Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs
Interviewed by: Lauretta Pierce
A. First and foremost, I'm a black woman
who
is committed to her people and her culture. I'm not an activist nor a
revolutionary, but I do feel a responsiblity to do the best I can for
my
ancestors and my race. I try to be an honest writer. I try to live my
life
with integrity. And I do have a great sense of humor. I like to have
fun and
I often see the funny side of things.
A. CLAIMING KIN grew out of completely unrelated project. I wanted to write a how-to book on
performing black gospel music. That project chnaged into a book of essays on specific gospel songs. I was writing the essay on a song I associate with my
father, when I realized that the book should really be about the emotions associated with my genealogical research.
A. When I started researching my family, I found the names of relatives - close relatives - whom I hadn't known existed. I had to embrace them, hence "Claiming Kin." I also uncovered secrets about my family members that forced me to reexamine all my assumptions about my identity. That's where I got the second part of the title, "Confronting the History of an African-American Family.
A. I do research, though not as much as I did previously. Now I've switched to one of the branches of my mother's family.
A. I started writing poetry in the late 1970s. I switched to prose in the 1980s, about the time I became a journalist. So, it's been 25 years! Wow! It doesn't seem like I've been
writing that long!
A. Yes. I've written a children's book
called "Jump Rope Magic" I have a collection of essays on knitting that will be published soon.
A. I like coffee shops where there is a little noise: background music, other people, etc. I have a
hard time writing at home. It's too quiet.
A. My book on knitting comes out in Winter, 2004. I'm working on a children's book, too.
A. I'd like readers to understand every family has a
story. It might not be a good story or an impressive story, but it's important because it is history. I'd also like readers to know that they can discover the story of their family if they are willing to put in the time and the work.
CLAIMING KIN
November 3, 2003
Q. What inspired you to write CLAIMING KIN?
Q. How did you come about the title?
Q. Will you continue to do genealogy research on your
ancestors?
Q. How long have you been writing?
Q. Do you write in any other genres?
Q. What type of atmosphere do you require to write?
Q. Are you currently composing another book?
Q. What message would you like readers to receive from reading CLAIMING KIN?