By Natasha T. Brown
“A lot of our souls yearn for something, but we don’t know the route, we need spiritual navigation.” – Sister Souljah
Sean Combs refers to her as the “Number one author of the hip-hop generation.” Jada Pinkett Smith said that Sister Souljah is “spiritually rewarding and powerful.”
I, like many young readers, were in awe and emotionally invested with the characters of Sister Souljah’s 1999 debut novel The Coldest Winter Ever. As a teenager who indulged in literature, hip-hop and the various facets of black culture, this novel was poignant in that it didn’t hide the truth of the streets, but it also didn’t glorify the negative culture and consequences of the drug game. The Coldest Winter Ever is the story of Winter Santiaga, the rebellious, spoiled teenage daughter of a notorious drug dealer in New York. This novel is one of the best that I have read to date. Fourteen years and three novels later, Souljah has published the sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever called A Deeper Love Inside – The Porsche Santiaga Story (Simon & Schuster, January 29, 2013).
On Wednesday, April 17, I met the author during a discussion and book signing for A Deeper Love… at the Oxon Hill Library in Prince George’s County Maryland. As a writer, her words and conversation reminded me of why as a kid I was attracted to this art in the first place and why as a reader, I was drawn to her novels. Souljah opened our eyes to her soul and shared practical tips for building as a community.
“I believe the maker who created all of our souls gives each of us a gift and an assignment (at least one). I believe writing was my gift and the books were my assignment,” said Souljah. “I can’t claim the credit for the writing, because it was a gift. [When people praise our work and it’s successful], the thing you can feel good about is that you obeyed your assignment.”
Many of the audience questions allowed her to open up about her thoughts, experiences and best practices:
In the Midnight novels, how were you able to write so well from a male’s point of view?
Souljah: People who know me usually know me for different reasons depending on what year they came to know me… Way back when, I was a political activist. A lot of the programs and organizations that I participated in were male intensive. When I was a student at Rutgers, they had an organization called 100 Black Men, a chapter of the national organization. Strangely the brothers of 100 Black Men voted me to be the president. I refused the position. I felt that they were not understanding that it was an insult to themselves.
I have always been in a lot of political situations where there were a lot of male minds. One thing for any and all writers [to know]… is that you have to be able to maintain the voice and the mind of your characters.
The reason why you like The Coldest Winter Ever is because Winter is Winter. If you are a female author and you’re writing about a male, you have to maintain the male character. That cannot be compromised.
Souljah talked deeply about the importance of research of a character’s culture and the practices within that culture. While she was writing Midnight: The Meaning of Love, for instance (Midnight first appeared in The Coldest Winter Ever based in New York), the author moved her own family to the continent of Asia as part of the research for the 2011 novel. Souljah switches her writing space whenever she begins a new book, “to get a new vibration,” she said.
What happened to “The Coldest Winter Ever” film?
Souljah: I floated in Hollywood a movie treatment before I finished The Coldest Winter Ever… I’ve always seen it as a film. Years ago, I had a partnership with Jada (Pinkett Smith) and we got a deal with HBO. When we got the deal with
HBO, a new regime came in… The new person at HBO didn’t want to proceed with the film, so I had to buy the rights back, which was crazy paper, but I wasn’t going to let them keep my story.
Since then, I talked with many people about making the movie. Everyone is amped and excited, but they didn’t have their business right….
I remember thinking when I was young, that it’s important that you handle your business. So what is happening with The coldest Winter Ever is that I handle my business correctly. I have a deal on the table right now, and this is the first team that I feel completely comfortable with.
How do you feel about perseverance for a woman who is trying to find a man, and be faithful to her spirituality? (Souljah creates a reality in her books where characters such as Midnight place their religion over meaningless sex, and subsequently marry at young ages, versus continuing adulterous paths.)
Souljah: I think everyone wants to do things. It would be completely normal that you have sexual feelings when you are between the ages of 11 and 13 years old…. Now, a mother would be outraged if [her daughter] came home at 13 and wanted to be married, or came home at 14 and wanted to be pregnant. The problem is that the religion is not succinct with society. The only way you are going to do it right is if you have a faith and your faith has guidelines and you follow your faith. This would be considered revolutionary and abnormal.
I think you should decide who you are, what you believe, and the rules and guidelines of what you believe. The confusion of our community is very clear.
The DMV audience appreciated the honesty and insight that this author provided. She spoke about struggle – struggles of black men both in society and in their homes with their women (women are the police and men are the hostage, was the metaphor)… And she spoke about love – that nowadays many black women are sophisticated and militant in our politics, and our love… but, how love should be sweet and soft, not hard and militant… She spoke about sophistication – that one can be academically advanced, yet politically retarded, or street smart but academically crippled. She spoke about the confusion and breakdown in the black community and how many elders failed to teach this generation distinct values, which in turn has caused a breakdown in our communities – a breakdown of love, relationships and respect.
Most importantly, she spoke about the power of words and the importance of finding our calling.
“As a writer I don’t think it’s important for me to resell you the same story. As a writer, when I write a story, every single book of mine that you pick up has to be a unique voice, something powerful… For each person, male and female, young and old, discover your gift, your purpose, your assignment and get moving on that. You’ll be surprised how many people’s faces will light up when they see you, because you are doing your assignment,” she said.
Follow Sister Souljah @SouljahBooks on Twitter, and pick up A Deeper Love Inside The Porche Santiaga Story; she is certainly an author that belongs in the libraries of communities and homes everywhere.
Natasha Brown is a writer and founding communications strategist of Think Brown INK, a creative think tank and communications agency, focused on social responsibility branding for artists, entertainers and entrepreneurs. Follow her on Twitter @NBrownINK or @TBINatasha or her company @ThinkBrownINK.