She Changed Black Literature Forever. Then She Disappeared. (Published 2021)
In search of Gayl Jones, whose new novel breaks 22 years of silence.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/magazine/gayl-jones-novel-palmares.html
Or see a recent photograph of her. Or ask her any questions. What does it feel like, 46 years after the first, to have a new novel coming out? Why did you step out of view? Did it make you a more honest writer? Did it serve your soul? I would not get answers. I would not be able to charm her into laughter. I know she is brilliant, obscure, irascible. I imagine her smile is still wry. But does she still wear her head wrapped in 2021? Is she still adept at putting a nosy questioner in her place?