An unmissable tour de force from three-time National Book Award finalist and Coretta Scott King Award–winning author Rita Williams-Garcia, who memorably tells the stories of one white family and the enslaved people who work for them. Essential reading for teens and adults who are grappling with our country’s history of racism.
We chat with author Rita Williams-Garcia about A Sitting In St. James, writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Rita! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I love boxing, knitting, eating and greenery. I’m Queens New York born, the youngest of three, moved a lot as an Army brat. BA at Hofstra, MA at Queens College, worked for a marketing software company for 25 years, then joined the MFA Writing for Children/YA faculty at VCFA. I have two daughters, one a news editor and the other a Doctor of Psychology. Yes, could have said psychologist but what mother passes up a chance to say “doctor”?
How is your 2021 going in comparison to that other year?
I’ve scraped that other year and off my shoes and burned those shoes. The sun is out. I’ve got my shots. I have a book coming out and I’m going to see and hug my grandson. Yays in my future.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Trick questions: Part One. The first book I read at 2-years-old was all a picture book told in photographs called The Lonely Doll. Yes, that creepy book. Who knew? Part Two. There was no book that made me want to become an author. I loved words, sounds, observing, and telling tall tales. I went to kindergarten making little booklets with a copyright page. The publisher: G.I. Like I said. Army brat. That’s the truth, Ruth.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Sitting in my wooden playpen wondering if Stanley would make it to the top of the wall. He always fell. “Stanley” was a roach. All that to say I always thought in story. By the seventh grade I was writing 500 words a night toward my novel. I was mercenary and checked out The Writer’s Handbook and The Writer’s Market to learn about submitting manuscripts, including SASE and how to handle rejection. The early writing—pretty bad. Just glad I didn’t know it at the time.
Your new novel, A Sitting in St. James, is out May 25th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Knives Out 1860 sugar cane remix.
*1860—numeral, not a word.
What can readers expect?
Surprises and to challenge our own ideas of humanity. Novels are the home for irony, paradox, contradiction—all the things that make humans interesting to read and write about.
What inspired you to write A Sitting in St. James?
A daydream, a dream, and a little boy. First, a daydream of a teen grooming his horse, then a dream about a West African woman running with her baby to flee captors, and lastly, a 12ish-year-old Black boy who wanted to know “Why do they hate us?” These images don’t appear in the novel, but they compelled me to write it—especially the boy.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Am I a white slaveholding planter? A petty aristocratic French person? Louisiana Creole? A painter? The list can go on. But my real challenge was reconciling how I would portray the different languages, French, Louisiana Creole, and pidgin English in print. “Oui” or “Yes”? Maître or Master? It depends upon whose viewpoint is being conveyed or who’s speaking. And then trying to get it right, taking into consideration the characters’ relationships to one another, given station, and rules of formality and so on. But would she say this to this person? My real challenge came during my editorial revisions. Although the text isn’t overwhelmed by French, Louisiana Creole, or pidgin, it was a challenge. In the end I had francophone language scholars who are also 5th and 7th generation Louisiana Creoles to weigh in and make suggestions. Invaluable!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love the research. The digging. Photographs, charts, letters, diaries, ledgers. All of that. Of all the characters, Jane was probably the most fun to write. She is such an outsider, but I don’t think she’s rebellious. I think she doesn’t get the things that aren’t important to her. I didn’t know she was on the autism spectrum until her voice was fully formed. Then I got it. I got her, and didn’t fight it.
What do you hope readers will take away from reading A Sitting in St. James?
I hope readers will not be afraid to look at this history even in its brutality and lack of care and respect of human rights. I hope it will encourage readers to think about entitlement and its legacy in ways they’ve never thought of before. Now, don’t all go out there charging your Black friends, family members, co-workers and acquaintances all at once. Instead, ponder. Recast situations as they pop up. Well, first you have to notice them. Talk amongst yourself. As the narrator says at the end of the prologue: “Be ware.”
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
In my senior year I took this master class in creative writing at Hofstra where Richard Price pantomimed sappy violin playing after I read my piece aloud. Then he warned me about going for sentimentality versus emotional truth. I never forgot that advice. The worst advice? Um. Honestly, if it’s bad, I don’t listen. I tune it out. Oh, wait! I have one: “Don’t write for the money.” Look, writing is an art but it’s work. If you don’t value your work, who will?
What’s next for you?
Completely different direction. Writing the sequel to a gaming novel I wrote ten years ago. It’s an homage to my brother who taught me to play chess only to have someone to beat.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur, When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris, The Blackout, an anthology, Ace of Spades by Faridah Abiké-Iíyímídé.
