Interview of community organizer, teacher, and author Maurice Broaddus Kimberly Williams: My name is Kimberly Williams. I am a university doctoral student and I'm here at the Zora Neale Hurston Festival interviewing Maurice Broaddus. Today is January 31st and we are located at the – Zora's place in Eatonville, Florida. [clicking] So, um, [00:20] can I get your name? Maurice Broaddus: It's Maurice Broaddus. Kimberly Williams: Broaddus. Uh, well great. Maurice Broaddus: Hm. Kimberly Williams: Well, thank you. Thank you so much for your time… Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: …this morning. Maurice Broaddus: No problem. Kimberly Williams: Uh, first things first. I would love to hear about yourself. [00:33] Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came into this work of Afrofuturism. Maurice Broaddus: Oh, okay. Uh, so I have been writing basically all of my life. Um, let's see. I was born in London and my broth-, my mother was born in Jamaica. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And, uh, so we moved to the country, I was only about 6 or 7 years old, and, uh, they didn't know what to do with me w-, in the American school system. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. Maurice Broaddus: Um, so they skipped me up a grade or two and then the teacher, uh, just sorta stuck me in the back of the classroom and put a stack a paper on my desk and said, "Yeah, you're just gonna create this year 'cause we don't wanna skip ya up another year, so…" Kimberly Williams: Uh-huh. Maurice Broaddus: "…we're just gonna give you paper and you just do you're thing." Kimberly Williams: Okay. Maurice Broaddus: Um, by 5th grade I, uh, won an award for an essay I wrote. Um, I wish I still had that essay actually. But I also wrote a short story. Uh, so I wrote an essay and a short story that year. Uh, my short story I still have. It was, uh, called the Big Mac Attacker [snapping] [laughing] because I was in 5th grade. [laughter] Um, by high school, um, a, a teacher really encouraged me to, uh, pursue writing, um, sorta gave me my own curriculum to go by, um, and my own – he – [I think 1:41] he had his own standard by which I was gonna be judged for my writing, 'cause he was just like, "No, you, you have something here, so we're gonna push you in different directions." Um, now in college, uh, I ended kinda puttin' away writing, uh, 'cause I was the first person in my family to go to college, um, but my – 'cause my mom wanted me to do something respectable. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so she wasn't gonna pay [coughing] for a creative writing degree. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, so I ended up being a, uh – so I have a degree in biology. Kimberly Williams: Okay. Maurice Broaddus: Um, but about halfway through my college career I kinda started sneakin' in some creative writing classes, um, including the, um – I did an independent study class and, uh, and the professor was like, "Well, did you look me up first?" And I like, "No, they paired, paired me up randomly." And he goes, "I did my dissertation on Steven King and Clive Barker." And I'm like yeah, I think I'm where I'm supposed to be. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. Maurice Broaddus: And so that, that just sent me down my career of like all right, let's, let's seriously pursue this. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. That's a wonderful, like a wonderful transition and like [inaudible 2:39] story into your career and passion. Maurice Broaddus: Right. Kimberly Williams: That's nice. Well, [02:43] and how do you, how do you define Afrofuturism? [snapping] Maurice Broaddus: Um, let's see. So Afrofuturism I see as, um, [snapping] culture through black, uh, well, any sort of arts through the Black cultural lens. Kimberly Williams: Okay. Maurice Broaddus: Um, Afrofuturism is very much rooted in the past… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …that offers a critique of the present, but always with a eye towards the future. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, I, I also do a lot of activism work and, uh, and so the Afrofuturism [activity 3:12] has a, has had a deep impact on my activism work also. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Because it's, uh – one a the things we realized is that, uh, [throat clearing] you know, we don't allow ourselves spaces to dream. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so, um, even in the activism work, I mean, we are so busy about the business of surviving today that we don't take the time to dream about what tomorrow could be. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so, uh, its, so, so there's a sort of very intentionality about dreaming about what tomorrow could look like. And then, you know what? If that's what tomorrow could look like, let's start workin' towards that goal now. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So… Kimberly Williams: That's wonderful. Maurice Broaddus: [Inaudible 3:48]… Kimberly Williams: That, that's so, uh, clever, because when I think about also your work, um, with the Oaks Academy and then with the – is it pronounced keep, keepra? Maurice Broaddus: [laughter] Kheprw. Kimberly Williams: Kheprw. Maurice Broaddus: Kheprw Kimberly Williams: Kheprw, yes. Maurice Broaddus: Oh, yeah. Good luck with that name. Kimberly Williams: Yes. It's Kheprw, yes. [laughter] So how do you, then how do you think about fusing and looking at Afrofuturism in that work, in that social justice work? Maurice Broaddus: Yeah, so – and actually, and so I'm also, uh, a, a person of faith. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. [clicking] Maurice Broaddus: And so, and so it all ties together for me. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Because f-, what I realize is that all of this is about operating out of a sense of a future hope. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so it's a future hope for the world, a future hope for my students, a future hope for my kids. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. Maurice Broaddus: Um, and so it's all about, uh, working towards a future hope but living in, in the light of that future hope today. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. That's wonderful. Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: It's wonderful. And how, from your perspective, um, [4:40] what does Afrofuturism offer society right now, too? And I know some of that you touched on, but… Maurice Broaddus: Yeah. Kimberly Williams: …if you could offer like a critique, uh, [inaudible 4:46]… Maurice Broaddus: Oh, yeah. Kimberly Williams: …opportunity. Maurice Broaddus: [coughing] It's, it's all that. So, uh, so for a start, Afrofuturism opens, uh, provides a mirror. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: It's like here's where we are and here's who we are. And it's important that you see us, um, because w-, one of the things, uh, um – all right, so I always struggled with my activism work 'cause I'm just like – well, I'm just a writer. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So what does that look like i-, well, both in terms of my activism and in terms of my faith. Yeah, I'm a writer, so what does that look like, uh, from a faith perspective? What does that look like to join in God's redemptive work of, on this planet? Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: As a writer? Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, as an activist, what does it look like to use my gifts as a writer to move any of the social justice work forward? What does that look like? And so one of the things – I was workin' with a group called the Learning Tree in Indianapolis. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: [coughing] And, uh, [snapping] one of the projects we were doing, w-, uh, we called'm, uh, portfolios. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so what we were doin', we were just going and interviewing neighbors. Just people next door, people on the street, um, getting to know them. And then, you know, just askin'm questions about themselves, you know. What, what are you passionate about? What are your gifts? What talents do you offer the community? What are things that you could teach? What gets you outta bed in the morning? What motivates… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: …you to, uh, um, to, to get up? Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so we started askin' these sorta very intentional questions as a way to create profiles, uh, on who are the gifts in, in, in the community and what, what gifts do people offer? And then I'd write up profiles about them. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Uh, and, and so I'd write up these profiles and then I'd hand the profiles back to them like, uh, you know, a week or, or 2 weeks later as like, "Here's how you're seen by the community." Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And then all of a sudden you had these people who were just like, "Wait a second, I do this? This is who I am? And this is how community sees me?" And there is just that whole idea of like – you know what? We don't often get a chance to see ourselves. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And more importantly, how the community sees and values us. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so that's part of that work of – and so when I say wh-, what does our futures offer? It offers up a chance for us to see ourselves. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And, uh… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: …and one a the things I talk about with my kids at the, at the Oaks Academy – the one things that w-, we're about at the Oaks Academy is not just seeing you for who you are, but we also see you for the infinite possibilities of who you could be. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And I think that's an important part that Afrofuturism of-, offers also, is that there's, a infinite [inaudible 7:14] of possibilities for us. Um, so we don't ha-, we don't have to be trapped by these old narratives. We don't have to be trapped and defined by these stories of, stories that have been put on us. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Not even written by us, the stories that have been put on us. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So, what does it look like f-, to create our own stories and to imagine our own futures and imagine our own possibilities and then start lookin' into that. Kimberly Williams: Wonderful. Wonderful. [7:34] Where do you – [excuse 7:35], where do you see, um, uh, your faith and Afrofuturism sort of like, uh, [collect 7:41] together or create together? Do you feel like a constraint at times or a conflict? Or is it – does one speak to the other? Maurice Broaddus: Uh, so I actually came up as a horror writer. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. Maurice Broaddus: So you can only imagine, uh, the sorta conflicts and stuff that would evol-, you know, being a horror writer and a Christian at the same time. So it was just like, "Eeaah" [laughter] like everywhere I go, so it's like, uh, [coughing] you know. Obviously, conflicts within church [snapping] you know, that, that sorta thing. Um, [snapping] but, you know, writing for me is always about working out, uh, um, workin' out things for me. I mean, one a the reasons I was a horror writer, I look back on it, is because I had a lotta rage ta work out. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. Maurice Broaddus: A lot of rage and a lotta pain I was workin' through. Kimberly Williams: Yes. Maurice Broaddus: And I did that through the horror lens. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, but that, with the Afrofuturism, it's like now my lens has sorta shifted. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So that I, I get ta tell different stories. Kimberly Williams: Yeah. Maurice Broaddus: Um, and so the Afrofuturism, like I say, comes back to that whole idea of there is a future hope. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm.. Maurice Broaddus: But we can create that hope, so what, what is, what is the future we are trying to create? Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so I'm all about dreamin' about the best possible futures for us. Kimberly Williams: That's wonderful. Mm-hm. And in your mind, um, [snapping] [8:51] what is this, as we turn into thinking about Afrofuturism and Zora Neale Hurston… Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: …um, and your frame of reference in your mind, what is the link between Hurston and Afrofuturism? Maurice Broaddus: Hm. I think the best way – well, for a start, to be straight, it's about living your authentic self. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Right now in the present. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And she was a model for that. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: The "I'm gonna live my authentic, lived experience right now all the time." Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: And this – take me, you know, I turn 50 this year. Uh, I'm just now feelin' comfortable in my own skin to be able to live my authentic self, but – and so that, ta have that as a model is just like – no, the sooner you can get there, the sooner, the sooner you'll be at peace with yourself and in the world. Kimberly Williams: That's very true. Maurice Broaddus: And so, uh… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …so she, she's very much that for me. Um, and then the whole idea of just living into your passions, living into… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: …you know, this world of art and, and how, when – and all the possibilities that art can do. Uh, not just in the, not just in the sense of art for its own sake but in terms of what can it do in terms of building and shaping community. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, those are some other aspects I don't think people really appreciate is that whole idea of the whole community that was established via art… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …through her. So, uh, these are important things I think that I was takin' to my own practice. It's like it's not just about the writing itself. It's about the communities that we build along the way. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So I've, I've, I've been very intentional about that as part of my journey as an artist. Kimberly Williams: Okay. Uh, [10:23] and do you think that, uh, Zora Neale Hurston, the, the festival engagement with Afrofuturism, continues Hurston's legacy? Maurice Broaddus: Oh, absolutely. Because she dr-, she was a dreamer. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: She was a dreamer and, uh, and in some ways, we are the dream [laughter] th-, that, that she was dreaming of. So, uh, so the idea of, well, us being able to gather in this space like this, is huge, and the idea of bringing together this generation's dreamers who are still dreaming for an even better future for us. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Obs-, i-, I, I think that is a very strong continuation of, uh, her vision and mission. Kimberly Williams: Hm. [10:59] Can contemporary, um, Afrofuturists… Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: …learn from Hurston and, and other Black, Black scholars and Afrofuturists? Maurice Broaddus: Uh, so, you know, I – at the very beginning I said that Afrofuturism is about being rooted in your past. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, and it's not that, it's not just the thing our, uh, our part, part of our past, but they are foundational for us. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, we wouldn't be here without them. So the idea of, uh, [snapping] and, and you know, um, it's uh, partly it's about, you know, respecting your, your ancestors and your elders. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So it's like I wouldn't be here without them, so everything I do starts with – by honoring them. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: So…[clicking] Kimberly Williams: That's wonderful. Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: That's wonderful. And so what do you think about – is that – I really, I really like what you talked about before in terms of thinking about like rage and horror. Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: [11:54] What were some particular figures and some, some films that I think were really representative of that transition, um, and then getting into Afrofuturism? Maurice Broaddus: [coughing] So, uh, some of the figures for, as far as my horror writing stuff? Kimberly Williams: Yes. Maurice Broaddus: Uh, hm. Kimberly Williams: Muses, even events too as well. [clicking] Maurice Broaddus: Uh, well, [clicking] so on the movie side, you can pretty much draw a straight line fr-, uh, for me, uh, starting with, uh, the movie "Do the Right Thing." I actually – yeah, "Do the Right Thing"… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …was, was, uh, [clicking] uh, a pivotal moment for me, the, that, that movie. I mean it just, it just left me shook. I mean when I saw the movie for the first time, after they rolled the credits, I just sat there in the movie theater for an extra 10 minutes. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: I was just shook. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, and I moved forward a little bit, uh, to, uh, the movie "Candyman," which is still one a my favorite horror movies of all time. [laughter] Um, and, and just the, the figure, the, the tragic figure that, uh, that, that he represents. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. [clicking] [sirens] Maurice Broaddus: Um, so that you have, have those 2, um, and then along with, uh, uh, "Public Enemy" being one a my, uh… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: …formative, uh, musical, uh, influences. Um, [clicking] then f-, then we f-, move forward, so, uh, in, in terms of shaping me, um, probably the 3, 3 critical works for me, um, one was actually by Steven King. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, he had a novel called Desperation. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And, uh, and like I said, I've always struggled and questioned w-, uh, with my faith. And so the whole plot of, uh, [sirens] the whole theme of, of the, the novel Desperation was you're either living in a state of faith or you're living in a state of desperation. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And, uh, and that, uh, informed me a lot of how I could use my faith world view as a part of my writing… Kimberly Williams: [Inaudible 13:39]. Maurice Broaddus: …you know, to ask certain questions and to, um, an-, an-, and to provide certain journeys for people. So I was like oh, okay, that's clear for me. Um, then came Octavia Butler's [sirens] Parable of the Sower… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …um, which taught me a lot about, um, you know, just examining your present and what it means to survive your present. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. [clicking] Maurice Broaddus: Um, and then lastly, it be, uh, Walter Mosley's Futureland. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: [clicking] Uh, Walter Mosley's m-, mostly known as a, as a crime writer. Kimberly Williams: Yes. Maurice Broaddus: But, uh, uh, his, his, uh – and, and Futureland is a collection that's like 9 short, uh, 9 interconnected short stories. Um, but that was the first time that my eyes got opened to, "Wait a second, I can, I can do stuff dreaming about our future?" Kimberly Williams: Uh, yeah. Maurice Broaddus: I didn't know we could do that. Um, and, and just the – and, and his ability to build worlds and to imagine futures and these deeply intricate examinations of politics and economics and, uh, uh, oppress-, oppressive systems. I am just like – so it's both in the future and it, and it cr-, uh, disentangled the past I mean my present also. Kimberly Williams: Yes. Maurice Broaddus: Um, so I was, uh, so that pro-, that is probably the – when it comes to drivin' me towards, uh, Afrofuturism, it started right there with Futureland. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: Walter Mosley's Futureland. Kimberly Williams: Okay. All right. And, and, and lastly, I was just wanting to know about your – So you're multigenre… Maurice Broaddus: Mm-hm. Kimberly Williams: …right? So I mean like novellas, short stories, um, editors of collections. Um, [15:21] how do you sort of like, uh, navigate and negotiate that multigenre? And also… Maurice Broaddus: Hm. Kimberly Williams: …too, are you considering thinking about even expanding that into, into other genres? Maurice Broaddus: Yeah. Um, so part of it is about, I mean just as an artist, trying to navigate what it would look like to be a professional artist. Kimberly Williams: Okay. Maurice Broaddus: So, you know, I'm constantly seeking out, uh, opportunities. Um, never placing all your eggs in 1 basket because, you know – well, for a start, just even in publishing, things change, you know. What's hot 1 moment, what genre is hot 1 moment might not be hot n-, next. And… Kimberly Williams: True. Maurice Broaddus: …and my job is to, you know, keep surviving. I've been… Kimberly Williams: Of course. Maurice Broaddus: This is my [coughing] – I'm sorry. See… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. [sirens] Maurice Broaddus: …2019 marked my 20th year as a professional writer. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: [clicking] And, uh, and so a lot of it has been about, you know, constantly seeking out new opportunities and partly just thinking outside the box… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …uh, 'cause, you know, as a, as a writer, it's like – well, my first love, for example, is short stories. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, it's hard to build a career off short stories. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: The short stories alone. Um, but short stories gives me a great way to work out different muscles when it comes to, uh… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: …my creative writing. Kimberly Williams: [Inaudible 16:36]. Maurice Broaddus: And so ag-, and so, you know, so I have my short stories and I have… Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: …uh, the novellas and I have the n-, novels because, you know, i-, i-, in the modern age, your career is marked by novels largely. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Maurice Broaddus: So, and that, so that partly is just a shear practical consideration. Um, now as a, as a creative, sometimes it's just a matter of what's in-, what's interesting to me right now. What story do I wanna tell right now. I mean… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: …um, right now I'm the author of a middle grade, uh, detective novel series. Kimberly Williams: [Inaudible 17:00]. Maurice Broaddus: Yeah. That started off from me going, "Hey, I wonder if I could write Elmore Leonard for kids?" [sirens] Uh, and entertain my son at the same time. Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Uh, and so it started as a project. Can I entertain my son with this story? Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: Um, and so, su-, now suddenly I'm a, a, a middle grade author. Um, but you know, sometimes it's just about, you know, what opportunities pop up, you know, or where challenges c-, come along the way. Um… Kimberly Williams: [Inaudible 17:27]. Maurice Broaddus: …[sniffing] you know, like, uh, in the last week, I've turned in a, a novel project, and I turned in a gaming project, and I turned in a play project. Um, 3 very different areas but a-, but part of the challenge for me was I – these are 3 different, v-, ver-, very different modes of storytelling. Kimberly Williams: Okay. Maurice Broaddus: And so how does each one challenge my ability to tell stories? Kimberly Williams: Hm. Maurice Broaddus: And so – and I love that. As, as a creative, you know, I'm all about how to, how am I challenged? What can I do next? How can I, you know, take my game to another level? So I'm just constantly in that mode of, "All right, what's next?" Gimme a challenge. Kimberly Williams: Mm-hm. Wonderful. Wonderful. Um, that concludes, um, the interview. Did you have any other, other thoughts or any comments? [snapping] Maurice Broaddus: Oh, I always got thoughts, so… Kimberly Williams: Hm. Yeah. [laughter] Maurice Broaddus: …Nothing, nothing, nothing right now, but you provoke me and, uh, [pfshh] I just let it all fly loose. [laughter] But I'm good, okay. Kimberly Williams: Thank you. Thank you so much for your time. Maurice Broaddus: You're welcome. /lb