The following is an interview BackList conducted some time ago with Gwendolyn D. Pough, author of CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT (Northeastern University Press), and most recently, a hip-hop feminism anthology HOME GIRLS MAKE SOME NOISE! (Parker Publishing, LLC), and with Mark Anthony Neal, author of THAT'S THE JOINT! (Taylor & Francis, Inc.) and NEWBLACKMAN (Taylor & Francis, Inc.).  The interview is an engrossing discussion on the current state of feminism in hip-hip, as well as the burgeoning growth of Hip-Hop Studies in the academic arena.

Interview conducted by Felicia Pride.

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BackList: Gwen, CHECK IT WHILE I WRECK IT is your first book. Did find any of the writing or publishing process daunting?

Gwendolyn Pough: When I look back on it now that the book is out, I’m looking back with rose-colored glasses. It all seems like a very lovely experience. The many query letters and stinging rejections seem like a distant memory. I vaguely remember being frustrated and wanting to pull my hair out by the roots.

The publishing experience itself, dealing with Northeastern University Press, was a positive experience. I was really happy with the people I worked with there. From the beginning, they believed in the project and saw my vision. I think that helped, because there were times after several revised drafts of the manuscript, when I found it really hard to get excited about finishing.

One thing that was daunting about the process was trying to clear the copyright permissions for the song lyrics. I ran into so many roadblocks that I eventually had to cut the majority of the lyrics out of the book. I had cases where there were ten different people that I needed to find and get permission from to use two lines. And, if one of the ten said no when the other nine said yes then I couldn’t use the lyrics. It was also daunting to see the small percentages that these artists own of their songs.

Another thing that really bothered me when I was looking for a press was the tendency for some of the academic presses to respond that they were only publishing senior and established scholars because of the cutbacks that they are going through. It’s sad to think that an entire generation of scholars will have a tough time getting their voices heard.
 

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