonderful that we have so many more black books being published now than we had twenty years ago. I think the quality of our work reflects the many different kinds of African American readers that are buying books. Some want great literature, some want an inspiring true story, some want a hot romance or a mystery/thriller, and some want something that reaffirms their faith. I think all of these are fine. I celebrate the diversity in our writers and readers.

Urban Reviews: Two of your novels (Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do and What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day) were selected for Good Morning America Read This and Oprah Book Club selections. Do you feel pressure when writing subsequent titles after experiencing all of that exposure?
Pearl Cleage: I didn't feel any pressure because of the exposure. The exposure was wonderful. Being selected by Oprah's Book Club brought my work to the attention of millions of people, many of whom went out and bought the book. The exposure on Good Morning America made an impact, too. That was very positive. I got a number of great letters from people who would never have been exposed to my work without this publicity. But the exposure and book sales didn't make me feel pressure as a writer. The pressure of writing well and telling the truth as you know it to be, doesn't change if you sell one book or one million books. There is always that moment when you're getting ready to start another book when you say to yourself: "What am I talking about?" This is the question at the heart of the story you will decide to tell and it is always challenging, exciting, terrifying and private.

Urban Reviews: Are your books now looked at more critically as a result of this exposure?
Pearl Cleage: I don't think my books are looked at differently because of their commercial success. I think people evaluate them on the basis of whether or not they tell a good story about some characters readers can care about. Any people who are aware of the books being picked by Oprah's Book Club or Good Morning America are always quick to congratulate me. There is never a negative response to the exposure. People are proud to see a hometown girl make good!

Urban Reviews: What is the key to sustaining a long successful career as an author?
Pearl Cleage: I think discipline and focus are critical to maintaining a long term career as an author. It never gets any easier to write good books. That is the first challenge. You have to want to push yourself to write well, to tell the truth, to look deeply into human behavior. That is the writer's job, I think, and it's hard work. Some people can sustain that energy for one book, or two, but they are not able to sustain that focus and concentration for "the long haul". You have to want to write more than anything else in the world or you'll find another job! The second challenge is to learn how to handle your business when you interact with publishers. Having a good agent who can help you is critical. Making art and doing business are two very different skills and writer's without good representation are much more vulnerable to making bad deals.

Urban Reviews: Are you working on any upcoming projects?
Pearl Cleage: For the next few months, I'm concentrating on my work at Spelman and touring with Baby Brother's Blues. After that, I'm looking forward to doing some traveling with my poem "We Speak Your Names", which I wrote for Oprah's Legends Weekend and which will be published this Spring. This summer, I'll be getting started on another novel. An idea is just beginning to form so I'm happy about that!

Urban Reviews: What advice would you give to someone wanting to jump into the business?
Pearl Cleage: I would say don't do it. Jumping into anything is rarely a good idea. Without some planning and direction, that initial enthusiasm can rarely sustain you when the realities of the art and the business come crashing down around the would be author's ears. I think for someone who wants to write, I would say start writing! Start keeping a journal and being rigorous with yourself about what you think. Get a good writing book and do the exercises the author suggests. (Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a good one.) Find a writing group or workshop where other writers gather to read and critique their work. It's easier to keep writing when there are others around you struggling to do the same thing. I'd say read all the good books you can. Study other good writers by trying to figure out how they did what they did. Start reading book reviews wherever you find them. Most importantly, write something every day. If you are serious about writing, you have to start doing it regularly. It has to become a habit. Start with one hour a day. If you have to get up earlier in the morning, do it. The results will be well worth it. For someone who is interested in the business of publishing, I would say, got to business school and study all the ways to run a successful business. Don't think that loving books and reading will sustain a career in publishing. The more you know about the business, the more you can make an impact in whatever area of it you are drawn to pursue.