A CONVERSATION WITH CONTRIBUTORS OF "SURFACING" (Interviewed by The RBM)
The RBM: On your website you list 25 authors being part of this anthology. With so many authors,
how difficult is it for each one of you to express everything you want to say in the book?
Collier Lunn: I don't think the challenge of expressing what you want to express in the book is difficult
because of the number of authors. Instead, the challenge is in expressing much in a few words. Brevity is
often the greatest challenge a writer faces.
The RBM: Is it a coincidence that there are no Men part of this project? If not, is there a specific
reason?
Tasha Edwards: The anthology started as the project of Essentially Women, which is a women's only online
writing group. It was not our intention to "discriminate". It's just the origin of the project which made it so.
The RBM: The anthology was inspired by Hurricane Katrina, a very public and historic event in our
nation. When you watched how everything unfolded after the levees broke, what was your initial
reaction?
Carla Sarratt: I felt a combination of anger and sadness in addition to helplessness. I was fortunate enough
to visit New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina and have friends who are natives of various Louisiana cities.
Hearing about Katrina from them intensified the anger I felt. Seeing it on the news, reading various articles,
viewing pictures of the destruction kept my feelings oscillating. Watching my people go through that hurt
me in ways previously unimaginable. No one deserved to experience Katrina in that way.
The RBM: Have any of you been able to tour New Orleans since Katrina? If so, what was the sense
of the residents who've returned?
Nicole McLean: I have actually never set foot in New Orleans. In fact, I turned down a trip to go earlier in
the summer last year before the hurricane. I do have friends who live in Louisiana and from knowing them, I
felt a complete empathy for their feelings of loss and abandonment.
The RBM: How did the idea of "Surfacing" come about?
Janice Brantle: Everyone wanted to do something about what happened in New Orleans and since we are
all writers we used our gift to help those that were less fortunate in this situation.
The RBM: For those who aren't familiar with the project, can you talk about the book and what type
of material it consists of?
Tachiea Roland: "Surfacing" is an anthology compiled of both prose and poetic pieces surrounding the
concepts of passion, politics, and purpose. While there are several pieces throughout the book directly
inspired by the devastation, while others are meant to inspire as well as offer temporary relief from the
overwhelming weight of this truly tragic event.
The RBM: With so many contributors to this project, how easy was it to bring all of the material
together?
Nicole McLean: I would venture a guess that it wasn't easy. One thing about artists, writers especially, few
of us are timely. We tend to be perfectionists. We know in our hearts and our minds what we want to
express but it is rarely a skill that produces (what we would consider) quality work on demand. I know I
was one of the tardy submissions. Honestly I have so many emotions still tangled in my heart about the
experience -- and so many of them combine the fear and concern that wrapped me up after the terrorists
attacks on September 11th. It was terribly difficult for me to unravel all of that and write something
specifically for this book. Luckily, I happened to review some previous writings and one of my favorite
pieces spoke out to me as being emotionally on-point for inclusion in this anthology. I'm not sure how others
will receive it initially but the underlying emotional presence speaks to me about one aspect of the outcome
of Hurricane Katrina.
The RBM: As writers, who influenced you and what about this author caused this influenced?
Teri Ghaffaar: Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Sonya Sanchez; the list is long.
The RBM: Who are you reading right now?
Tachiea Roland: Open Wide the Freedom Gates: A Memoir by Dorothy I. Height
The RBM: With the book, all proceeds will be donated to the Katrina relief fund. How important is
that to each of you personally?
Collier Lunn: Personally this is extremely important to me because I truly believe much of the world has
become impersonal and lost touch with what it means to be "my brother's keeper". We should always be
mindful to the fact that no matter what we may or may not be going through ourselves, there is always
someone else in this world in greater need..
The RBM: Have any of you been published before?
Tasha Edwards: I have a self-published book "Artistic Dynamite" which was released in 2002.
The RBM: In your opinion, will New Orleans ever be New Orleans again? If not, what do you think
will be the new normalcy?
Teri Ghaffaar: It will not be the New Orleans the was for lots of people. There is too much emotional,
physical, and spiritual suffering there. There will have to be a lot of healing done before there is normalcy
within the borders and surrounding borders of that city. What Katrina did in a day will take that day and
years to fix.
The RBM: How rewarding on a personal level is it to begin and complete such a project.
Janice Brantle: I think because we are helping people it is very rewarding. It gives me a sense of calm
satisfaction.
The RBM: Finally, can you tell our writers and site visitors how to purchase the book and what else
they can do to help with the rebuilding process?
Carla Sarratt: The book will be available for purchase at www.KatrinAnthology.com as well as Amazon
and BarnesAndNoble.com. There will also be an E-Book version. To help with the rebuilding process, don't
forget what happened August 29, 2005 and the following days, weeks, and months. Write letters to your
government representatives so that more funds are allocated to the rebuilding process. The government owes
it to everyone who is or was a resident of New Orleans.
You can read more about all 25 authors that is "Surfacing" by visiting their website: KatrinaAnthology.com
The RBM: On your website you list 25 authors being part of this anthology. With so many authors,
how difficult is it for each one of you to express everything you want to say in the book?
Collier Lunn: I don't think the challenge of expressing what you want to express in the book is difficult
because of the number of authors. Instead, the challenge is in expressing much in a few words. Brevity is
often the greatest challenge a writer faces.
The RBM: Is it a coincidence that there are no Men part of this project? If not, is there a specific
reason?
Tasha Edwards: The anthology started as the project of Essentially Women, which is a women's only online
writing group. It was not our intention to "discriminate". It's just the origin of the project which made it so.
The RBM: The anthology was inspired by Hurricane Katrina, a very public and historic event in our
nation. When you watched how everything unfolded after the levees broke, what was your initial
reaction?
Carla Sarratt: I felt a combination of anger and sadness in addition to helplessness. I was fortunate enough
to visit New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina and have friends who are natives of various Louisiana cities.
Hearing about Katrina from them intensified the anger I felt. Seeing it on the news, reading various articles,
viewing pictures of the destruction kept my feelings oscillating. Watching my people go through that hurt
me in ways previously unimaginable. No one deserved to experience Katrina in that way.
The RBM: Have any of you been able to tour New Orleans since Katrina? If so, what was the sense
of the residents who've returned?
Nicole McLean: I have actually never set foot in New Orleans. In fact, I turned down a trip to go earlier in
the summer last year before the hurricane. I do have friends who live in Louisiana and from knowing them, I
felt a complete empathy for their feelings of loss and abandonment.
The RBM: How did the idea of "Surfacing" come about?
Janice Brantle: Everyone wanted to do something about what happened in New Orleans and since we are
all writers we used our gift to help those that were less fortunate in this situation.
The RBM: For those who aren't familiar with the project, can you talk about the book and what type
of material it consists of?
Tachiea Roland: "Surfacing" is an anthology compiled of both prose and poetic pieces surrounding the
concepts of passion, politics, and purpose. While there are several pieces throughout the book directly
inspired by the devastation, while others are meant to inspire as well as offer temporary relief from the
overwhelming weight of this truly tragic event.
The RBM: With so many contributors to this project, how easy was it to bring all of the material
together?
Nicole McLean: I would venture a guess that it wasn't easy. One thing about artists, writers especially, few
of us are timely. We tend to be perfectionists. We know in our hearts and our minds what we want to
express but it is rarely a skill that produces (what we would consider) quality work on demand. I know I
was one of the tardy submissions. Honestly I have so many emotions still tangled in my heart about the
experience -- and so many of them combine the fear and concern that wrapped me up after the terrorists
attacks on September 11th. It was terribly difficult for me to unravel all of that and write something
specifically for this book. Luckily, I happened to review some previous writings and one of my favorite
pieces spoke out to me as being emotionally on-point for inclusion in this anthology. I'm not sure how others
will receive it initially but the underlying emotional presence speaks to me about one aspect of the outcome
of Hurricane Katrina.
The RBM: As writers, who influenced you and what about this author caused this influenced?
Teri Ghaffaar: Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Sonya Sanchez; the list is long.
The RBM: Who are you reading right now?
Tachiea Roland: Open Wide the Freedom Gates: A Memoir by Dorothy I. Height
The RBM: With the book, all proceeds will be donated to the Katrina relief fund. How important is
that to each of you personally?
Collier Lunn: Personally this is extremely important to me because I truly believe much of the world has
become impersonal and lost touch with what it means to be "my brother's keeper". We should always be
mindful to the fact that no matter what we may or may not be going through ourselves, there is always
someone else in this world in greater need..
The RBM: Have any of you been published before?
Tasha Edwards: I have a self-published book "Artistic Dynamite" which was released in 2002.
The RBM: In your opinion, will New Orleans ever be New Orleans again? If not, what do you think
will be the new normalcy?
Teri Ghaffaar: It will not be the New Orleans the was for lots of people. There is too much emotional,
physical, and spiritual suffering there. There will have to be a lot of healing done before there is normalcy
within the borders and surrounding borders of that city. What Katrina did in a day will take that day and
years to fix.
The RBM: How rewarding on a personal level is it to begin and complete such a project.
Janice Brantle: I think because we are helping people it is very rewarding. It gives me a sense of calm
satisfaction.
The RBM: Finally, can you tell our writers and site visitors how to purchase the book and what else
they can do to help with the rebuilding process?
Carla Sarratt: The book will be available for purchase at www.KatrinAnthology.com as well as Amazon
and BarnesAndNoble.com. There will also be an E-Book version. To help with the rebuilding process, don't
forget what happened August 29, 2005 and the following days, weeks, and months. Write letters to your
government representatives so that more funds are allocated to the rebuilding process. The government owes
it to everyone who is or was a resident of New Orleans.
You can read more about all 25 authors that is "Surfacing" by visiting their website: KatrinaAnthology.com
Check out our other
exclusive Spotlighted
Author interviews!!
June '06
Vincent Alexandria
July '06
Mary Monroe
August '06
Cold August
September '06
L.R. Hatcher
October '06
Various
November '06
Melanie C. Jordan
December '06
Mark Goggins
January '07
San Culberson
February '07
Rhyme Cypha
March '07
Lesley S Munyuki
April '07
Joseph Phillips
May '07
Hannah Drake
June '07
Kateb Nuri Shunnar
exclusive Spotlighted
Author interviews!!
June '06
Vincent Alexandria
July '06
Mary Monroe
August '06
Cold August
September '06
L.R. Hatcher
October '06
Various
November '06
Melanie C. Jordan
December '06
Mark Goggins
January '07
San Culberson
February '07
Rhyme Cypha
March '07
Lesley S Munyuki
April '07
Joseph Phillips
May '07
Hannah Drake
June '07
Kateb Nuri Shunnar
THEMECCALOUNGE.COM
The Community FOR Writers BY Writers
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
For this interview, we were able to talk to seven of the 25 authors who contributed
to "Surfacing". The following questions were posed and the answers posted are a
mixture of answers from the before-mentioned available authors. Look for all
seven individual interviews in their entirety coming soon!!
to "Surfacing". The following questions were posed and the answers posted are a
mixture of answers from the before-mentioned available authors. Look for all
seven individual interviews in their entirety coming soon!!