Ten Questions for Airea D. Matthews

“I am constantly questioning, resisting, studying, accepting, and wondering—all of which I believe to be the hallmarks of the writer’s life.” —Airea D. Matthews, author of Bread and Circus
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“I am constantly questioning, resisting, studying, accepting, and wondering—all of which I believe to be the hallmarks of the writer’s life.” —Airea D. Matthews, author of Bread and Circus
“Listen deeper. Dream bigger.” —Terra Trevor, author of We Who Walk the Seven Ways
“Sit with your characters and let them talk to you.” —Bisi Adjapon
“Stay curious, pay attention, and write things down.” —Chaitali Sen, author of A New Race of Men From Heaven
“I like taking risks.” —Joy Castro, author of One Brilliant Flame
“I was struck by the freedom of third person, how I could roam and jump and skip around, and cozy up to characters and then back away.” —Ottessa Moshfegh, author of Lapvona
“When you’re in that in-between stage, between starting something and gathering speed, a piece of chipped nail polish is the most riveting thing in the world.” —Sloane Crosley, author of Cult Classic
“If I had known about the twists and turns beforehand, I like to think I would have kept going, but maybe it’s better not to know.” —Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City
Founded in 2017, the African Poetry Digital Portal serves as singular resource for studying contemporary African poetry. Now, with a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the project’s leaders aim to expand their offerings.
“You are going to read a book that will inspire you to write a book.” —Jennifer Lunden, author of American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body's Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life