Creative Nonfiction

BETH KEPHART on Margo Jefferson

In her 2015 memoir, Jefferson chooses to write toward the cultural history she was born into—“upper-crust black Chicago,” as the flap copy puts it.

from Negroland

(Pantheon Books, 2015)

As the book begins, Jefferson is taking it slow—easing in with repetitions and unpretentious verbs,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Creative Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction13 min read
Dismantling the Patriarchy by Reclaiming Her Voice
In 2010, Elissa Bassist, then age twenty-six, wrote to Cheryl Strayed, a.k.a. Sugar from the Rumpus advice column Dear Sugar. She asked, “How do I reach the page when I can’t lift my face off the bed? … How does a woman get up and become the writer s
Creative Nonfiction5 min read
So This Dude
So this dude I’ve been working alongside, landscaping and whatnot, he looks a lot like me: buzz cut that’s starting to grow out, blond beard and mustache, blue eyes, maybe just shy of six feet, 160 or so pounds. Three weeks we’ve been working togethe
Creative Nonfiction10 min read
I Am Al’s Lymphoma
More specifically, I am Al’s Primary Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma. Even more specifically, I’m Al’s Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. Or, you could just call me Cancer, but you’re better off not calling me at all, and hoping that I never call you. Al is f

Related