Memoir
Date Published: 10-11-2022
Publisher: She Writes Press
In 1972 rural Pennsylvania, the author, a white college student, fell head over heels in love with an African-American friend of a friend. With their schools hours apart, they forged an intimate connection such as neither had ever had through letters. But racist parents, a jealous friend, and their own mistakes caused them to lose each other. Forty years later, they might have another chance.
What was your main drive to write this book?
I was writing a self-help book when an agent asked me, Is
this the book of your heart? I knew it wasn’t, and I knew what was. I’d wanted
to write the story of my first love since the 1980’s, and that became Our
Song: a Memoir of Love and Race.
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
I hope they’ll appreciate the historical significance of
the era of the late ‘60’s/early ‘70’s. But even more, it is a cautionary tale about
going after your dreams and holding on to love, when you find it and it is
reciprocated – no matter what others think, say, or do.
Did you do much research when planning this book?
No, because my memory of the past is very good. But I did have
my lover’s letters as a backup, and I did check many small factual details,
such as about the Vietnam War, the peace march on Washington that my roommate
and I attended, etc. Also things such as whether a particular phrase or term
was in use at that time.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process
of this book or influenced you to write it?
I have been greatly influenced for years by a woman who
mentored me, Susan J. Tweit, award-winning author of 13 books. She encouraged
me, and critiqued me, and schooled me to the modern world of publishing. John
Brantingham, creative writing guru at Mt. San Antonio College where I teach,
has also been tremendously encouraging and has posted an insightful review (see
below). And there have been many others – my critique group Tres Libras, quite
a few beta readers, and friends and family.
How long did this book take you to write from initial
thought to hitting publish?
As I said, I thought about it in the 1980’s but didn’t actually
start writing till 2014. She Writes Press published it October 2022 (my
birthday month!)
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new
topics?
I have published some articles about themes from this book
– such as betrayal, coming to grips with the past, and even being told that as
a white person I shouldn’t write about race. I’ll include some links below in
case anyone is interested. Women’s lives and relationships are my main topics
of interest, and I generally explore these through my own life experiences and
memoirs. I’ve done some work on a sequel to Our Song. Meanwhile, I’ve
also published some short memoir pieces as well as post to a blog periodically,
and if anyone would like to be on my mailing list, just send me a note through my
website: https://www.lyndasmithhoggan.com
And thank you to My Reading Addiction for bringing
attention to my story!
Links to articles:
Review by John Brantingham:
https://culturaldaily.com/review-our-song-a-memoir-of-love-and-race-by-lynda-smith-hoggan/
Q&A on my book:
https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2022/10/q-with-lynda-smith-hoggan.html
Article on memoir and privacy:
Article on letting go of the past on page 52 (visually
beautiful magazine - a paper copy can also be ordered):
https://theedenmagazine.com/magazine/the-eden-magazine-december-2022-terrell-owens/
Article on healing from betrayal:
https://wemagazineforwomen.com/betrayed-can-one-heal-and-move-on/
Article I posted on white people writing about race:
https://medium.com/@lyndasmithhoggan/can-white-people-discuss-and-write-about-race-d5619c54b148
About the Author
Lynda Smith Hoggan is Professor Emeritus of health and human sexuality at Mt. San Antonio College in Southern California. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Westwind UCLA Journal of the Arts, Cultural Daily, and more. This is her first book.
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