We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jerlean Noble. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jerlean below.

Jerlean, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I was asked to be a stand in performing poet for someone who could not make it. I was a novice poet, so read a couple of silly poems just to fill for the absent performer. After that first reading, people loved my poetry so much they asked for the book. I wrote and self published my first book March, 2002. It was entitled “Big Mama and Me: Poems & Short Stories” of my life growing up, raised by my great grandmother. I was so excited that people really liked it, and soon had my first nationally published story from the book called “Hot Foot Jerri.” It is published in Vol. 1 of The Writers Net: Anthology of Prose and edited by Gary D. Kessler. I never set out to be a published author, but knew immediately it was part of my purpose in life. I wondered how many like myself thought that they could never be a writer had the same desire. I set out to look for others who had a story to tell that would be interested in learning how to do it. From that desire, I formed the Columbia African American Writers Alliance. I felt I could reach more people if it was a nonprofit. It helped being a manuscript secretary in Psychology at the University of SC, and soon word spread. With the help of the law school, I obtained my 501c3 status and changed the name so all interested regardless of race, creed, or color could join. The new name became the Columbia Writers Alliance. It is now 22 years old and I a still the head.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was hired in 1981 as a manuscript secretary for the Dept. of Psychology at the Univ. of SC. My name was put in many journals as the typist. Writing in APA style soon became 2nd nature to me so I’d make extra money typing dissertations for grad students. I thought why not be the author of my own work when I decided to write my first book. That’s primarily where I got my discipline and yearn for the business. After I got established as a nonprofit, I worked with faculty and grad students along with my new members to have the first SC Statewide Writers Conference at USC in 2004, then another in 2005. I am a Christian. I believe when God opens a door for me, he means for me to open it for others. People come and go. Some write their first books and move on, others stay and hone their craft and never write a book, but have the heart now to move forward. Many have left and come back. I not only the encourager, they encourage me. We have poets, novelist, fiction and nonfiction writers. Ages have ranged from 18 years to 104. True story. We have workshops, guest authors. We participate in other events and book signings which for first time authors is a treat. I tell writers, never let anything or anyone stand in the way of your vision. If it takes being a self published author to get your name out there–go for it! I don’t knock the traditional way of agents and publishers who look at your work, maybe, then take pleasure in trashing it if your submission letter or title is not to their liking. I got tired of wall papering my declined notices on my vision board. The Scripture says “Write the vision and make it plain” that’s my motto.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I’ve learned I have a reporters since of nosiness and determination to act on my instincts when a story comes to mind. Through my own very visual story of survival from abuse in my first novel, I learned that writing is healing. So, my resilience is to write and tell the stories–not only of my life and others, both true and untrue–but also of characters that I can live through and bring life to through the telling of their stories. I am now 73 years old and genealogy has become an intricate part of my life–detailed because the 1800s has a peculiar draw to me. I was raised by my maternal grandmother born in 1897, whose father was born right after the civil war. My paternal grandfather was born in 1890 so the stories of that era and the pain of Jim Crowe life and slavery has always been of interest to me. I loved seeing the old movies of the 20s and 30s, then realizing most of this was made up and dressed up. After seeing the movie “Roots,” I set out to find my own, afterall, I had a head start. I joined Ancestry and began my research. The dead soon began to talk and the story of my ancestral grandfather, born in 1812 and his white wife had to be told. The fact that DNA proved to validate what I’d learned made me even more determined. I won the international award of historical fiction of the book Benson’s Bloodline Through Freedoms Trail, now on Amazon.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Helping others to tell their stories without it costing them an arm and leg. In my organization, The Columbia Writers Alliance, it only takes your annual dues of $60 and an urge to write and publish your story. I think everyone has a story to tell. I believe if you are looking for a story to write, that story is looking for you to bring it to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.colawriters.info
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/columbiawriters
• Facebook: https://www.facebookicom/columbiawriters
• Linkedin: colawriters@gmail.com
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/colawriters1
• Other: My personal website is https://www.jsnoblebooks.net