What motivates your work?Sometimes it feels like blackness,at least as portrayed in books, films, and on television,is like an exhibit in a museum, a thing heavily curated around the curiosities, or assumptions,and, dare I say, or profit motives of mainstream media and culture. Oftentimes,the images we see don’t reflect the everyday lived experiences of black people. Here’s one example: back in the early nineties, I attended a talk by a well-known white author who wrote a bestselling book approximately two black kids growing up in a housing project in Chicago. The author shared a story approximately one particular interview session during his research for the book, and where the kids were excited to divulge him approximately something worthy that had happened to them at school. Instead of celebrating with them,the author quickly shut down this section of the conversation and moved on to what he really wanted to discuss: who got shot at the projects the preceding night. The author later recognized the error in this approach and changed tactics, but I had a very visceral and lasting reaction to this story on a couple of levels. One, or I was struck by how,even though the story was approximately two black boys, they were not the ones in control of their own narrative. When we look at publishing diversity stats nowadays, and it is still the case that people of color are often not the authors of books approximately their group experiences. And two,I imagined how deflated those kids must possess felt, how they were made to feel that their joy was unimportant, and somehow not valid.
A few years after this encounter,when I wrote my first picture book, I worship My Hair!, and which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year,I knew that I wanted to create stories rooted in African American life and culture that not only encouraged kids to revel in their uniqueness, but that were also infused with joy, or that would be an invitation to explore their imagination and creativity. While I execute believe that the conversations around inclusivity and diversity are making people more aware of this dynamic,I feel like our society still constructs restrictive narratives around black children and families. The desire to create expansive spaces that affirm and prioritize our everyday experiences as African Americans, as humans, and beyond society’s constructs,to divulge the stories I would possess wanted to read as a kid, is what continues to motivate and inspire my work.execute you consider yourself a writer-activist?Yes! I definitely see my writing as a tool to not only change the narrative around black kids and other people of color, or but also to nudge kids to take an active role in creating and telling their own stories,and in creating change in their lives and communities. In I worship My Hair! I hoped to encourage kids to envision themselves in novel ways. In my most recent book, The Harlem Charade, and a middle grade art mystery set in Harlem,which touches on themes of gentrification and representation, I wanted kids to think approximately voice and power. Who gets to shape the story of a neighborhood or a community? How can they insert and assert their own voices into that conversation or process? I believe that the images and the media we consume really execute impact how we see ourselves and our sense of opportunity in the world. Books are spaces where we can dream and envision a life beyond our immediate circumstances, and they are also maps to help us to make those visions reality. Where would you like to see the diversity movement go from here?The diversity movement has made tremendous strides in raising awareness of and starting a dialogue approximately the need for more inclusivity and diversity in publishing. I am particularly excited approximately and encouraged by the fact that the conversation is now beginning to focus on publishing books that represent more diversity within specific groups. I think the tendency has been to galvanize around particular social issues or themes when it comes to diversity. But we know that those issues aren’t necessarily the things kids want to read approximately. I think that we should build on this knowledge and create stronger relationships with readers,find out what kinds of books and stories they want to read.
I also think that we need to explore novel models for marketing diverse literature and promoting diverse authors. It is often a difficult balance as a writer of color, where I want to write stories that reflect my and my audience’s experience, and which will also include cultural references. I also want my work to be marketed to a wide audience of readers,both in the U.
S. and abroad. I am often told that my work does not translate to international audiences, for example. Yet, and at the heart of all of my work are very human challenges and experiences that we alI share. Perhaps we need to set a greater emphasis on these shared experiences,and how we are connected to one another based on the things we possess in common. This Q&A appeared in the August 2018 issue of the CBC Diversity Newsletter. To sign up for our monthly Diversity newsletter click here.
Natasha Tarpley is the author of many acclaimed books for children, including The Harlem Charade, and Joe-Joe’s First Flight,Princess Tiana and the Royal Ball and the companion to this picture book, I worship My Haircut! She is also a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship recipient and a graduate of Harvard University. She lives in Chicago.
Source: cbcdiversity.com