interviews
Author Interview with Linda Trice, PhD
By Mo Gudino
By Mo Gudino
A note from Linda
WHO AM I?
I write fiction and nonfiction for adults and young people.
I received my BA in history from Howard University, a MFA from the Writing Division of Columbia University, a PhD from the Center for Minority Studies, and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.
I taught lower grades in public schools in New York, Connecticut and Washington, DC and undergraduate and graduate students at Trinity College (CT), Lincoln University (PA), City University of New York and the State University of New York.
*******
Linda Trice courteously agreed to the following author interview with PenumbraOnline, which took place via email in December of 2020.
On creative process and writing:
Q: Does any of your inspiration come from children’s literature you read or that your parents read to you?
A: I was born and raised in New York City. As a young child I could find no books about people who lived in cities until I discovered A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and LYLE THE CROCODILE. I embraced those books.
I read Robert Lawson’s BEN AND ME when I was a child. It was my introduction to historical fiction. I was amazed and delighted when I realized that an author could take a real character and add fiction.
Several of my historical fiction stories for young people have been published. You can read some on my website: www.LindaTrice.com
Sadly, a few of the library books I read when I was a child had negative, racist images of Black people. I remember the hurt I felt then and try to dispel that ignorance as I write for any age.
Q: How do you decide on subject matter for each of Kenya’s stories?
A: One of the questions authors are asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” I’ve been asked that question so much. I recently used it to create a humorous short story. A literary journal, Crack the Spine, will publish the story next year.
Let me give you another example of how I got an idea for a short story.
When I go to a new place, whether it is for a few years or for a few weeks, I read up on the history of the area, especially its Black History.
I am a native New Yorker but spent a few years in Sarasota, Florida. The history of the Seminole people of Florida intrigued me.
Enslaved Black people living in some of the Southern states escaped to Florida where they were sheltered by the Seminole. Some of them married and had babies by the Seminole. When the Seminole refused to give their Black children to the slave owners, enraged Southerners convinced the United States government to invade Florida which was then controlled by Spain.
Florida is also known for legends of the Swamp Ape, the Bermuda Triangle and other paranormal tales. I decided to combine Seminole history and some Florida supernatural myths into a story, "REMOVAL AT SEMINOLE MOUND." It was recently published in Penumbra.
Q: Your website states that you hold a Ph.D in Black Studies and that you were a Fellow at multiple artist colonies. How does your educational history inform Kenya’s book series?
A: I was a history major at Howard University, the historically Black university that produced our new vice president Kamala Harris, Toni Morrison, Chadwick Boseman and many Black achievers.
When I was a student at Howard, African countries were getting their independence from European countries. One of the first was Kenya. That inspired many Black people in the United States to name their children Kenya.
One of the things we learned at Howard was about the beauty, intelligence and strength of our people. I try to carry those lessons into my writing.
We learned too that our people lived in many countries. My Black classmates were from Canada, South America, the Caribbean and Africa.
Q: Kenya’s Song and Kenya’s Art have wonderful illustrations by Pamela Johnson and Hazel Mitchell, respectively, that amplify the beauty of the messages therein. Do you have a particular art style in mind for particular stories, or do you collaborate with artists in some other way?
A: When I write biographies and other nonfiction works for ages 9-12, I submit photographs that will help the reader understand the times, the characters, etc.
My picture books and short stories for ages 4-9 are illustrated by professional artists. For this age group, publishers expect the writer will also include a “dummy” with the submission of the text.
A dummy gives the artist an idea of illustrations the author thinks will be good for the book. According to author Lisa Cinelli, “A picture book dummy is a three-dimensional work-in-progress to organize the text, illustrations, pacing and rhythm as a prototype for the final, published picture book.”
Q: Both books feature a diverse cast of characters from many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Kenya learns the music and dance of other cultures in Kenya’s Song, and Kenya shares experiences with her multicultural classroom in Kenya’s Art. How does race inform your creative decisions as you write?
In my picture book for ages 4-10, Kenya’s Song, my character Kenya learns the music and dance of various Black cultures.
I hope readers of Kenya’s Song will understand that all Black people are not the same. We come from different cultures, experiences, etc. In Kenya’s Song, I concentrated on people of West Indian and Caribbean ancestries. In the United States, many of them are often called Black.
The characters in Kenya’s Song speak different languages, have different dances but in many ways are culturally united. One is that their ancestors came from Africa.
I interviewed elderly people from the Caribbean as part of my research for Kenya’s Song. All of them said, “Linda, remember, it all begins with the drum.”
Q: How do you hope readers of various backgrounds will respond to Kenya’s loving, Black family and her culture?
A: I hope to dispel negative and foolish beliefs about Black families through my KENYA books. I want to show that Black families, like many families in the United States eat meals with each other and in many ways enjoy spending time with each other.
In KENYA’S ART for instance, we see Kenya’s family doing crafts together as they try to find ways to recycle toys and other objects in their home.
On Kenya’s Song and Kenya’s Art:
Q: Although readers frequently see Kenya interact with family and friends, Kenya’s Song and Kenya’s Art both distinctly feature tender moments between father and daughter. In the stories, Kenya’s father joins her on her whirlwind adventures and helps her find her passions. Why do you find it so important to emphasize father-daughter relationships in these stories in particular?
A: In KENYA’S ART and KENYA’S SONG, I show the strong bond Kenya and her father have. I hope adults who read the books to children will understand that many Black men are devoted to their families and enjoy spending time with them.
.
The Father –Daughter bond is important in a young girl’s life. Some social scientists believe it gives little girls a template of how males should treat her as she grows older. The relationship teaches her that she is smart, capable, cherished, protected and loved.
My friend, psychotherapist Lurline Aslanian, L.C.S.W., told me that the Father –Daughter bond gives a girl the confidence to be herself, to enjoy and flourish in being herself, and to use her voice.
She said that Black girls, especially, need to be able to learn to speak up when something does not feel right, when there are micro aggressions and when there is discrimination or injustice. The close connection with her father's strength and support for her provides a substantial foundation for living freely and successfully in a world that may not always appreciate her.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about Kenya’s Song, Kenya’s Art, you, or any other projects you have in the works?
A: The book I am working on now is WHEN CHARLOTTE FORTEN MET HARRIET TUBMAN AT THE PORT ROYAL EXPERIMENT, THE SUN CAME LIKE GOLD THROUGH THE TREES. It is a nonfiction book for adults and young adults.
THE PORT ROYAL EXPERIMENT is a part of Civil War history that few know. Both Charlotte Forten, a wealthy Black abolitionist and Harriet Tubman helped newly freed people on South Carolina’s Sea Islands while the Civil War was raging around them. The American government asked Harriet Tubman to go there as a spy. She was paid as a secret agent.
People who saw HARRIET, the recent movie about Tubman or Denzel Washington’s movie, GLORY, will recognize some of the historical characters.
I hope readers will understand the diversity of the Black experience better through this book and much of my published writing.
THANK YOU!
Thank you, again, to Linda Trice for agreeing to this interview with PenumbraOnline. If you haven't already, check out her works and look forward to more from her in the future.
WHO AM I?
I write fiction and nonfiction for adults and young people.
I received my BA in history from Howard University, a MFA from the Writing Division of Columbia University, a PhD from the Center for Minority Studies, and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.
I taught lower grades in public schools in New York, Connecticut and Washington, DC and undergraduate and graduate students at Trinity College (CT), Lincoln University (PA), City University of New York and the State University of New York.
*******
Linda Trice courteously agreed to the following author interview with PenumbraOnline, which took place via email in December of 2020.
On creative process and writing:
Q: Does any of your inspiration come from children’s literature you read or that your parents read to you?
A: I was born and raised in New York City. As a young child I could find no books about people who lived in cities until I discovered A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and LYLE THE CROCODILE. I embraced those books.
I read Robert Lawson’s BEN AND ME when I was a child. It was my introduction to historical fiction. I was amazed and delighted when I realized that an author could take a real character and add fiction.
Several of my historical fiction stories for young people have been published. You can read some on my website: www.LindaTrice.com
Sadly, a few of the library books I read when I was a child had negative, racist images of Black people. I remember the hurt I felt then and try to dispel that ignorance as I write for any age.
Q: How do you decide on subject matter for each of Kenya’s stories?
A: One of the questions authors are asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” I’ve been asked that question so much. I recently used it to create a humorous short story. A literary journal, Crack the Spine, will publish the story next year.
Let me give you another example of how I got an idea for a short story.
When I go to a new place, whether it is for a few years or for a few weeks, I read up on the history of the area, especially its Black History.
I am a native New Yorker but spent a few years in Sarasota, Florida. The history of the Seminole people of Florida intrigued me.
Enslaved Black people living in some of the Southern states escaped to Florida where they were sheltered by the Seminole. Some of them married and had babies by the Seminole. When the Seminole refused to give their Black children to the slave owners, enraged Southerners convinced the United States government to invade Florida which was then controlled by Spain.
Florida is also known for legends of the Swamp Ape, the Bermuda Triangle and other paranormal tales. I decided to combine Seminole history and some Florida supernatural myths into a story, "REMOVAL AT SEMINOLE MOUND." It was recently published in Penumbra.
Q: Your website states that you hold a Ph.D in Black Studies and that you were a Fellow at multiple artist colonies. How does your educational history inform Kenya’s book series?
A: I was a history major at Howard University, the historically Black university that produced our new vice president Kamala Harris, Toni Morrison, Chadwick Boseman and many Black achievers.
When I was a student at Howard, African countries were getting their independence from European countries. One of the first was Kenya. That inspired many Black people in the United States to name their children Kenya.
One of the things we learned at Howard was about the beauty, intelligence and strength of our people. I try to carry those lessons into my writing.
We learned too that our people lived in many countries. My Black classmates were from Canada, South America, the Caribbean and Africa.
Q: Kenya’s Song and Kenya’s Art have wonderful illustrations by Pamela Johnson and Hazel Mitchell, respectively, that amplify the beauty of the messages therein. Do you have a particular art style in mind for particular stories, or do you collaborate with artists in some other way?
A: When I write biographies and other nonfiction works for ages 9-12, I submit photographs that will help the reader understand the times, the characters, etc.
My picture books and short stories for ages 4-9 are illustrated by professional artists. For this age group, publishers expect the writer will also include a “dummy” with the submission of the text.
A dummy gives the artist an idea of illustrations the author thinks will be good for the book. According to author Lisa Cinelli, “A picture book dummy is a three-dimensional work-in-progress to organize the text, illustrations, pacing and rhythm as a prototype for the final, published picture book.”
Q: Both books feature a diverse cast of characters from many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Kenya learns the music and dance of other cultures in Kenya’s Song, and Kenya shares experiences with her multicultural classroom in Kenya’s Art. How does race inform your creative decisions as you write?
In my picture book for ages 4-10, Kenya’s Song, my character Kenya learns the music and dance of various Black cultures.
I hope readers of Kenya’s Song will understand that all Black people are not the same. We come from different cultures, experiences, etc. In Kenya’s Song, I concentrated on people of West Indian and Caribbean ancestries. In the United States, many of them are often called Black.
The characters in Kenya’s Song speak different languages, have different dances but in many ways are culturally united. One is that their ancestors came from Africa.
I interviewed elderly people from the Caribbean as part of my research for Kenya’s Song. All of them said, “Linda, remember, it all begins with the drum.”
Q: How do you hope readers of various backgrounds will respond to Kenya’s loving, Black family and her culture?
A: I hope to dispel negative and foolish beliefs about Black families through my KENYA books. I want to show that Black families, like many families in the United States eat meals with each other and in many ways enjoy spending time with each other.
In KENYA’S ART for instance, we see Kenya’s family doing crafts together as they try to find ways to recycle toys and other objects in their home.
On Kenya’s Song and Kenya’s Art:
Q: Although readers frequently see Kenya interact with family and friends, Kenya’s Song and Kenya’s Art both distinctly feature tender moments between father and daughter. In the stories, Kenya’s father joins her on her whirlwind adventures and helps her find her passions. Why do you find it so important to emphasize father-daughter relationships in these stories in particular?
A: In KENYA’S ART and KENYA’S SONG, I show the strong bond Kenya and her father have. I hope adults who read the books to children will understand that many Black men are devoted to their families and enjoy spending time with them.
.
The Father –Daughter bond is important in a young girl’s life. Some social scientists believe it gives little girls a template of how males should treat her as she grows older. The relationship teaches her that she is smart, capable, cherished, protected and loved.
My friend, psychotherapist Lurline Aslanian, L.C.S.W., told me that the Father –Daughter bond gives a girl the confidence to be herself, to enjoy and flourish in being herself, and to use her voice.
She said that Black girls, especially, need to be able to learn to speak up when something does not feel right, when there are micro aggressions and when there is discrimination or injustice. The close connection with her father's strength and support for her provides a substantial foundation for living freely and successfully in a world that may not always appreciate her.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about Kenya’s Song, Kenya’s Art, you, or any other projects you have in the works?
A: The book I am working on now is WHEN CHARLOTTE FORTEN MET HARRIET TUBMAN AT THE PORT ROYAL EXPERIMENT, THE SUN CAME LIKE GOLD THROUGH THE TREES. It is a nonfiction book for adults and young adults.
THE PORT ROYAL EXPERIMENT is a part of Civil War history that few know. Both Charlotte Forten, a wealthy Black abolitionist and Harriet Tubman helped newly freed people on South Carolina’s Sea Islands while the Civil War was raging around them. The American government asked Harriet Tubman to go there as a spy. She was paid as a secret agent.
People who saw HARRIET, the recent movie about Tubman or Denzel Washington’s movie, GLORY, will recognize some of the historical characters.
I hope readers will understand the diversity of the Black experience better through this book and much of my published writing.
THANK YOU!
Thank you, again, to Linda Trice for agreeing to this interview with PenumbraOnline. If you haven't already, check out her works and look forward to more from her in the future.
