We recently connected with Jade Brown and have shared our conversation below.

Jade, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned in school and why that lesson is important to you?

To give a bit of context, I was never an excellent student. I had the makings of a good student; I was charismatic (keyword: was), I enjoyed subjects other than math, I was punctual, and I was a solid writer. However, I never found myself being awarded for any achievements, or when I was awarded, I could never fully grasp the weight behind my success. My mother mastered the shrug-nod combo that followed any of my academic announcements. I couldn’t help but to think school was stupid, and that good grades were superfluous. After my mother passed away, my grandmother continued that narrative—but it was then unexpectedly smeared with depression. Gloppy, nonmalleable, and stinky depression.

My God, did I stink.

I would douse myself in Victoria Secret Body Spray for at least five minutes before heading to homeroom. Have you ever put Vanilla Mist over funk? It makes a trail for at least ten kilometers. I was whiffed before I was seen, and no one would ever hear me because I was incapable of conversation. I remember sitting in Biochem, as if that’s not gut wrenching enough, and overhearing two underclassmen—daring each other to smell me.

I think it was then I started cutting school, and I really believed that my identity was tied to that—that I was always going to be understood as this silent-pungent girl. I wanted to tell everyone that my mom had just died, as if that would muster some kind of grievance in these sixteen year olds. I’ve learned many lessons in high school, one of them was that death in the family won’t earn you sympathy, but that wasn’t the only thing.

The most important lesson that stuck with me was that I don’t have to be her. Sure, I still have her tear stained marks on my forearm, but now I slurp them up like a chaser. I’ve grown out of the shrug-nods and unnecessary approval from some kind of authoritative figure because I became the only person I seek approval from. I decide when to congratulate myself, and I do it all the time. Hey Jade! You took a shower today! Amazing. It took me a long time, and a very uncomfortable high school experience to get here, but it feels good.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a published fiction writer and poet living in NYC. My writing mainly revolves around the experience of being young, African-American, and a woman. I enjoy talking about things that are uncomfortable because I am an uncomfortable person. I started writing short stories as a way to bond with my mother when I was a kid, but that didn’t work, so I handed out the leftovers to my grade school teachers. I shouldn’t say that because they would at least read them, but I always wanted my mom to read my writing. She’s never read anything I wrote, but I think she would like my books. Maybe I subconsciously write stories that she would someday pick out in a library.

I really care about people. I don’t have a lot of friends, but I know a lot of people. My favorite thing to do is to have one on one conversations with strangers—people who work in big brand name department stores. They’re always really nice and they’re not trying to be anything. I take a lot of pride in my ability to have conversations. Many people in my life identity me as the person who asks a bunch of questions, and I only think I received that title because people don’t ask each other questions enough. I notice that so many people pick a topic, and they talk about that topic, and they can talk about that topic for hours without knowing anything about the person they’re talking to.

That’s where a lot my inspiration comes from, and I feel many readers will discover those same qualities in the books I write.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I finished publishing two books, but I wrote three—one is unpublished and will never see the light of day. With every book that I wrote, there was a moment when I started to uncontrollably cry. I can never predict when this moment will happen during the writing process, but it will bring on this tornado of emotion that won’t go away until I finish the chapter. I’m sure it’s embedded with frustration and weariness that comes with the writing process, but it’s almost like I start to feel the pain of the characters I’m creating. I can sense all the hurt they’re feeling in those moments, as well as the discomfort that is clawing at them. It’s in those instances I realize that I possibly struck an emotion from my past that I’ve tried to bury, and somehow writing and creating those fictional moments, subconsciously brought that emotion I couldn’t feel out of me.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes! There are so many outlets and resources for independent authors—you just have to find them. Also, not being afraid to ask for things that you want; connecting with people and telling them about yourself. I recently joined the CLMP for a personal project, and they’re a wealth of knowledge when it comes to independent publishing, your rights as a writer, submission information, and so much more. I’ve learned so much in the short amount of time I’ve been a member.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: writeinjade
• Twitter: writeinjade
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Stuff-Jade-Brown/dp/0578287951