Rhapsodies
guest post with Cortney Joseph
Hi friends, today I have the pleasure of sharing this interview with Cortney Joseph. Cortney is a fellow Substack writer, a poet, a novelist, and one of the fairy tale spinners who made the magic of The Wistful Wild: fairy tale poems of longing and ferocity happen. We connected through our blogs a few years ago. Her poems both in the anthology and in her own works offer a thoughtfulness, depth of feeling, and imagination I always find inspiring. Consider giving her newsletter a follow through the link below, and I hope you enjoy.
The coils of my hair
Falling and resting in ways most natural,
Called for the attention of my gentle hands,
To be brushed from end to root,
With the same care and love
I have longed for, yearned for.
~ “Rapunzel’s Rhapsody” by Cortney Joseph, from The Wistful Wild
Are you drawn to writing about certain themes? If yes, what are one or two of your favorites?
Cortney Joseph: Yes, I am most certainly drawn to certain themes, and try as I might to stray and move out of what's comfortable for me, I always find myself delving back into them.
All of my works are inspired by music in some way. And I tend to really enjoy writing stories and novels that are set in times and eras well before I was even a thought or born. I love the whole need to research and deepdive for accuracy. Because they are some of my favorite films, I thoroughly enjoy writing Blaxploitation or 1970s themed stories, and stories that have the feel of a good MGM or Golden Hollywood 1940s film, but with Black representation. Those are usually my best stories, and favorite themes.
Do you have a favorite character type you like to write about?
CJ: I think I love to write characters that are strong and wise, but sometimes don't realize or use that strength and other traits they have until much later in their journey. One such character is Troy from what I'm hoping to be my debut novel. Because she's the youngest lead character, viewed and looked at as only a kid by most around her, and usually doesn't speak up for herself until she's pushed to do so, most around her and the other lead characters think she's easy to walk on and over. Her strength is always there, but she doesn't realize or utilize it until she starts experiencing things within the story. A character that others underestimate. I like that type a lot.
If you could rewrite a favorite book or fairy tale (either that you haven’t yet or are working on now), what would it be?
CJ: So, I have two. One is White Oleander by Janet Fitch. I adore it so much, but I would honestly change some of the things the character Astrid experienced and did. The journey made her in the end, but it was so traumatic and maybe because I read it as a young teen, a lot of it I wished and felt she didn't have to go through. Excellent novel, and film, but there's a few things I would rewrite in it.
And two, I think I'd like to rewrite or write my own version of Rumplestiltskin. That's just always been one of my favorites, and I think it's so many new ways that the story could be told.
Tell us a bit about the first story or novel you can remember writing.
CJ: I was 13 or 14, and it was the summer break and I spent that entire summer writing a total of seven novels. I've since lost them, but the very first one I remember writing was my attempt at writing what I was reading at the time. Urban Literature, and Erotica. I remember it being about a young woman named Phoenix and it was basically about her life and experiences. I don't know what I was writing, and it was indeed terrible, but it was my first experience with writing a novel. Up until that point, and when I started reading those types of books, I hadn't known that Black authors like myself could write non-classic type books and be successful at publishing them.
Is there a project you’re working on now that you’d like to share about, or a recent publication we need to know about?
CJ: Though I should be, I'm not working on anything at this time. For a number of reasons, but I do hope to return to the rewriting and editing process for my novel Fly Girl. That's a big one that I've been holding and pushing to the side for a number of years now, afraid of how it'll be received, but I know I've got to let it go. I'll be jumping back into that one eventually. And of course, at the beginning of this year I was blessed to be a part of a wonderful poetry collection, The Wistful Wild, with some amazing poets. For now, I'll just be working towards building up my substack and sharing whatever comes to mind there.
Describe your ideal writer’s retreat.
CJ: If anything, it would have to be somewhere that experiences cold weather. Preferably somewhere it snows. A nice little cabin, filled with good food, a record player, and every vinyl recording in existence. I'd like to be alone and not be disturbed by outside noises or influences, so I probably wouldn't have a phone. That's as ideal as it gets for me. I'd probably spend a month and just write whatever comes to mind whenever it comes to mind. I think that'd be nice.
While writing is a solitary endeavor, what is one way you connect with other writers?
CJ: One way that I originally learned to connect with other writers is when I began sharing my work on Wattpad. I began writing novels with one of my best friends and a few of them got better reactions than my solo stories and novels. It kind of showed me that I could be just as good with the help of someone else. It taught me that outside opinions and ideas are much needed, whether you like what you're told or not. That my view of things is important, but a second opinion or idea, or a little change here and there won't hurt or ruin my words. In fact, they may improve them in some ways. Though I am selective about collaborating and I don't do it often now, I'm not closed off to the idea because I jumped at the chance to write with others so early in my journey and the original experience was so positive.
And, outside of the collab aspect, I just make it a point to follow and keep up with the work of writers that I truly enjoy. I make it a point to share their posts as often as I can, when I am online, and I just hope they feel the support.
What do you love most about writing?
CJ: Just the freedom we have to create worlds, and lives away from reality. The ability I was given to take the silly ideas that pop into my head every thirty minutes and spin them into a wide variety of stories and tales. I love that over the years, through my writing, I've been blessed to meet some of the best and most supportive people in my life and I don't think that would have come from any other talent or skill I have and could have pursued. As hard as it gets to stay focused and keep pushing, writing has been the best thing for me. It's helped me through so much, kept me afloat, and I couldn't see myself doing anything else as passionately after 20+ years.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Cortney Joseph picked up her pen at the age of ten and hasn’t set it down since. Finding inspiration in the pens of African-American authors and songwriters, she learned quickly that her stories could be told in more than the monolith she’d been presented in early childhood.
Deciding to share her work with the world, she self-published her first collection of poetry at the age of 21. Building an online audience since about 2012, she now runs MyPenWritesNice.com where she shares her poems, short stories, and more. An independent author; to date, Cortney has published 7 poetry collections and is eagerly sharing bits and pieces of her art with her online community.
Thanks, Cortney! If you enjoyed this interview, please consider subscribing to her Substack below.
