When I’m live-tweeting an awards show, it’s because it’s fun, and it’s entertaining, and I’m sharing my worldview, about the Oscars, for example. When you’re tweeting, or live-tweeting something, are these things you think will work with the way you want the world to see or think about your work?ĭefinitely. If I’m sharing something from my life, there’s a reason.
I’m very deliberate about what I share from my life, and I have strict boundaries about what I don’t share, so no, not everything goes.
I’m curious if you ever have a situation where you think, “This is where the limit is, this is something I don’t need to make public.” Or in your mind, is everything an open book, and it all contributes to an overall project? You’re a public intellectual, and someone who makes use of Twitter and social media, and writes a lot about your personal life and your day-to-day. She says she can’t talk about her newest book yet, but notes that “it’s going to be about television.” She’s also a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times and an associate professor of English at Purdue University. (Ta-Nehisi Coates, who oversaw the Black Panther relaunch suggested her to Marvel.) It's a comic written by a bisexual black feminist about two black, bisexual, feminist women. She’s the author of the comic World of Wakanda, which is part of Marvel’s Black Panther series. Her short story collection, Difficult Women, and the memoir, Hunger, are out in 2017. NovemRoxane Gay is the author of the best-selling essay collection, Bad Feminist, along with the multi-genre collection Ayiti, and the novel An Untamed State (which is being adapted for film). I write for myself first, and the kinds of things that I want to see out in the world, and then I go from there." She adds: "I'm loving being able to put black gay women into the comic sphere, and so far it's been very well received, which is a pleasant surprise." When I'm writing I don't really think about audience at all. I would not have approached it differently.
I knew they were popular, certainly, I didn't underestimate that, but the extent of the popularity is a surprise. "I didn't really think about the scope of comics, and now I'm realizing just how many people read comics. "For me it was the opportunity to reach new readers, certainly," she said. She says she can’t talk about her newest book yet, but notes that “it’s going to be about television.”īonus Fact: I asked Gay about the potential audience she'd reach with World of Wakanda, which focuses on Ayo and Aneka, two former members of the Black Panther’s female security force.
Roxane Gay is the author of the best-selling essay collection, Bad Feminist, along with the multi-genre collection Ayiti, and the novel An Untamed State (which is being adapted for film).