I had the honor of attending the UConn Women’s Center 50th Anniversary Kickoff event at Jorgensen on March 9th. I went into this event not knowing what to expect, but understanding that I was about to be in the presence of a true feminist legend. Roxane Gay is an iconic author, focusing her work on social commentary and her own lived experiences. She has written many books, including Bad Feminist, Hunger, and Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. If you are a Women, Gender, and Sexualities major or minor, you’ve most likely read some of her work. Also, fun fact, she was the first Black woman to write for Marvel Comics, producing her own comic book series, Black Panther: World of Wakanda. She has also lent her voice to two podcasts, her current one being “The Roxane Gay Agenda.”Â
She has a wildly intellectual outlook on life, living by a philosophy that there are always at least three sides to every story. Perhaps that is what makes her writing so impactful. Roxane Gay does not write to make people feel comfortable. She doesn’t write to encourage the political polarization in society or to force a certain agenda on her readers. She writes critically, recognizing and reflecting on all available information on a topic. I think this is why I find her so inspirational. As a novice writer myself, I struggle with writing about tough topics because I’m afraid of how others may perceive my thoughts and opinions. However, Roxane Gay writes unapologetically, unafraid of who may read her work or what they will have to say about it. She is confident in her ability to express her voice and that is all that matters.
The event was different than I expected. Roxane Gay began her talk with a funny little anecdote about her dog, who has some health issues. Somehow, she made a food journal sound hilarious. She then read two essays she had written, one about the difference between censorship and curation, and one about the motivation behind rivalries. Her writing was thought-provoking and witty. Her unique writing style is very reflexive of how she speaks in real life. Despite the high-level topics, she writes with a casual and humorous spin that makes reading her work feel like you are having a conversation with her. After reading her work, she opened the event up to a question-and-answer session. She was insightful, compassionate, and kind in every response she gave. The one that stood out the most to me was a question about writing. A girl walked up to the microphone and asked “How do I find stuff to write about? How do I start?” Roxane Gay described her own process, which involved many Google Drive files with just a few sentences in them which she may or may not later piece together with something else to create a full piece. She said to use anything and everything that provokes you. Bits of conversation overheard by strangers, random observations you make while watching the news or talking to a peer, personal experience, etc. Basically, inspiration can come from everywhere if you leave your mind open to it.
Following the talk, Roxane Gay did a book signing. I did not have a book, nor did I have the money on me to purchase a book, so I got in line with my ticket. As a huge Marvel fan, I had one singular burning question I just had to ask her while she signed my ticket: “Did you meet Stan Lee when you wrote for Marvel Comics?” I knew it was a long shot, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t ask. The answer, if you care, was no, sadly. However, in her introduction that was read by the MC of the event, she hinted at her involvement in upcoming film projects. Film projects. Hmmm… What film coming up might she have some sort of involvement in? Oh, I don’t know, maybe THE NEW BLACK PANTHER FILM!!! Don’t quote me on that, but how cool would it be if she was advising or writing on the new movie! She is so incredible and her Black Panther comic book series was extremely well received, so who knows? We may be seeing her name in the credits of the upcoming Black Panther film. I will for sure be looking out for it.
To close, I just want to reflect on how her discussion of writing has influenced my thinking. As mentioned before, Roxane Gay encouraged writing about whatever provokes thought. As a writer, I struggle sometimes to decide what to write about. I never thought to literally pick out a piece of overheard conversation and run with it, or to just write about literally anything that gets me thinking, even if it is only a few sentences. I don’t necessarily need a well-thought-out, fully formed piece, just ideas. She also talked about the idea of finding your voice. Her voice is very recognizable, as mentioned above, because it is casual, but intellectual, with a lot of wit and humor. She said that the idea of “finding your voice” is a load of crap. You have your voice, you just don’t know how to use it. Your voice, the way you speak and think, is inside of you and you use it every single day. All you have to do is bring it out in your writing. Don’t be afraid to ignore grammar rules or disregard normal writing etiquette. That stuff doesn’t matter, as long as what you’re saying is something you care about. I feel more motivated to write as a result of her words. She is an amazing inspiration to women everywhere and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to be in the same room as her.Â