Author Crush #437: Mat Johnson & Loving Day

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

Pardon my absence. I was in the woods of Northern Pennsylvania on a writing retreat all last week. It was absolutely exquisite and I made a lot of progress on my new book, Same Family, Different Colors. I also ate really delicious food, made great new friends and saw a big, black bear up close and personal. Yes, there was a bear who showed up twice during my stay making the experience all the more exciting. But I digress.

In addition to writing for almost 10 hours a day, I made sure to make time for reading during my stay at the retreat. I brought two novels with me, although I only made it through one, Mat Johnson’s hilarious, yet haunting – literally there are ghosts involved – new novel, Loving Day. The book is set in my neighborhood in Philadelphia and deals with a Mixed Race character who is struggling with his identity and parenthood. Does this book not sound like it was made for Ms. Meltingpot? It was like literary kismet. No joke. Not only was the book hilarious and inspiring, I learned about a fascinating aspect of Mixed Race history that I incorporated into my own book. Score!

Rather than me telling you why I love Mat Johnson and his work, why don’t you download the podcast from his interview with Terry Gross yesterday on Fresh Air. Listen to that and then you can go buy the book and tell me what you thought. I’ll be waiting.

Peace!