We had the good fortune of connecting with Tananarive Due and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tananarive, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Being an artist is a very risky path, especially if your income depends on selling your art. I was a journalism major in college back when journalism was considered a “stable” career, but after I got married and moved away from my hometown of Miami in 1998, I became a full-time writer — married to another full-time writer, Steven Barnes. We set out to make our fortunes as authors and screenwriters, and we had many peaks and successes. But writing is a tough way to make a living, and we had many us and downs. I eventually started teaching to supplement my writing income, something I intend to do as long as I have time, but risk is actually a very necessary component of an artists’s life: every new project is a risk. Every time we share our work with someone, we risk rejection and disappointment. Every time we dream, we potentially face a rude awakening. But it’s also that risk that makes the arts exciting and weeds out those who “sort of” want to be artists and those who MUST be artists. Without risk, I wouldn’t have had nearly as much success as a writer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been publishing Black Horror since 1995, when I published THE BETWEEN, and I have slowly been able to work my way into screenwriting by collaborating with my husband, Steven Barnes. In 2019, I had my first television credit on Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” after I invited him to surprise my class at UCLA called The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival and the Black Horror Aesthetic. I was also an Executive Producer on Shudder’s “Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.” In 2024, I’m proud to be a considered a pioneer in this important subgenre, especially considering that many people did not know anything about Black Horror when I first started publishing. My latest novel, THE REFORMATORY, has had the best launch of my career, which is a testament not only to my own work, but to the growing support of horror fans of all types.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I grew up in Miami, so I love snow and mountains. My favorite getaway isn’t in L.A., but in Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, which are only a short drive away. In Pasadena, I love grabbing a bite at Mike & Anne’s because of the large outdoor seating area…and it’s only around the corner from the Michael Myers house in Halloween!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is a tough question, because so many people have inspired and mentored me along the way. But I have to go back to the beginning and shout out my parents: my 89-year-old father, “Freedom Lawyer” John Due, and my late mother, Patricia Stephens Due, both of whom are in the Florida Civil Rights hall of Fame. They were my first superheroes, showing me through their civil rights history in Florida that, as Mom, used to say, “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.” For my latest novel, The Reformatory, which was a New York Times Notable Book, my father actually helped me craft a key scene in a judge’s chamber based on his own civil rights work. Two of the characters are named after my parents: one of the protagonists, Gloria, is named after my mother’s middle name. And the character of John Dorsey, the young civil rights lawyer, carries my father’s middle name as well.

Website: www.tananarivedue.com

Instagram: @tananarivedue

Twitter: @tananarivedue

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tananariveduewrites

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxW9bFeKe7zzutyqOwROAmw

Image Credits
No photo credits except the Jordan Peele photo, which is: UCLA Department of African-American Studies

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