My short story, When Life Gives You Poulet, Make Pork Chops, has been published by Crack The Spine Literary Magazine and is now live on their website. It is a story about the complex, and often contradictory, bonds of sisterhood.
When Life Gives You Poulet, Make Pork Chops, was the first story I began back in 2012, during my initial trip to Paris. As I sat eating in one of the many touristy cafes, I immediately noticed, as well as recognized, the disparity in race, class, sex and culture. It was also the very first time I ever felt my own privilege as an American (as well as my Americanness), despite having spent most of my childhood, and a great part of my adult-life in America, being labeled underprivileged. The paradox of this still drives a lot of my story collection. My pen has always been my sword, my shield, my keeper of secrets, the elixir that heals, the philosopher, the seeker of knowledge, the light in the darkness, and my constant friend along this obstacle-strewn journey-of-life.
When Life Gives You Poulet, Make Pork Chops, is part of a short story collection, set both in Brooklyn and Paris, reflecting many of today’s social and political concerns and issues. It is the second story to be published from this collection. The first, That Sigourney-Weaver Thang, published by The Normal School, was named a Distinguished Story in 2016’s The Best American Short Stories. My extended stays in Paris have allowed me to gather research while spending countless hours observing, and seeing past, the breathtaking architectural beauty, warm inviting cafes and restaurants, and magical side-streets and Jardins. Paris has become my second home, and as we know, home is extremely complicated, messy and, at times, heart-wrenching – evident by the state of affairs taking place in my forever HOME, and in many homes all around the world. I’m an extremely slow writer. One, it takes me time to process my observation, questioning whether or not my own biases are clouding the stories I need to tell. Two, writing about present day events is what I imagine chasing a tornado feels like. The landscape is always shifting based on the slightest change in (projected) current.