In writing Becoming Abigail, what lessons did you draw on from having produced GraceLand?
First of all, thank you for the kind words about GraceLand. I don’t know what lessons I learned from writing one that transfers to the other. They are both so different, formally and linguistically, that there is little to transfer. I guess I knew, having written other books, that I could and would finish Becoming Abigail. But the rest is a mystery; the rest is faith. Most writers, I think, will confirm this, that every new book is a learning curve. That though we know how to write, we don’t know how to write whatever book it is we are writing. We only know how to write the book we have just finished. When I teach writing, I emphasize this. I think one can learn how to “write.” The rest is just faith. You grew up in Nigeria but have now also lived in England and the United States. How has your awareness of racism changed over time, and has it made an impact on your writing? How much space do you have? [Smile.] But in a way it is still new to me, and I am doing my best to sort it out as
