Authors often include a line about their latest book on the signature line of their emails, and that is how I found about Patrice Gopo’s new essay anthology titled We Deserve to Heal: Black Women on the Perils & Promises of Friendship with White Women. Back in December, Patrice and I exchanged a few emails about the African American picture book author Faith Ringgold, and I happened to notice the mention of her new anthology at the bottom of her emails. I queried her about featuring the book on my Storied Charlotte blog, and she suggested that we wait until February so that the blog post would coincide with the release of the book. Well, it’s now February, so I contacted her again, and I asked her for more information about the book and how she came to edit it. Here is what she sent to me:
Nearly half a decade ago, I was grieving the mounting struggles I was facing in several of my friendships with white women. While I felt a desperation to find a way to right relationships that felt broken, reconciliation was not coming. One day, as I walked through my neighborhood and wondered how these relationships had gone so painfully wrong, I started to think beyond myself to other Black women. Had other Black women also experienced aspects of what I had experienced? Was my story particular to me, or might it be part of a larger pattern of interaction? As the questions bubbled about within me, the idea for this anthology descended on me with such gravity and grace that I could not turn away. This work was mine to do.
Five years later, on the other side of convening a group of ten Black women—including myself—to write about our stories of friendship with white women, We Deserve to Heal: Black Women on the Perils & Promises of Friendship with White Women is now a book in the world. Turning my vision into reality has been a true labor of love. Editing an anthology is not for the faint of heart as they require administrative energy far beyond—and perhaps also far different—from the energy a writer typically gives to creating work. I’m grateful to many people, places, and organizations such as the Collegeville Institute, the Louisville Institute, and the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte Mecklenburg County (ASC) for supporting me along the way. The Collegeville Institute offered me and the contributors time and space to create, and the Louisville Institute enabled me to pay contributors to this project a fair amount.
ASC, though, had a direct connection to this project becoming an actual book. Several years ago, ASC awarded me an Artist Support Grant that I used to attend the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference. During that conference, I attended the bookfair which is probably the size of a football field and filled with publishers of all types. At the bookfair, I worked up the courage to pitch this anthology to a variety of publishers. The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) expressed interest in seeing my book proposal, and they ultimately acquired this anthology! Without the funding to attend AWP, I don’t know that I would have connected with UPK. ASC is a huge supporter of Charlotte’s arts community. Thank you, ASC, for supporting me and so many other creatives!
In addition to the love ASC showed this project, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is also excited about We Deserve to Heal. They invited me and several of the contributors to participate in a virtual conversation on Tuesday, March 10th, at 6pm ET. The event is open to the public, but registration is required. You can register here: https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/69711ff170748138370752c5
Truly, it’s so wonderful to live in a place that believes in my ideas and wants to see them offer healing in the world. Thank you, ASC and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, for your support of We Deserve to Heal!
Here is the official book link for readers who want to know more about the book. Book link: https://www.patricegopo.com/we-deserve-to-heal
If people would like to read the We Deserve to Heal comic-book-style companion essay that I wrote and illustrated, they can find that here: https://www.patricegopo.com/wdth-companion-essay
I offer my congratulations to Patrice and the contributors to We Deserve to Heal on the publication of this book. As I see it, this anthology is like a series of conversations. On one level, the contributors are in conversation with each other. On another level, however, they are bringing their readers into an important conversation on the complexities of interracial friendships. Just has she has done with her previous books, Patrice’s latest book provides her readers in Storied Charlotte and beyond with a memorable reading experience.