Thursday, March 6, 1997
WRITERS:
Novelists speak at Powell on development of mystery sub-genresBy
Teresa Jun
Daily Bruin Contributor
Peals of laughter and applause roared between the closed walls
of the Powell Library Rotunda last Tuesday afternoon as audience
members listened attentively to a panel of lively guest
speakers.
The panel of speakers was featured by the UCLA Library Committee
on Diversity as part of its month-long focus on African-American
contributions to literature. Comprised of African American mystery
writers Gary Phillips, Terris McMahan Grimes and Gar Anthony
Haywood, the panelists were chosen by the committee for their
contributions to African American detective fiction.
The program was part of the committee’s URL Library exhibit
highlighting the achievements of African-American mystery writers.
Titled "The Evolution of African-American Detective Fiction," the
panel discussion addressed the growing popularity of black
detective novels and the contributions that African-Americans have
made to this genre of literature.
"Not only are new (African American) writers writing, but
publishers are beginning to see these books more and more as
publishable," explained Richard Yarborough, associate professor in
the UCLA English department, who also served as the mediator of the
discussion.
Yarborough attributes this popularity to the diversity and
imagination which African American authors bring to the classic
mystery novel, by infusing African American culture, slang and
lifestyle into the structure of the mainstream mystery novel.
"With the diverse black life perspectives of the authors, you
get mysteries where the heroine is a maid or a lesbian, and stories
that take place in Sacramento as well as Los Angeles," he said.
"These authors produce vivid characters with real human qualities
that make the books worth reading."
Haywood, one of the featured authors, said that it was this need
for a diverse perspective that motivated his mystery writing.
"Most of the mystery books I was reading that took place in Los
Angeles weren’t really capturing all of L.A. For example, the areas
we refer to as "the hood," Haywood said during the discussion.
Another author, McMahan, added that, "There is a diversity of
mystery fictions now because of the authors’ diverse backgrounds.
Each highlighting select subcultures for the context of their
novels."
This emerging diversity has led to what Yarborough calls an
explosion in detective fiction writing. He added that this
phenomenon is not only unique to black writers, but can also be
seen in other sub-genres.
"The genre is opening up to all perspectives. We’re seeing an
explosion in women’s detective fiction, gay detective fiction, and
Chicano detective fiction," he said.
The panel discussion, complete with additional personal insights
and humorous anecdotes from the three authors, was described as
enlightening and informative by audience members like Shawn Taylor,
Editorial Assistant for the UCLA Center for African American
Studies, who "didn’t know there was a specific genre for
African-American writing."
In its efforts to bring attention to the contributions of
African Americans in various areas, the Library Committee on
Diversity chose to focus specifically on detective fiction because
of the "recent burgeoning of African American writers in the last
ten years," according to Stephanie Brasley, the committee’s
chair.
Followed by a book sale and book signing by the authors, the
event offered participants an opportunity to become enlightened in
the area of African American contributions to detective
fiction.
"I haven’t read many mystery novels," said Taylor. "And
especially here at UCLA, there’s more of an offshoot of mainstream
literature. So it’s interesting to learn how (black mystery novels)
differ from regular mysteries."
"The genre (detective fiction) is opening up to all
perspectives."
Richard Yarborough
English Professor