This month we're spotlighting Cynthia Highsmith-Hooks, author of "The Soul of a Black Woman: From a Whisper to a Shout". What would you call a book of poetry that reads like a novel? How would you react to being drawn in to the characters in various poems?

I recently read "The Soul of a Black Woman: From a Whisper to a Shout" and I could not put it down! Every single poem is an excellent contribution to the arts. This work will have timeless appeal, and Cynthia's energy and enthusiasm was uplifting. I asked her to share a few things with us here at Blackrefer.com, and she agreed. Please read below:  (May 2003 interview)

D.T. Why the title “The Soul of a Black Woman?”
C.H. Actually, it’s the title of one of the poems in the book. It’s the last poem I wrote before deciding the book, so I figured it would make a good title. Also, because the book deals with my experiences from childhood to adulthood and the transformations my soul had to go through, I knew it would be a good choice. The subtitle “From a Whisper to a Shout” kind of describes how I began my life and how I’m feeling now.

D.T. Were you nervous or concerned about revealing so many personal things in your first book?
C.H. As I was writing the poems over the years, I was. In fact, before this book, my own mother had not read more than a few samples of my work because I always made sure I hid my poetry in my footlocker so no one would see it. The reasons for that were twofold: (1) I didn’t want people to know what I was going through because I was embarrassed and (2) I didn’t want to feel like I had to censor my feelings. Writing was my way of working through things and if I always had to worry about what people might think if they read it, my work may have suffered. I wanted to be able to write freely because even as a young child, I felt that was important. When I first started out backing 1970,it was not my intention to write this book-I was just a kid writing down her thoughts.

D.T. So what made you finally write “The Soul of a Black Woman?”
C.H. A few things. I think maturity had a lot to do with it. When you get older, you worry less about what people think of you than you did in your younger days. That and the fact that I watched so many young black women going through the same things I had experienced. I finally realized what I had suffered in my life was not unique and that I actually learned things along the way. I wanted to pass those lessons to others along with the idea that all things can be overcome with the right mindset, confidence and perseverance.

D.T.Who are some of your favorite writers?
C.H. That’s a tough one-there are so many. I’d have to say James Weldon Johnson-I love “The Creation.” Then there’s Maya Angelou, of course. Her “Still I Rise” is magnificent writing-very powerful. And I can’t make it through Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” without crying. It’s an emotional writing from a mother’s heart to her son.

D.T.How would you describe your book?
C.H. If I have to classify or categorize it, I would say it’s an autobiographical poetic novella. Biopoetry, if you will. I’ve been on this 40-year search for my soul and it is only through writing this book that I was able to truly find it. I like to think of SOBW as postcards of the trip.

D.T. What’s your favorite poem in the book?
C.H. Actually, “I Know Nothing of Africa” is my favorite because it is the poem that was the easiest to write. The whole story of my journey to Africa came as a dream. I wrote that one in about an hour after waking up in the middle of the night. My favorite story is “Just Like Mama.” It’s a tribute to my mother, who unlike the mother in the story, is still alive, but I wrote that one to let her know how I really feel about her and the impact she’s had on my life.

D.T. So what’s next for C. Highsmith-Hooks, the author? Can we expect more writing in the future?
C.H. Actually, I have 4 full-length novels in the works right now. “Sumthin’ ‘Bout Tuesdays” is a fact-based fictional story of a girl born on Tuesday who comes to learn that sometimes, what we think is a curse turns out to be a blessing. “Pilgrimage to Mecca” tells the story of a young urban girl whose childhood trials take her to a place she never imagined where she experiences the peace she never expected to find. “RuffNeck: A Sister’s Story” deals with the life of a gangster told from his younger sister’s perspective. Finally, “A View of the Ocean” is a forensic science thriller that deals with a series of disappearances from a camp.

As the detectives solve the case, a small town’s secret is exposed and powerful people are linked to unspeakable crimes against children. As for poetry, I’ve started another collection, but it will probably not be published for quite a few more years. It will be based on the second half of my life. Right now, tentative titles include: “Things I’ve Seen: Recollections of Time, Place and Emotion,” ‘Skipping Stones and Other Childhood Past Times,” or simply “Oceans of Tears,” which is a line from “I Know Nothing of Africa.” I’m not sure which yet, or maybe life will have given me another title by the time I get there. Who knows?

D.T. We here at Blackrefer.com thank you for this interview and we wish you all the best!

ISBN 1-4010-6550-3
144 pages
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