Interviews
Author Interview with Lisa Braxton
By Jessica Charest
By Jessica Charest
Lisa Braxton is a writer based in Boston, Massachusetts, best known for her debut novel, The Talking Drum, which was published in May 2020. She has also published short fiction and nonfiction in various literary journals in the past, including PenumbraOnline's Summer 2020 edition. She courteously agreed to the following author interview with PenumbraOnline, which took place via email in November of 2020.
Q: In terms of writing in general, are there any authors who have inspired you over the years on your path to becoming a novelist?
A: There are many authors who have inspired me. My favorite novel from childhood is Little Women, which I read when I was 9 years old. Louisa May Alcott’s story about the four March sisters and how they went about their lives on their own terms evoked so many emotions in me as I read that I said to myself that I wanted to provide readers with those same emotional experiences. At a young age I set about writing my own stories and got much encouragement from my family. Later on, I discovered Langston Hughes. So many of his short stories resonated with me. Some actually made me cry, they were so powerful. James Baldwin is another of my favorite authors whose work I find inspirational.
Q: Every author has their own process while writing. What did your typical writing routine look like while working on your novel? Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
A: I had no typical routine. I wrote wherever and whenever I had a moment. I was working full-time while writing The Talking Drum. Sometimes I would stop at the shopping mall on the way to work and write for about an hour in the food court. Then I would write at lunchtime at my desk, do my workout at the gym after work and write at the library on my way home. On Saturdays, I would carve out 3 to 4 hours at the library for writing or at home. If I had time, I would also write for a couple of hours on Sunday evenings. If you were to ask me about any of the television shows popular from 2008 to 2012, I probably wouldn’t know what you were talking about. I watched almost no television during that time to prioritize my writing.
Q: On your website, lisabraxton.com, you explain that much of your inspiration for your debut novel, The Talking Drum, comes from your parents’ story owning a clothing store and dealing with redevelopment in their neighborhood. What does it mean to you to have been able to draw upon the experiences of close family members? Drawing from such personal experiences, were there any scenes that were more difficult to write than others?
A: It meant having my parents be part of my dream of becoming a novelist. It meant having them unwittingly give me consultation on making my novel as realistic as possible. My mother passed away in October, so having her experience help to inspire The Talking Drum means that a part of her will always be with me in the form of the book. One scene that was difficult to write because it was painful based on watching my parents operate the business together, was the scene in which Sydney has reservations about renting out the basement apartment to the older couple. She thinks that their references should be checked. However, Malachi, her husband, bulldozes over her and listens to his best friend, Kwame. I witnessed my mother trying to have her voice be heard regarding business decisions with the clothing store, only to have my father do things his way, which led to some big mistakes and setbacks for the business and their relationship.
Q: The Talking Drum is filled with a variety of characters including upstanding citizens, arsonists, con-artists, and individuals trying to overcome painful pasts. Yet you’ve done an excellent job of giving each character their own distinct voice and personality. How did you approach creating your characters?
A: The story’s plot laid out for me the situations each character faced based on the larger issues of the fires and the planned demolition of the Petite Africa neighborhood. But their inner struggles were drawn from the experiences of people around me and research I did. For example, I had to do quite a bit of research to create my Senegalese drummer, Omar. I read the biographies of African drummers who emigrated to the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s to get a sense of what their lives were like in their home countries and their impressions of the United States and also the impressions Americans had of them. In addition, I took drumming lessons from a master drummer from West Africa. Some of his demeanor, confidence, cockiness and swagger ended up in Omar and Omar’s best friend and “frenemy,” fellow drummer Khadim.
Q: Which character was the most challenging for you to write, and why?
A: Sydney was the most challenging to write because she was so much like me and my mother. She was a composite of the both of us. It’s challenging to create a character who is like yourself because you can’t step outside of yourself to see yourself in all of your dimensions. Because Sydney also shared some of my mother’s characteristics, I struggled not to make her too nice and give her a generous amount of flaws and foibles to make her interesting.
Q: Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?
A: Kwame. He’s a mover and shaker in town, has the ear of the mayor, a jack of all trades, property owner who flips properties and also owns a record store. But we know he has another layer to him. He’s slick. We know he’s scheming. We don’t know if we can trust him, but he’s so charming.
Q: In your novel, we meet Mustapha Mendy, an immigrant from Senegal, as well as a restaurant owner and activist. He plays a key role in the story as a community leader respected by the majority of people who meet him. Which qualities would you say he possesses that are particularly important to solid leadership? What trait about Mustapha did you find most admirable?
A: Mustapha is a “salt of the earth” kind of person. Family is important to him. His wife has died and he keeps a framed picture of her on his bedroom bureau. She is forever in his heart. His nephew, his grandchildren, his goddaughter are his life. The people of Petite Africa consider him the “mayor” of their neighborhood. He is a father figure to the community who would help anyone who came to him for assistance, and that is to be admired.
Q: A major theme throughout your novel depicts the importance of family and community staying strong together in difficult times. It also expresses the pain of seeing some characters focus on the individual, betraying that sense of community. How important has community been to you throughout your life?
A: My parents instilled in me the importance of community at an early age. My parents were part of The Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North. They left rural Virginia for Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1956. They knew few people in Bridgeport--my father had sisters in the area--and had to start pretty much from scratch to build community. There were only certain neighborhoods where African Americans could easily move at that time, and as a result, they established community early on with many of their African American neighbors. They joined a church, got involved in church ministries, joined business and professional clubs, civil rights groups, and charitable organizations. When we were children my parents got my sister and me involved in groups as well, and sometimes we accompanied them to various fundraisers, galas, banquets and dinners, which instilled in us the importance of community. I am active in my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, of which Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris is a member, president of the Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Boston Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Association of Black Journalists, and Women’s Fiction Writer's Association. I’m also a member of a church and participate in Bible study.
Q: Toward the end of the novel, we see Sydney and Malachi expressing their concerns for the future of their business and the neighborhood. Malachi’s perspective seems more optimistic, claiming that the community will support their own, while Sydney’s perspective is slightly more skeptical. If you could meet these characters and speak to them, what would you say about their concerns?
A: I would not say anything to Malachi because he has the right to have the opinions he has based on his 1970s perspective. I would not tell him that in time there would be more integration, which would present challenges for black-owned businesses. Once people could shop anywhere they wanted, they would have more choices, leading to black-owned businesses being neglected and suffering. Malachi seems to think that black people will only purchase books by and about black people from a bookstore like The Talking Drum Bookstore and Cultural Center. But he of course would have no knowledge of the big box bookstores of the future and Amazon.com and other online booksellers. I wouldn’t want to pierce his optimism. However, I would applaud Sydney’s skepticism and encourage her to watch industry trends and plan to grow and allow the business to evolve based on societal shifts.
Q: In writing, authors often have to revise or remove some scenes. Were there any scenes that did not make it into the novel that you were particularly attached to or any scenes that changed radically from the first time you imagined them by the final draft?
A: I had a lot more description of Omar’s life in Senegal, growing up, learning to drum with his father, going through rites of passage with other boys once he reached a certain age, drumming at the big festival in Dakar, impressing Duke Ellington. I initially created a couple of chapters on Omar’s early life. One of my beta readers said that all that detail was rich, but it took away from the plot. It seemed to be a digression. I ended up sprinkling those details here and there so the story wouldn’t become weighed down.
Q: After The Talking Drum, do you have any projects in the works for your readers to look forward to?
A: Yes. I am working on another novel. This one takes place in the mid-1800s in the Beacon Hill section of Boston. It is an interesting period in our history and fun to research.
I would like to thank Lisa Braxton, once again, for taking the time to answer PenumbraOnline's questions. Please look forward to more from her in the future, and, if you haven't already, take some time to check out The Talking Drum.
Q: In terms of writing in general, are there any authors who have inspired you over the years on your path to becoming a novelist?
A: There are many authors who have inspired me. My favorite novel from childhood is Little Women, which I read when I was 9 years old. Louisa May Alcott’s story about the four March sisters and how they went about their lives on their own terms evoked so many emotions in me as I read that I said to myself that I wanted to provide readers with those same emotional experiences. At a young age I set about writing my own stories and got much encouragement from my family. Later on, I discovered Langston Hughes. So many of his short stories resonated with me. Some actually made me cry, they were so powerful. James Baldwin is another of my favorite authors whose work I find inspirational.
Q: Every author has their own process while writing. What did your typical writing routine look like while working on your novel? Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
A: I had no typical routine. I wrote wherever and whenever I had a moment. I was working full-time while writing The Talking Drum. Sometimes I would stop at the shopping mall on the way to work and write for about an hour in the food court. Then I would write at lunchtime at my desk, do my workout at the gym after work and write at the library on my way home. On Saturdays, I would carve out 3 to 4 hours at the library for writing or at home. If I had time, I would also write for a couple of hours on Sunday evenings. If you were to ask me about any of the television shows popular from 2008 to 2012, I probably wouldn’t know what you were talking about. I watched almost no television during that time to prioritize my writing.
Q: On your website, lisabraxton.com, you explain that much of your inspiration for your debut novel, The Talking Drum, comes from your parents’ story owning a clothing store and dealing with redevelopment in their neighborhood. What does it mean to you to have been able to draw upon the experiences of close family members? Drawing from such personal experiences, were there any scenes that were more difficult to write than others?
A: It meant having my parents be part of my dream of becoming a novelist. It meant having them unwittingly give me consultation on making my novel as realistic as possible. My mother passed away in October, so having her experience help to inspire The Talking Drum means that a part of her will always be with me in the form of the book. One scene that was difficult to write because it was painful based on watching my parents operate the business together, was the scene in which Sydney has reservations about renting out the basement apartment to the older couple. She thinks that their references should be checked. However, Malachi, her husband, bulldozes over her and listens to his best friend, Kwame. I witnessed my mother trying to have her voice be heard regarding business decisions with the clothing store, only to have my father do things his way, which led to some big mistakes and setbacks for the business and their relationship.
Q: The Talking Drum is filled with a variety of characters including upstanding citizens, arsonists, con-artists, and individuals trying to overcome painful pasts. Yet you’ve done an excellent job of giving each character their own distinct voice and personality. How did you approach creating your characters?
A: The story’s plot laid out for me the situations each character faced based on the larger issues of the fires and the planned demolition of the Petite Africa neighborhood. But their inner struggles were drawn from the experiences of people around me and research I did. For example, I had to do quite a bit of research to create my Senegalese drummer, Omar. I read the biographies of African drummers who emigrated to the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s to get a sense of what their lives were like in their home countries and their impressions of the United States and also the impressions Americans had of them. In addition, I took drumming lessons from a master drummer from West Africa. Some of his demeanor, confidence, cockiness and swagger ended up in Omar and Omar’s best friend and “frenemy,” fellow drummer Khadim.
Q: Which character was the most challenging for you to write, and why?
A: Sydney was the most challenging to write because she was so much like me and my mother. She was a composite of the both of us. It’s challenging to create a character who is like yourself because you can’t step outside of yourself to see yourself in all of your dimensions. Because Sydney also shared some of my mother’s characteristics, I struggled not to make her too nice and give her a generous amount of flaws and foibles to make her interesting.
Q: Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?
A: Kwame. He’s a mover and shaker in town, has the ear of the mayor, a jack of all trades, property owner who flips properties and also owns a record store. But we know he has another layer to him. He’s slick. We know he’s scheming. We don’t know if we can trust him, but he’s so charming.
Q: In your novel, we meet Mustapha Mendy, an immigrant from Senegal, as well as a restaurant owner and activist. He plays a key role in the story as a community leader respected by the majority of people who meet him. Which qualities would you say he possesses that are particularly important to solid leadership? What trait about Mustapha did you find most admirable?
A: Mustapha is a “salt of the earth” kind of person. Family is important to him. His wife has died and he keeps a framed picture of her on his bedroom bureau. She is forever in his heart. His nephew, his grandchildren, his goddaughter are his life. The people of Petite Africa consider him the “mayor” of their neighborhood. He is a father figure to the community who would help anyone who came to him for assistance, and that is to be admired.
Q: A major theme throughout your novel depicts the importance of family and community staying strong together in difficult times. It also expresses the pain of seeing some characters focus on the individual, betraying that sense of community. How important has community been to you throughout your life?
A: My parents instilled in me the importance of community at an early age. My parents were part of The Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North. They left rural Virginia for Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1956. They knew few people in Bridgeport--my father had sisters in the area--and had to start pretty much from scratch to build community. There were only certain neighborhoods where African Americans could easily move at that time, and as a result, they established community early on with many of their African American neighbors. They joined a church, got involved in church ministries, joined business and professional clubs, civil rights groups, and charitable organizations. When we were children my parents got my sister and me involved in groups as well, and sometimes we accompanied them to various fundraisers, galas, banquets and dinners, which instilled in us the importance of community. I am active in my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, of which Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris is a member, president of the Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Boston Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Association of Black Journalists, and Women’s Fiction Writer's Association. I’m also a member of a church and participate in Bible study.
Q: Toward the end of the novel, we see Sydney and Malachi expressing their concerns for the future of their business and the neighborhood. Malachi’s perspective seems more optimistic, claiming that the community will support their own, while Sydney’s perspective is slightly more skeptical. If you could meet these characters and speak to them, what would you say about their concerns?
A: I would not say anything to Malachi because he has the right to have the opinions he has based on his 1970s perspective. I would not tell him that in time there would be more integration, which would present challenges for black-owned businesses. Once people could shop anywhere they wanted, they would have more choices, leading to black-owned businesses being neglected and suffering. Malachi seems to think that black people will only purchase books by and about black people from a bookstore like The Talking Drum Bookstore and Cultural Center. But he of course would have no knowledge of the big box bookstores of the future and Amazon.com and other online booksellers. I wouldn’t want to pierce his optimism. However, I would applaud Sydney’s skepticism and encourage her to watch industry trends and plan to grow and allow the business to evolve based on societal shifts.
Q: In writing, authors often have to revise or remove some scenes. Were there any scenes that did not make it into the novel that you were particularly attached to or any scenes that changed radically from the first time you imagined them by the final draft?
A: I had a lot more description of Omar’s life in Senegal, growing up, learning to drum with his father, going through rites of passage with other boys once he reached a certain age, drumming at the big festival in Dakar, impressing Duke Ellington. I initially created a couple of chapters on Omar’s early life. One of my beta readers said that all that detail was rich, but it took away from the plot. It seemed to be a digression. I ended up sprinkling those details here and there so the story wouldn’t become weighed down.
Q: After The Talking Drum, do you have any projects in the works for your readers to look forward to?
A: Yes. I am working on another novel. This one takes place in the mid-1800s in the Beacon Hill section of Boston. It is an interesting period in our history and fun to research.
I would like to thank Lisa Braxton, once again, for taking the time to answer PenumbraOnline's questions. Please look forward to more from her in the future, and, if you haven't already, take some time to check out The Talking Drum.
