Interview with Vickie Stringer
Dirty Red author and Hip-Hop book publisher
Vickie Stringer is a leader in the Hip-Hop literature genre. She is a novelist who founded her own international publishing company, Triple Crown Publications.
Ms. Stringer's novels include the semiautobiographical Let That Be the Reason, its sequel, Imagine This, and the newly released Dirty Red. For the past five years, Triple Crown Publications has been featured in major international newspapers and magazines.
Sharyn Skeeter: How do you describe "urban fiction" or "street lit"?
Vickie Stringer: Those words describe stories about life on the streets and the choices and consequences that people are faced with every day.
Skeeter: Why do you think it's so popular now?
Stringer: Because the books have an element of "realness" that our readers can relate to, a realness that you can't find in other types of books.
Skeeter: On the Triple Crown Publications site, your "past life of crime" is mentioned? Is this experience necessary for urban writers? If not, does it help.
Stringer: My life has made me who I am and that definitely has had an effect on my writing. I think that that is one of the reasons why so many of our readers enjoy our stories, because they know and have felt many of the same feelings and emotions that are carried out through the lives of the characters in our stories.
Skeeter: How do you answer the criticism that urban fiction is a negative influence in the African-American community?
Stringer: By saying that our company, Triple Crown Publications, has encouraged many young African Americans to not only actively seek out books to read, but also pick up the pen and write their own stories. By reading and writing, they are experiencing a mental workout that they may otherwise have missed out on. Reading and writing, which is what we encourage, causes you to think and to use your mind in an independent, practical and creative way.
Skeeter: How is women's urban fiction different from men's?
Stringer: Just that on the streets and in life, sometimes the rules are written differently for men and women, and that has an effect on how you re-tell a story.
Skeeter: Tell us about your new bestseller Dirty Red.
Stringer: This book showcases my growth as a writer. It's my third fiction novel about a half black-half Puerto Rican young woman. Dirty Red, as she is called by many, gets hers by "any" means necessary.
Skeeter: Do you have any future books in the works?
Stringer: Yes. I will begin writing Still Dirty, the sequel to Dirty Red, shortly. So, make sure to check out my Web site triplecrownpublications.com or find us on myspace.com for any future notifications.
Next week, read Part 2 of Vickie Stringer's interview with her special advice for new authors.
