Know Your (Grown Up) Mighty Writers: Solomon Jones
Grew up: In two neighborhoods. The first was West Oak Lane, where I lived until I turned 14 and my parents got divorced. It’s a working class black neighborhood in the northwest part of Philadelphia. That neighborhood showed me that there are city-dwelling, hardworking, blue collar black families that thrive, despite what we see (or don’t see) in popular culture. I spent my teen years in North Philly. I learned there that poverty is sometimes perpetuated by the very systems that are supposed to help people overcome it. I also learned that, even in the darkest of places, there are good people who are lights in their communities: The old woman who gets up at the crack of dawn to sweep the entire block; the old man at the barbershop who tells young men about life; the grandmother raising her children’s children; the man who gets up and goes to work every day; the honor student who understands that education is the easiest way to make it. These people are heroes, and even in my most heartwrenching stories of the street, they are reflected in my writing.”
Kind of books I read as a kid: “In junior high I read Judy Blume. I read ‘Old Yeller.’ I read ‘Black Beauty.’ I read the dictionary. I loved words. Still do.”
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“Know that writing is rewriting.”
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Inspired me to write: “There’s always more than one person. My seventh grade history teacher, Mrs. Waters, said that I spoke in beautiful ‘purple passages.’ She encouraged me when she said that. My high school English teacher, Mr. Grabar, encouraged me when he complimented my writing. My college creative writing teacher. All these people encouraged me to keep writing, to get better, and to pursue what I loved.”
Kind of books I read now: “I don’t get to read as much now as I’d like, because I’m always writing. But I like Stephen King, Dean R. Koontz, James Baldwin and Dianne McKinney Whetstone.”
Favorite all-time author: “Zora Neale Hurston. She challenged the conventional wisdom and wrote black dialogue phonetically when doing so was considered taboo by those who thought it made black people look bad. She took a lot of flack for that, but her use of black dialogue added to the richness and texture of ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God,’ one of my favorite books of all time.”
Hardest thing about writing for me: “Starting.”
My writing makes me happiest when: “I’m sharing it with other people.”
Advice for young writers:“Read voraciously, but read carefully. Read work that is well-edited and read writers who respect you, the reader, by continuously honing their craft. If you want to be a writer, invest in classes. By doing so, you are investing in yourself. Know that editing is not a bad thing. Editors do not change what you’re trying to say. They try to make it better and easier for readers to understand. Know that writing is rewriting. The first draft is only the beginning, and getting to the final draft involves printing out your work and reading it on paper rather than a computer screen. It involves reading it aloud and hearing your words hit the air. It involves taking the time to correct mistakes. Finally, in order to become a good writer, you must be tenacious, unyielding and unwilling to give up. If you do these things, you’ll succeed.”
Solomon Jones is the author of “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Ride Or Die,” “The Bridge” and “Pipe Dream.” He also writes the Weekend Warrior column for the Philadelphia Daily News. Learn more about Solomon here.
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Know Your Mighty Writers
Kahlaa Cannady & Christian Precise
