“Love Letter to My Soon to Be 13-Year-Old Black Son” by Ryane Nicole Granados appeared in Issue 27 and can be read here.
We’d love to hear more about this essay.
In August of 2020 my first-born son turned 13. I had been writing birthday letters to him since he was in my womb, but this letter poured out of me more like a cautionary tale. I should be celebrating him getting older instead of begrudging it, but I’ve been in this Black skin long enough to know that 13 is a different type of initiation. It is the time where he, and his long legs and changing voice, will move from an adorable child to a perceived threat as a Black teenager in America. This essay is an exploration of his rite of passage through the lens of parenting, social justice, technology, and activism. My favorite element is the ending, which I hope, despite any perceived despair, shows magic and light and optimism for the future.
What was the most difficult part in writing this essay?
The most difficult part of this piece was describing a traumatic encounter between law enforcement and my young son. It was a turning point in all of our lives and the beginning of some very challenging talks no parent should have to have with their child.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
I recommend Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. The novel is told in verse and it chronicles Woodson’s childhood growing up in South Carolina and Brooklyn in the 1960’s. Woodson’s work has been praised for having realistic characters and settings, as well as a poignant focus on self-esteem and identity
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be? Why?
I welcome the chance to have a hot (tea) or a cold (cocktail) with author Selena Montgomery (aka Stacey Abrams). The U.S. voting right’s activist was recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize but when not saving democracy, she writes books ranging from romance to mystery. She is also known for centering Black love and personal growth in her writing. It would be an honor to clink glasses with her.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
Currently, I am working on my middle grade novella set to be published by the small press Angels Flight Books. Told in a series of vignettes, the collection uses Los Angeles as its backdrop and explores the coming of age experiences of a young Black girl growing up on The Ave’s. More specifically, The Ave’s invites readers to follow young protagonist, Zora Hunter, as she tackles the trials of girlhood, sisterhood, absentee fatherhood, and most often the power of the Aves, a u-shaped community that is her neighborhood. Additionally, The Ave’s examines the lives of Ave residents while also keying in on a local death trap, an intersection without a stop sign, which victimizes Ave passersby and eventually results in the death of an Avenue child.
Our thanks to Ryane for taking the time to answer a few questions and share her work. Read Ryane’s essay, “Love Letter to My Soon to Be 13-Year-Old Black Son”, here: https://www.sequestrum.org/nonfiction-love-letter-to-my-soon-to-be-13-year-old-black-son.
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Ryane Nicole Granados is a Los Angeles native and she earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in various publications including Pangyrus, The Manifest-Station, Forth Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, The Atticus Review and LA Parent Magazine. Her storytelling has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and showcased in KPCC’s live series Unheard LA.