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| Yolanda Joe
Interview Conducted Yolanda
Joe was born in Chicago on March 13th. The same year as her favorite
singer, Patti Labelle, had a hit called "I sold my heart to the
Junk Man." By the time Patti's hit fell off the charts, her mother and
father had separated. she was raised by my maternal grandparents in
a working class neighborhood on the south side.
Her grandmother, Bernice Barnett, was as settled in her ways as sugar in the bottom of a glass of ice tea. A Louisiana lady, she had southern values that she passed on to her and her older sister Donna. She always wanted to be a writer. she was writing poetry at age seven-- it wasn't great poetry but praise from her family, her public school teachers, and church members made her believe that she could do anything if she tried. She attended an all black public high school before winning several academic scholarships to attend Yale. From the windy city by the lake to the swish ivy leagues of the east. In her junior year, she told her elderly cousin that she was going to summer school. She asked her where and she told her Oxford. She got her masters of science degree form the Columbia School of Journalism in New York. Afterwards she realized, like Diva Di in "The Wiz", that there's no place like home. She has published four bestselling novels Falling Leaves of Ivy, He Say, She Say, Bebe's By Golly Wow, and This Just In, and The Hatwearer's Lesson. Sharon Hudson: Ms. Joe it was certainly a pleasure for me to read The Hatwearer’s Lesson. I felt at times as if I were at my grandmothers’ knee. Tell me a little bit about yourself. We’d like to know more about the woman behind the novel and spare no detail. Yolanda Joe: I was raised by my grandmother. She would tell me funny stories and teach me life lessons. She was from Louisiana… and had a great southern flare. We lived in Chicago and she stressed a sense of home, place, and education. I’m first generation college and she encouraged me to go to Yale where I won a scholarship. She was funny and warm, bossy and cranky but everything that is good in my character was shaped by her.
Sharon Hudson: Were you inspired to write this novel based on your experiences with your grandmother? Was she a hatwearer? Yolanda Joe: Old southern ladies wore hats. They love the lace, and satin, and all that. It takes maturity to really wear a hat. The hat that is on the cover is sitting in my office! What a topper!
Sharon Hudson: Who has been your writing inspiration? Yolanda Joe: Zora N. Hurston, J. California Cooper, and Nikki Giovanni.
Sharon Hudson: Care to elaborate further on the significance of hats, why you chose this theme as a title? Yolanda Joe: I just thought that everyone could identify with elderly ladies in their Sunday Hats.
Sharon Hudson: In The Hatwearer’s Lesson, who is your most memorable character and why? Yolanda Joe: I love grandma ollie, but I would say Lynnwood. Who can forget a good old country boy who drives a pickup truck, still carries a hanky, and reads poetry to a lady in distress? What a guy!
Sharon Hudson: Was there an overall message you were trying to convey? Yolanda Joe: Yes, to appreciate the elders around us. They have wonderful stories to tell and they are priceless.
Sharon Hudson: If this is a desire, do you see yourself uniquely impacting the personal lives of your readers? Yolanda Joe: No I’m just a fiction writer. I love to tell a great story.
Sharon Hudson: Who do you read when your not
writing? Do you have a favorite author?
Sharon Hudson: What do you, or who do you plan to spotlight next? Yolanda Joe: I like to use the metaphor of a bridge, for a bridge is catalyst for change. In its simplest form, it takes us from one shore to another but in other ways it can help us transcend generational gaps, racial divides, and cultural differences. With this in mind, what is across the bridge for you? Hopefully, a stronger reader base across all racial lines… to have people of all walks of life to love my work. My audience continues to grow and grow and for that I feel blessed.
Sharon Hudson: Do you have a website? How can readers keep abreast of your writing career? Yolanda Joe: My website is www.YolandaJoe.com I do update the website, so that’s a cool way to keep track.
Book
Review Reviewed
by: Sharon Hudson , MyShelf.com It takes a special kind of lady to be a hat wearer; not everybody can pull it off. I think that I’m still a little to young to wear hats yet, but I most definitely love to see a lady in a hat. I tell people all the time that I love to wear hats, but I’m not old enough to wear them yet. I could never really pinpoint a reason why I don’t feel as if I’m ready, but this book put my sentiments into concrete words. I don’t think I have the wisdom yet to accompany a beautiful brim. I really enjoyed The Hatwearer’s Lesson by Yolanda Joe, because the characters were so real to me. This was a quick and witty read. This book had the most vivid use of characters that I’ve read in quite some time. Grandma Ollie could have just as well been my grandmother, because all of the euphemisms used brought back so many memories. Even sitting and holding a conversation while oiling the scalp and brushing hair with fifty strokes was so vivid to me, because I would eagerly sit at my grandmothers knee and wait for her to offer words of wisdom. Reading the book, I could just picture my grandmother, with her hat-wearing self, doling out advice in a no-nonsense manner. Terri Mills is Grandma Ollie’s only granddaughter. She raised her from birth and taught her that she could be anything she wanted to be. Through her grandmother’s thorough planting and rooting of Terri, she was able to pursue her dream of being a high-powered attorney in Chicago. There she met Derek, an equally successful attorney, and from there it seemed as if a fairy tale romance was abloom, until Grandma Ollie couldn’t write his name in the family Bible. That was a bad sign. Grandma Ollie believed in the signs, and learned as a child how to interpret them. Sure ‘nuff, Grandma was right. As the story progresses, the signs that Grandma interprets, along with her mannerisms, style and wisdom spin a tale of nostalgia and funny wit. As the plot matures, The Hatwearer’s Lesson warms the spirit. Terri is one lucky woman, and her life has been a charmed one for the existence and wealth of information that her grandmother has imparted to her through the years. I’ve not read any of Ms. Joe’s previous works, but I ‘m definitely hunting them down after this. Her writing style is so conversational and lyrical. The characters jump to life and compel you to keep reading; I simply could not put this book down. The Hatwearer’s Lesson is a quick one-day read that will have you waxing nostalgic for days of yesteryear. For past Have You Heard Interviews, Click Here © MyShelf.Com. All Rights Reserved |