Read to Know Basis: Christina Cooke
The author of Broughtupsy writes toward curious cosmologies.
Read to Know Basis is a weekly interview series with authors. It features debut authors and established writers talking about reading, writing, and of course snacks. This series is free to all. If you like what you read considering subscribing to support the work of Unstacked, and of course go out and buy the book!
Christina Cooke’s writing has appeared in The Caribbean Writer, PRISM International, Prairie Schooner, Epiphany, Lambda Literary Review, and elsewhere. A MacDowell Fellow and Journey Prize winner, she holds a Master of Arts from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Fine Arts from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Christina was born in Jamaica and is now a Canadian citizen who lives and writes in New York City. Broughtupsy is her debut novel.
What are five words to describe your book?
Emotive, ethereal, visceral, sexy, funny
What is the strangest thing you googled while researching/writing this book?
“Does guinep look like white people’s nipples?”
What are three books that are in conversation with your book?
Erna Brodber’s Myal, Joy Kogawa’s Obasan, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.
Describe your ideal reader?
I don’t have one. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but I swear it’s not. I suppose our current soundbite-y, hashtag-y way of describing literature says that I should exclusively claim people of color as my ideal reader – bonus points if they’re immigrant, even more so if they’re queer. And don’t get me wrong, I love those folks. I hope I will be so lucky as for my book to find those folks. But in reality, the demographic I was actually writing toward are readers who have an innate curiosity about the wondrous cosmologies we hold inside us all, and how the forces that run through and around us shape the way those cosmologies spin. (Is that woo-woo? That’s probably woo-woo. But hey, at least I’m not afraid to ‘fess up to who I am).
What is a piece of writing advice that you’ve received that you think is really bad? What is a piece of writing advice that you think is really good?
You must write every day (who has that kind of time?!?!?).
To be a good writer, become a broad and voracious reader.
What do you do when you hit a wall or have writer’s block?
Listen to some music, eat a snack, take a nap.
What are you reading right now? And what book are you desperate to read next?
Julie Otsuka’s When the Emperor Was Divine. S.M. Hulse’s Black River.
What is the last interesting fact you learned from a book?
In 1985, the Philadelphia police department dropped a C-4 explosive on a row house inhabited by members of MOVE, a Black separatist group. It’s important to highlight again that this was a row house – meaning there were other homes attached to the target, meaning innocent lives were at stake. They dropped the bomb anyway. Eleven people died, including children. Sixty-one unrelated homes were destroyed and about 250 people (mostly Black) were left homeless. A colossal disgrace. In the words of Aubrey Drake Graham, “Mothafuckas never loved us.”
What book are you an evangelist for?
Erna Brodber’s Myal. She’s hardly read outside of the Caribbean, but I would not have the gumption to push back against reigning colonial narratives about queerness in Jamaica if it hadn’t been for her seminal work.
Who is your literary crush?
I don’t have one (I know, I know: I’m so unfun) – though I am married to a writer. Can that be my “get out of jail free” card?
If you could not be a writer what would you do?
Doctor or medic or some other life-saving skill in these war-torn times.
You’re invited to a literary potluck, what are you bringing?
The Great Gatsby cocktail! ‘Cause even if I screw it up, who’s gonna say no to free booze?
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Ahhh, love this! I read Broughtupsy for #3 of the Mega Challenge. I loved the portrayal of Kingston and Jamaica. Can't wait to see more from this author.
I went to college with Christina! This is such a cool meet up of my worlds!