Congratulations on winning the 2024 IWR Alumni Award! You have received numerous awards for your works such as the American Library Association Black Caucus Award and NEA Fiction fellowship. Does this Alumni Award feel any different? What does it mean to you?
I feel proud and blessed to have won all of this professional recognition, and the Iceland Writers Retreat is part of that. Honestly, I’m still wrapping my head around this win, but I’m ever so grateful to be selected. The opportunity to work with these amazing writers is a real gift, and I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland.
Receiving recognition for our works always means the same: we are grateful that people find value in our craft and vision. Do you have any projects you intend to bring along with you to the workshops? And what are your expectations?
I’m working on completing the first draft of Black Rice, a historical novel that explores centuries-long connections between China and people of African descent. I’m struggling with some issues of research and narrative voice, and hoping to get some inspiration on how to address these.
Are you fascinated by any faculty members? Who and why?
I’m looking forward to working with several faculty members. I’m inspired by the work of Nii Ayikwei Parkes, who covers some of the same ground I’m trying to cover on themes of the African Diaspora. I also enjoy the work of Meg Wolitzer and look forward to her mentorship.
The first chapter of your romantic suspense novel Lost Among Strangers was one of the winning pieces in the IFW Thriller First Pages contest last year. And you mentioned how you have “been freeing [yourself] to experiment in different genres.” Tell me how the experience of writing across genres has enhanced your storytelling skills.
Thanks for noticing that! My background is in literary fiction. Some people discourage me from dipping into too many different genres, but I find myself at this point in my life wanting to try my hand at the things that interest me: speculative fiction, juvenile literature, crime fiction, etc. I have my first book contract in a great number of years for a cozy mystery novel. As long as I’m interested, I want to do as Steven Biko once said: “I write what I like!”
What emotions do you intend to convey in your writing? Also, what do you think is the role of nostalgia and optimism in writing, especially in literature that centers Blacks and women today?
All of the emotions! Love, fear, nostalgia. Hatred, angst, and despair. The emotional texture depends on the story I’m writing and what I’m trying to achieve. Human emotion is a big part of my writing, with the challenge being to avoid edging over into sentimentality.
As a retired university professor who now writes full-time, what advice will you give emerging writers about writing and seeking opportunities like Iceland Writers Retreat?
As I look back on my writing journey, I’m sometimes appalled at the number of opportunities I let slilp through my fingers and the distractions I allowed sometimes to derail my work. Of course, you have to live. If you don’t have an interesting life, what do you have to write about? There are two parts of the writing life–the creative part and professional practice. If you don’t have the creative part, you won’t be able to produce. If you don’t give attention to your professional practice–readings, publishing, platform, etc., you will find it hard to find an audience. But it’s also very important to stay focused and determined to get your writing done and get your work out there.
It was a pleasure speaking to you, Sandra. Have a great retreat experience in Reykjavik!
Thanks so much!
Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of the American Library Association Black Caucus award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Hardcover Fiction Bestseller. Her fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic works are widely published and produced. Jackson-Opoku’s work has earned a National Endowment for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, Newcity Lit50: Who Really Books in Chicago, an Esteemed Literary Artist Award from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and other awards and honors.
This interview was conducted by Okechi Okeke, a 2020 recipient of Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award.
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