Wikiwars are afoot! (If you don't know what I mean, here's the scoop)
As a white woman novelist from the United States whose book based on the true story of a former slave who became a Union spy in the Confederate White House is told from the first-person POV of an African American character, I can hardly wait to see what category Wikipedia puts me in.
Especially when John Lambert finds out I play the accordion.
At several points in THE SECRETS OF MARY BOWSER, Mary refers to "Devil's Half-Acre," the site of Lumpkin's Jail, a public whipping post and slave auction site.
I was honored and awed to be asked to speak at that site on April 6, as part of the Future of Richmond's Past, a citywide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and Emancipation.
When I arrived at the site, the African American woman I was with -- a Richmond native who spent the day showing me around and discussing the history of the black community -- told me she always feels uncomfortable being in that spot, knowing her own family members were likely bought and sold there. Fifteen minutes later and fifteen yards away, an older white woman came up to tell me she was almost done reading SECRETS for her book club next week. Then she mentioned that she's an officer of the local UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy) chapter, and that they were doing a program on spies in January, and she was glad they could include Mary Bowser. I never imagined the UDC coming to embrace a former slave who spied for the Union. These two women did an amazing job of reminding me of the power of literature.
Here's the talk I gave. Apologies for the ambient noise!
Black History Month and Women's History Month have been busy times for me and Mary Bowser. It was great to finish them off with this wonderful interview with Francesca Rheannon on Writer's Voice, which is broadcast on radio stations throughout the US and Canada.
Why do people haul themselves across the country to sit in windowless hotel rooms at a professional conference?
Here's what I told the members of Sigma Tau Delta at the kickoff to their annual conference, March 20, 2013. I hope it answers all 3 questions. Even if the video quality is less than ideal.