Since BackList began, we've made it a point to interview dynamic young writers. Abiola Abrams, who you may know as host of BETJ's The Best Shorts, is an artist to watch. Actually, scratch that. She's an artist who you should continue to watch because homegirl has been doing her thing as a filmmaker and writer for quite some time. She just dropped her first book, DARE, a hip-hop inspired retelling of Faust with a feminist twist.  Shorter description: a damn good book.

In her interview with BackList, she drops knowledge on classical literature, screenwriting, and why she's definitely an O.G.

BackList:  How did you come up with the idea to retell Faust in your debut novel DARE?

Abiola Abrams:  All of my work has classical elements in it.  My parents are Guyanese, and Guyana is a former British colony.  So, I grew up with my mother quoting Shakespeare and through my own reading I just developed a love for timeless themes.  I am also very influenced by fairytales and other archetypal storytelling.  People used to try to discourage me from this path, particularly in my work as a filmmaker, saying that as an African American storyteller certain things may be too high brow.  That’s nonsense.  We have a tradition from Paul Laurence Dunbar to James Baldwin to Toni Morrison and Ossie Davis of people hiding European classical elements in their work.

BLACK PAIN: IT JUST LOOKS LIKE WE'RE NOT HURTING
By Terrie M.Williams
Scribner, January 2008
$24, 352 pages

By Clarence Reynolds

According to statistics posted on the Web site of Mental Health America: “Every year more than 19 million Americans suffer from some type of depressive illness. According to a Surgeon General report, African Americans are over-represented in populations that are particularly at risk for mental illness.” Overall, the disease called depression has reached critical levels within the African American community. Terrie M. Williams, a media relations guru, trained social worker and founder of the Stay Strong Foundation, says she’s a “woman on fire,” a Black woman who has suffered with clinical depression and declares, “I love my people and I will not stop talking about it [depression] and I will not rest until we can freely speak our pain
without shame.”

Backlist first introduced you to the work of children's author, Kelly Starling Lyons when we reported on the launch of the Brown Bookshelf. We had the chance to chat with this dynamic author about the young adult genre and the release of her latest book, ONE MILLION MEN AND ME.

BackList: So tell us about your  journey from journalist to children's lit author. Were there any challenges to this transition?

Kelly Starling Lyons: I was an associate editor at Ebony magazine when I rediscovered literature for young people. My job was to write feature articles and choose books for the Bookshelf column. As I read through dozens of titles that  arrived each week, I found myself being drawn to the stories for kids. I saw  beautiful picture books, compelling middle-grade and young adult novels  that spoke to me in a special way. As someone who rarely saw books  featuring black children in the library of my predominantly white elementary  school, these books were like a gulp of water after a long, hot day. I  knew right then that one day I would add my voice.

I see my journey from  journalist to children's book author as a natural progression. I started out as a reporter writing feature articles about teens, schools and  communities of color. Then, at Ebony, I wrote about the struggles and successes of our people. Writing for children brings me full circle. In a way,  I’m writing for that girl I used to be.  The biggest challenge comes in learning  the art of writing for kids. I feel comfortable writing articles and essays.  Writing for children brings me great
joy, but it’s a new style for me. I read a lot, attend classes and conferences and write as much as I can. I'm growing every day.