Naomi Extra is an author who has enjoyed a plethora of success in her career thus far and shows no signs of slowing down. She’s won fellowships by Cave Canem, Jack Jones Literary Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Crescendo Literary, and the African American Intellectual History Society. Her literary works have been featured in countless publications and her poetry manuscript, Ratchet Supreme, was chosen as the 2019 BOAAT Chapbook Prize. All this has been done… and she is currently going for her Ph.D.! How she manages to find the time to do it all is beyond me, but I am happy she does do it and that we all can enjoy her artistry. I had the pleasure to interview her and discuss her work as an artist- past, present, and future- and I believe everyone will be just as enamored with her story as I was.
You have quite an impressive body of work! From essays, poetry, comics, interviews… you’ve done it all! Could you share with us how you got your start as a writer, and when was it that you decided that this would be your career path?
I often make links between the angsty diary writing I did as a pre-teen and my path as a writer because my diary was the first place where I really tried to hone my craft as a writer. I started journaling regularly when I was seven years old. I would constantly reread and edit my diary entries checking for errors and inaccuracies. In hindsight, I see that I was sort of a strange kid. I also get why I did that. At school, there were few opportunities to talk about topics that were of interest to me. I used my diary to form ideas about race and gender politics and also to complain about mundane things like not having enough chewing gum or tv time.
Eventually, I had the opportunity to write for an audience when I started my undergraduate studies. While at the University of Rochester, I wrote for a student magazine (I don’t remember the name of the publication, unfortunately). Still, even with this experience under my belt and my budding enthusiasm for journalism and creative writing, the pathway towards becoming a professional writer was an utter mystery to me. What really changed the game for me was the boom of black women bloggers and Youtubers that emerged in the early 2010s. They were on the internet just saying whatever about race, gender, life. Online publications like the Feminist Wire had fewer barriers to entry for emerging writers and they centered on black women’s experiences too. I found that the digital space, while overwhelming, presented me with what seemed like infinite possibilities as a writer. Twitter became my go-to space for reaching out to editors and learning about the business. That was really the moment when I thought, yes, maybe I can do this writing thing.
Some of the themes you explore in your work are issues regarding race and women’s empowerment, which I think are discussions that need to happen more. Can you share with us why these topics are of such great importance to not only yourself but countless others, and how the current social environment of our country has shaped your artistic expression to date?
The poet and freedom fighter Audre Lorde once said: “There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” To my mind, Lorde was telling us to think intersectionally, to understand that oppressions (race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.) are interlocking. I think the pandemic has reminded some of us of disparities within our society and in the world. Recently, I started reading A Terrible Thing to Waste by Harriet A.Washington. In the book, she notes that while African Americans make up 12% of the population in the US, we comprise 42% Of Covid-19 cases. Black people are and have been in the throes of a major health crisis. It’s not just Covid-19, it’s also black maternal mortality rates, forced sterilization, environmental racism. The list goes on. I believe that black women are affected by racism in particular and unique ways that must be addressed. I write to amplify the ways in which black women are vulnerable in our society. For too long, the black liberation struggle has been about fighting for black men first or exclusively. I believe that we have to fight to make all black lives matter. Fighting for black women is a part of that.
You’ve gained many accolades as a writer thus far, and yet you are still pushing the envelope and searching for more! I’d like to discuss your Ph.D. studies. What made you decide to pursue this degree, what has the journey been like thus far, and how far do you have to go until it’s completion?
I decided to pursue a Ph.D. solely to have more to say as a writer. I thought that the dedicated time to read and explore ideas would allow me to bring more to the page as an essayist. For the most part that has been true but doing a Ph.D. has also come with a long set of unanticipated challenges. Just like everywhere else, the academy is riddled with racism, sexism, classism. It’s a pressure cooker and at times it feels very sink or swim. Black women make up an abysmally low percentage of full-time faculty members at institutions across the country. I think the statistic that I’ve heard floating around is 3% and less than 6% of full-time faculty members at institutions across the country are black. Knowing that sometimes gives me motivation to finish. But even more, I am driven by the work. I believe in my research.
I also see you have taken up a new artistic medium as a visual artist during this pandemic! Can you tell us what made you decide to delve into this particular creative outlet and some of the similarities and differences in comparison with the creative process as a writer? Do you feel that your writing is changing as a result of your work as an artist?
I had wanted to hire someone to illustrate my poetry collection and no one really could do it. I decided to take a graphic memoir class so I could learn more about the genre and what kind of illustrator I might want to hire. Much to my surprise, I ended up falling in love with drawing! I feel like I am able to use so many of my narrative instincts as a writer in comics. I still have a ton to learn and doing comics is incredibly demanding and rigorous work but it feels right.
Like so many disciplines both in and outside of the arts, the pandemic has significantly altered our world. How has the pandemic affected you, and what things have you done to adjust to the current state of things?
The pandemic has been really challenging. Writing is very sedentary work so my train commute was the main way that I integrated movement into my day. Now, I am home all of the time sitting in front of the computer typing. I got really bad carpal tunnel over the summer and a few other writing-related injuries. I am trying to make more space to tend to my physical and emotional health throughout the day. I am not very disciplined with meditation but I try to do that when I can as well as going outside. Drawing is another thing that I’ve been doing to cope with the isolation that comes with social distancing.
Can you share with us any coming up projects or events you may have, and where can readers of our magazine check out your work and support you?
This month, my poetry chapbook RATCHET SUPREME becomes available. It is available for pre-order through BOAAT Press’ website. December 10th at 7 pm was the premiere of a video commission that I worked on with two other amazing artists, Melanie Charles and Kayla Farrish for the Louis Armstrong House Museum. You can see what we created on the can see the Louis Armstrong House Museum website. Those are just a few things. For more, visit naomiextra.com and follow me on Instagram where I post what I’m up to.
Her current body of work is impressive enough as it is, but to see some of the things she has planned for the future is equally as inspiring and I’m excited to see what comes. I want to thank Naomi for sharing her time to do this interview for Occhi Magazine as well as Jerome Jennings for making this interview possible. Many blessings for Naomi and all artists out there striving to make the world a better place! Until next time!
Photo: Lauren Densberg
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