What I write comes from a place of deep love, and a deep understanding of all kinds of otherness.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that writing is driven by profound love and an understanding of diverse experiences.
Jacqueline Woodsonβs quote reveals that her writing is not merely an act of expression but is deeply rooted in love and empathy for others. This suggests that a true understanding of different perspectives enriches creative expression, allowing the writer to connect with audiences on a profound level, drawing from personal affinities and the shared human experience of 'otherness'.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech at a literary festival to emphasize the importance of empathy in writing.
'Brown Girl Dreaming' was a book I had a lot of doubts about - mainly, would this story be meaningful to anyone besides me? My editor, Nancy Paulsen, kept assuring me, but there were moments when I was in a really sad place with the story for so many reasons. It wasn't an easy book to write - emotionally, physically, or creatively.
In the midst of observing the world and coming to consciousness, I was becoming a writer, and what I wanted to put on the page were the stories of people who looked like me.
Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.
I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again.
The strength of my mother is something I didn't pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, 'I'm getting my kids out of here. I'm creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'
I would have written 'Brown Girl Dreaming' if no one had ever wanted to buy it, if it went nowhere but inside a desk drawer that my own children pulled out one day to find a tool for survival, a symbol of how strong we are and how much we've come through.
The ocean of the body crashes against the ocean of the heart. Between them is a barrier they cannot cross.
The knowledge that she could learn to love a man had always meant more to her than loving him effortlessly, more even than falling in love, and that was why she now felt that she was on the threshold of a new life, a happiness bound to endure for a very long time.
The act of love . . . is a confession. Selfishness screams aloud, vanity shows off, or else true generosity reveals itself.
When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought.
Lovers are the ones who know most about God; the theologian must listen to them.
Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.
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