On May 15, local bookstore Cafe con Libros (Spanish for Coffee with Books) in Brooklyn, hosted a virtual discussion where writer Tembe Denton-Hurst discussed her debut novel “Homebodies” with radio personality Miabelle.
Denton-Hurst started the discussion by sharing how she transitioned from a fiction writer to journalist. “I was writing fan fiction by the candlelight on a very old Mac (laptop) when I was in high school.”
She was a fan of Canadian author Lisi Harrison’s young adult novel series, The Clique at that time. “I would spend hours just writing. I’ve always been a storyteller. That’s always been my thing,” she added.
The novel tells the story of Mickey Hayward, a Black journalist who is often overlooked and mistreated at her news publication, Wave. She eventually loses her job and has her intense thoughts on racism go viral on social media.
Denton-Hurst then elaborated on the development of some of the novel’s key characters, starting with Hayward.
“I think Mickey is, in a lot of ways, the opposite of me. I intellectualize all of my emotions. Anything happens, I’m like, I’m going to push through, I’m going to push past it,” said Denton-Hurst.
For her, it was important when writing a character like Hayward, to have her go through something and have the full experience of it.
Mickey is forced to go back to her hometown. In this period of time, she reconnects with people she knew in her past, and really figures out what is important to her and how to find her voice to articulate what she wants to say in the world.
“I would love to see Black women be able to be human, you know, be angry, be happy, be sad, just experience a range of emotions, without it being labeled one way or another,” Denton-Hurst continued.
Furthermore, she would like to see more Black women speaking up when things are not right.
“I think we’ve come a long way in the conversations around professionalism, and Black women are beginning to band together in that way. When it happens in the macro, we see this big public outcry, but I would like to see this happen on a micro level too,” she continued.
To stay updated on the work of Denton-Hurst, follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tembae/?hl=en.
To stay updated on the work of Miabelle, follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/miabellenyc/?hl=en.
Those who are interested can order Homebodies here:
Cafe Con Libros: https://www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/
Fulton Street 918: https://www.fultonstreet918.com/
Moore Books LLC: https://www.moorebooksllc.com/
Da Book Joint: https://www.dabookjoint.com/
The Bronx is Reading: https://www.thebronxisreading.com/
Source Booksellers: https://www.sourcebooksellersonline.com/
