MargoH’s Musing
February 21, 2024
Black History Month
Go forth and buy as many Black-authored books as possible, especially Black Romance, Black Horror, Black Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Poetry, and Black graphic novels. I’m not asking you to read them, just give money to these authors by purchasing their work. Should you choose to read what you buy, you’ll find some amazing stories, brilliant writing, and rich tapestries of the African diaspora.
Margo Hendricks, A Casebook
This collection of published essays written over two decades is moving apace towards a Spring 2024 publication date. I love the cover image and the essays inside the book are rather smart. I have a couple of favs. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to gather these writings together in a book.
WIP in the realm of fiction and academia (hmm, aren’t they the same?)
I stopped wishing for an organized mind when I was young (maybe thirteen or so). My imagination refused to be regulated or contained. As weird as it may seem, I have four writing projects in progress: a historical Black romance (Jacobean Misconduct); a contemporary Black romance (Her Heart Only); a contemporary thriller; and an academic memoir/cultural history (From Cotton Fields to Shakespeare’s Negress). How is it possible, you might ask, dear reader? Imaginative chaos. I move between projects when I reach a point where the plot or the character or the setting refuses to budge. Writing different historical eras means I need to see the world, and build it, differently. Hear the cadences of voice, of temperament, see the physicality of bodies in a different light. To make sure my sense of humor is always present in my characters, in my writing.
On Blackness
I dread the inevitable squabbles that will arise during the month of February. The annual crap-tossing at Romance, a genre I absolutely love. For those who doubt its efficacy, its literariness, its longstanding importance to cultures, and its ability to give pleasure without restraint, I can only say how sad, pathetic, and empty your lives must be without a relationship to the romance genre. It is also a month when the whiteness of contemporary romance genre is especially displayed. It becomes obvious how insufficiently read Black romance authors are within the romance reading community when the same names, faces, and titles resurface year after year. There are so many more Black romance authors contributing to Black romance across subgenres (historical, contemporary, paranormal, and suspense). Do yourself a favor: add the pleasure of these texts to your life.
Diasporic squabbles
JUST FUCKING STOP
As individuals and peoples, we are shaped by our cultures (even on the continent of Africa), which often are a blend of various cultures incorporated into our diasporic history. There is no pure African culture, and we need to stop pretending as if that is the case. We need to abandon the colorism (as heavily marked in African diasporic spaces as it is) that positions Blackness as “somatic” rather than “signifier.” FFS, it’s 2024 and the ideological ropes of settler colonialism and imperial colonialism still tether our hands. Can we please turn the “hatred” and “condemnation” back on white supremacy this month?
What I’m reading this month
Christine Sharpe, Ordinary Notes
Beverly Jenkins, Destiny Series (writing a little somethin’, something for fun)
Mia Heintzelman, The Accident Crush
D. Rose, Love’s Language
A Van Jordan, When I Waked, I Cried to Dream Again
These books are feeding my soul and my imagination. If you haven’t read them, do so.
Reminder
MargoH’s Musings on Substack will disappear in a few days. There will be a link on www.margohendricksexperience.com where you can sign up to receive my musings. For those who want to sustain my efforts, there will be a paid subscription box. Early subscribers will receive an eBook copy of Margo Hendricks, A Casebook when it’s published.
