Hi friends —
I have been talking about With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate to anyone who would listen. I even wrote about the book here.
ReShonda is the author of 54 books – yes, 54 books – and With Love from Harlem is her latest released on January 27th. It’s a historical novel about Hazel Scott, one of the most brilliant and groundbreaking entertainers of the 20th century, and her deeply complicated marriage to Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Set against the backdrop of 1940s and 50s Harlem, it’s a story about fame, love, ambition, and sacrifice. And at its heart, it asks what it truly costs to be a trailblazer when the world is applauding your talent but still trying to control your voice.
While reading, I took so many notes, and what I did not fully expect was how Hazel’s story would stay with me after reading.
Hazel was the first Black person to host a national television show. She was commanding $100,000 a year at a time when most Black women couldn’t walk through the front door of the venues she was selling out. And yet her legacy was largely erased — a casualty of the Red Scare and the particular way history treats Black women who refuse to be quiet. ReShonda wrote her back in, and I’m so grateful she did.
I got a chance to speak with ReShonda about the book and in our conversation, she talks about how she lays the foundation for her historical fiction with facts and fills in the private spaces with imagination, what drew her to Hazel Scott, the beautiful and complicated sisterhood between Hazel and Billie Holiday, and what she believes Hazel would say to artists navigating this current moment.
As always, you can watch the interview here on Substack or here via YouTube. You can also listen to the interview using the links below.
On finding creativity over time to write 54 books:
It includes my teen books. I used to write for teenagers, so that counts toward the total. But honestly, I just have an active imagination and I get inspiration from everywhere. I’ll be sitting in Starbucks working and someone walks in for their morning coffee with no idea they just became the inspiration for a character in my next novel.
On writing historical fiction:
I lay the foundation with facts. That’s what historical fiction is for me. I use real events as anchors while imagining the private conversations that happened behind closed doors. The fiction comes in filling in the blanks, but the majority of the story is grounded in what actually happened.
A quick synopsis of With Love from Harlem:
It’s a historical novel about Hazel Scott, one of the most brilliant and groundbreaking entertainers of the 20th century, and her high-profile, deeply complicated relationship with Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. He was known as the King of Harlem. The book is set against the backdrop of 1940s and 50s Harlem and explores what happens when two ambitious, larger-than-life Black icons collide at the height of their power. Hazel was a musical prodigy, a glamorous star, and a political force who refused to perform for segregated audiences.
At its heart, the story is about fame, love, ambition, and sacrifice. It asks what it costs to be a trailblazer when the world is applauding your talent but still trying to control your voice.
On what drew her to write about Hazel Scott after writing about Hattie McDaniel:
Hattie tried to change the world through endurance, through getting along. Hazel was the complete opposite. She wanted to change the world through defiance. She felt the world wasn’t adapting to what was right, and she wasn’t going to wait for it. I loved that contrast because there’s room in this world for both types of people.
The importance of Hazel Scott’s legacy:
She should be a household name, and the fact that she isn’t tells you everything about how history treats Black women. She was one of the most gifted musicians of her generation. She was the first Black person to host a national television show. She was commanding stages, reshaping classical music, starring in films, and earning $100,000 a year at a time when most Black women couldn’t walk through the front door of the venues she was selling out. And then her legacy was largely erased, a casualty of the Red Scare, of being labeled a communist for speaking up. I wanted to write her back into history.
The Outro:
A few other things worth sharing this week:
📖 Reading Four new books dropped today worth your attention: Black. Single. Mother. by Jamilah Lemieux, Westward Women by Alice Martin, and Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer. I already finished the Blume biography and while I thought it was a good read, it didn’t capture me in the way I thought it would. It felt almost like an extended interview or something to me — can’t quite put my finger on the disconnect. If you read it, I’d be curious to know your thoughts.
🎵 Listening I started with Yebba’s new album Jean and while I enjoy Yebba, this album didn’t move me the way I hoped. The vibe isn’t the vibe I’m in right now. This might be her Man in the Woods moment for me, but I’ll spin the block on this later. What actually did grab me this week was Kokoroko’s new EP From Metropolis Studios, which includes three songs, including “Idea 5,” which has been a favorite since Tuff Times Never Last.
🔗 Clicking
School is in Session — My conversation with ReShonda has Harlem on my mind, and if you know me, you know I don’t need much of a reason. Last summer I put together a whole curriculum around it. This is that.
New Music Drops: March 6 — It was a big Friday. If you’re trying to figure out where to start Shatter the Standards did the work so you don’t have to.
That’s it for this week — I’ll catch you next week.
