And so I always try to remind people that this was work." ? Another Listening Recommendation
On memoir: "We oftentimes dismiss women's work as emotional and we act as if craft choices have not been made in the composition of that work. The more that people with marginalized voices are able to articulate their truths, the more that we can have a better understanding of what it means to be human in different kinds of bodies." That is the truth of white, heterosexual able-bodied men, and they get to be the arbiters of what matters and what does not. On truth: "All too often we only hear one kind of truth. Sheer persistence and a relentless personality got me through." And I met with quite a lot of rejection and rightly so, like looking back at that work, it was not ready for the world, but I was ready for the world. On writing before a first big hit: "I was the only one that took myself seriously. But you know, some days that's three sentences and some days it's 5,000 words." On writing: "I do still write every day, yes. On confidence: “I think that to be a successful writer you have to project confidence and at some point feel confidence while also grappling with profound insecurity and self-loathing.” On working with students: “I do believe in encouraging my students to believe they are good writers and that they can become better writers." Then, please, share your own thoughts and tag them #HelloMonday so I can jump into the conversation.
You can download the episode to hear about it. And she had good advice on teaching and mentoring. Roxane had sharp reflections on nurturing an early writing career. You have to believe in your work, above all else. Agents may never get to your pitch at all.
The outside world is full of people who will say no before they even consider you, or your work. When you are creating something, you must believe in it before anyone else does. This is the thing that stands out to me about our conversation: Just think a second about the persistence involved in all the years that came before.
By then, she'd been writing every day by the better part of three decades. And she’s been interviewed by everyone from Terry Gross to Trevor Noah.īut, Roxane didn't have her first break-out success until she was 40. Her writing is confident-it demands that we take her seriously. And all the work that she’s done since-her novels, her memoirs, her comic books-has elevated to her the status of a literary rockstar.
Roxane's first widely acclaimed book, Bad Feminist, made her into a feminist hero. If you've been listening for a while, you'll recognize it immediately: Roxane Gay. Happy Memorial Day from the team over here at Hello Monday! We're off today, but I'm bringing you one of my favorite episodes from last year.