Art & Authenticy

“I could have made everyone happy if I’d chosen to write only about the distant past—my grandparents’ generation, or even just my father’s childhood or my mother’s childhood—if I’d kept the book rooted in the historical perspective.” This is Danzy Senna’s response to the interview question about her family members’ reaction to her memoir, Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
From reading an excerpt from her memoir and hearing her reading in the library, we know that she did not write Where Did You Sleep Last Night? to appease anyone in her family. However, her sacrifice is definitely worthwhile. By telling her story with all its facets, whether they show her family members proud history or their shameful experiences, she helps readers to appreciate the depth of complexity behind one of the nation’s first interracial marriage. Continue Reading »

After reading Where Did You Sleep Last Night and being told that everything in it is real, I was shocked. I was surprised of the union (although not for long) of Danzy Senna’s parents, amazed by how Danzy Senna’s stories were deeply moving but her incorporation of humor into the stories lightened the burden of sadness on my shoulders, saddened that her childhood was basically ruined by her parents’ divorce, and impressed that Senna can both write and talk about her personal life in front of so many people. It was heartwarming that Senna, although revealed so much about her and her family, wanted to protect her second family, especially her son. Even my “conversation” with Senna did not feel too intimidating as she had a smile all the time and answered my question with humor and ease.

I have grown to really appreciate memoirs after reading two outstanding memoirs by two amazing writers. Continue Reading »

Participating in Danzy Senna’s reading of “Where did you sleep last night?” was a remarkable experience to get a feel of who the author is truly is. Her passionate reading on her works added a whole new level of meaning to how she felt during her harsh childhood experiences. I felt that the various passages that she selected for this reading were special moments, however, there was one passage, in particular that I would’ve liked her to have read which was the moment she received the pre-assembled desk from her father. That particular moment was in a sense, a revelation for Danzy Senna, because her disappointment and sadness was clouded by the anry bitter remarks of her relatives. I was glad that she got around to narrate through her entire memoir because, to me, her memoir felt like a growing up experience so to speak. Although, she jumped around from various bits and pieces of not only her childhood, but also her adulthood, these moments culminate into a full memoir and by going through this process, she got a better understanding of not only her father, but also her mother as well. When she was excited to attend that movie that she wanted to go, but didn’t want to leave her mother left out, showed how there are still signs of guilt for abandoning her mother for her father in a sense. Nonetheless, these moments in her life proved to be a valuable experience and I was glad she was able to share them with the audience in her reading as well as her question and answer session.