“Femme Voices” Writer Spotlight: Fiction by Patricia Martin

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Patricia Martin

A word from The Glam Femme founder and editor, Patricia Martin:

This week’s “Femme Voices” will be a little different as we are taking a very small break from the series for the “holiday” and featuring some of my own fiction work.

This piece is an excerpt from something I wrote more than a decade ago that I hoped would become a book in the future. I wrote it when I was reflecting on a time in my life and knew that I needed to put pen to paper, literally. I wrote much of the entire piece in notebooks and on scraps of paper that I saved for years along with my many, many journals. At the time I wrote it, I considered this to be my own version of “hood lit“, which was one of my favorite genres to read.

Although this book has been put on hold so that I can focus on my fiction that centers queerness, this piece is still dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy!

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You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover: The Urban Novel

Posted on March 2, 2017 by The Glam Femme-inist

Something that I have been wanting to write about for awhile is the plight of the urban novel. I love a good urban romance or street lit book, but there are so many nowadays that it’s a challenge to find ones that are written up to a certain standard. Even so, there’s the common misconception that poorly written hood fiction is a direct result of the skill level of the authors who write them, but this isn’t necessarily true.

Urban novels often get a bad rap, not only because of their “hood” content but because some of them are not written well. As I have been toying with the idea of self-publishing my own books, I’ve realized that much of this has nothing to do with whether an urban novelist is less capable of forming a grammatically correct sentence than a mainstream fiction writer. Instead, it has very much to do with the self-publishing process or, in the alternative, with underfunded publishing companies who sometimes can’t afford to hire a good editor.

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The Top 10 Books on My Holiday Wish List

Posted on December 8, 2016 by The Glam Femme-inist

As I have said before, I used to be an avid reader growing up. Even now, I absolutely love reading. But, as I got older I’ve had less and less time to read. Or maybe I just wasn’t making the time. Either way, adulting definitely distracted me from my favorite hobby. Thankfully, I have started to get back into it.

Here’s a list of books that I have on my holiday wish list. Some of them I have been hearing great buzz about lately and others are books I have known about the past few years but I haven’t gotten around to reading them. This holiday season, I hope to get all of the books on this list, and more!

Another Brooklyn, By Jacquline Woodson

This book speaks to me because I remember when I was younger there were so many coming-of-age stories for white children and not many for young women of color. So when I did come across any, I would be so excited to read them. Another Brooklyn is about a woman reflecting back on her experience as a young Black girl growing up in Brooklyn during the 70’s. This seems like the perfect adult coming-of-age story and I can’t wait to read it.

Purple Hibiscus, By Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

This is the debut novel by acclaimed author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, so I’m a bit late. But better late than never. I knew this book had to be on my list because I really enjoyed reading Adiche’s other work and the story, about a young Nigerian woman’s internal struggle for autonomy from her family, was something I think many people can relate to.

Underground Railroad, By Colson Whitehead

I read a lot of historical fiction when I was younger but, as an adult, I haven’t found any that sparked my interest. What struck me about this book was that not only is it set in pre-civil war America, but Colson added his own spin – the underground railroad is an actual railroad and not just a metaphor. It tells the story of a courageous young woman who escapes slavery via the railroad and all of the adventures that come with that voyage. I’m sure this book will be just as heartbreaking as it is exciting but I’m looking forward to the entire experience.

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