“Writing New People I was thinking a lot about the era that I came of age - the 90's. Brooklyn, in particular, this moment when I lived there. The sense of possibility. I was also trying to find a way to write about Jonestown. I had read about it a lot and I had the sense that the story could really start to drive one over the edge.” PeopleThinkingWritingTryingMomentsAgePossibilityOver The Edge Author:Danzy Senna
“I wrote the first draft of the New People quickly but it had been percolating a lot longer. It's a hard question to answer because I'd been working on another novel for years and when I gave up on that, this one came very easily. But I think the work had been going on a lot longer than the actual writing.” PeopleThinkingWritingNovelGave Up Author:Danzy Senna
“I had been really obsessed with Jonestown for a long time - many years - and had read everything there was to read about it, seen all the footage and the documentaries. I found it really chilling in a personal way - the question of people submitting all their personal power and agency and independent thought it the name of a group or ideology. I could not find a way to write about it directly that didn't feel too heavy.” PeopleWritingLongIndependentIdeologyObsessedChillIndependent Thought Author:Danzy Senna
“I'm not trying to be coy, but I think everyone notices these things like skin color but some people are more aware that they are noticing them than others, maybe. If that makes sense.” PeopleThinkingTryingSkinsMake SenseNoticing Author:Danzy Senna
“In terms of music, each novel is different but I usually find my way into an era through the music. In this novel the New People, I listened to a lot of 90s hip-hop, which was just so genius. Also, all the musical references in the book from the Peoples Temple one and only album to Luther Vandross.” PeopleBookDifferentTermNovelGeniusMusicalMy WayLuther Author:Danzy Senna
