An Interview with Ali Black

Photo: Donald Black, Jr.

Shaker Library’s Community Engagement Specialist Ali Black has been teaching, writing, and performing poetry for more than 20 years. She is currently working on her MFA in poetry from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program (NEOMFA) and is the creative writing special projects assistant at Cleveland State University’s Poetry Center. Ali has taught and performed her poetry at Playhouse Square, MOCA Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center, and a variety of schools throughout Northeast Ohio. Her work has appeared in publications such as december, The Rumpus, jubilat, LitHub, The Offing, and elsewhere. In December 2020, her first book of poetry, If It Heals At All, was published by Jacar Press. It has been named a finalist in the 2021 Ohioana Book Awards for poetry.

Do you come from a literary background?

I do not come from a traditional literary background. Growing up, I did not have adult family members who worked as full-time English teachers or writers. But my parents were incredibly smart, loving, and supportive, and encouraged me to work hard and go after whatever I wanted to pursue. Plus, they were incredible storytellers and I have always been a great observer. And, I was born and raised in Ohio, which means I come from a rich Black literary tradition.

What writers did you enjoy reading as a child?

When I was in high school, my neighbor gave me a copy of The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni. This is the only book that left a mark on me as a young reader. Unfortunately, I did not connect with many of the books that were available to me as a child.

Did you write as a child?

I started writing my own poems and short stories when I was in the fi fth grade. I also kept a diary. And, I have to credit all of the letters I wrote to my friends throughout middle school and high school. I wrote obsessively. I can remember writing three- to four-page letters to my friends, or a boy I liked, at least twice a week. Passing notes was a skill, an art. I miss that kind of writing and the performance of it all. I wish I had saved all of the letters I received.

How did you get started as a poet/writer?

My writing journey started as a listener. I was fascinated by my mother’s voice; it was rich with a slight rasp to it. I loved secretly listening to her talk on the phone with my grandmother or one of my aunts. When you’re younger, there’s something special about listening to grown people gossip or simply share their daily happenings with one another. I also fell in love with my sixth grade teacher’s reading voice. Ms. Marshall, who was Black, read to us every day after recess. I loved how well she read dialogue and how she could make her voice create surprise, wonder, or suspicion. I wanted to read better than my teacher and my classmates. I practiced reading aloud every day after school. These are the things that shaped me as a writer.

Tell us a little about the stages of your writing – the ideas, the planning, the drafts, working with an editor.

Much of my work concerns the Black experience. As I said, I’m a great observer so a lot of times I’ll hear something or see something and think, that’ll make a nice poem or I should write about the woman I saw in the laundromat folding clothes. I think about what I want the poem to accomplish. After I have something written down, I read it aloud again and again. I listen for words that don’t fi t, or lines that are awkward or boring. Sometimes, just by reading a poem aloud, I can hear the next word or line. Once the poem has strong bones and some meat, I’ll share it with someone else for feedback. And then, on to revision. I love the revision process because it’s where you get to polish things up, rearrange, reconsider, or sometimes start over.

Where do you write? Do you write at your dining room table – the one you described as the “Queen of all spaces” in your essay for the literary magazine The Offing?

Yes! I also write in my home offi ce. I keep a Moleskine journal with me when I’m not at home in case an idea, or line, or character reveals itself to me. Th ere have been times when I’ve pulled my journal out at a red light and jotted down a line or idea or title.

“My writing journey started as a listener. I was fascinated by my mother’s voice; it was rich with a slight rasp to it.”

Do you have any writing quirks?

I have to start my writing process by writing longhand with a Bic mechanical pencil or a Sharpie pen in a Moleskine journal.

Do you share your works in progress with anyone?

My husband is my fi rst reader. He knows me well so he is able to point out when I’m writing honestly or when I’m holding back. After that, I typically share my works in progress with my professors and classmates in the NEOMFA program.

How does your writing fit in with the rest of your life?

Writing plays a major role in my life. I never “turn off ” as a writer. Observing is a big part of my writing process, and I am always paying attention and listening for ideas, which means I am always working on a piece. I don’t have a strict writing regimen, but I usually write in the evenings during the week and in the mornings on weekends.

How did you first get published?

I started sending the manuscript out for If It Heals at All in 2018. I entered at least half a dozen contests. In 2020, I received an email from Jacar Press stating that I did not win their chapbook contest but they were impressed with my manuscript and wanted to know if it would be okay to enter it into their New Voices Series, a series curated by Jaki Shelton Green. I was upset, but I wasn’t defeated. I still had a chance. One day I was sitting at my dining room table with my laptop open and I blurted out, “Am I ever going to get this book published?” A few minutes later, I received an email from Jacar Press and the subject line read: “We’d like to publish you.”

How/when did you get the idea for If It Heals at All?

I started the writing of it in 2014 after my mother passed away. Th ree years later, I started working with Patricia Spears Jones through a one-on-one mentorship program off ered by Cutthroat Magazine. Th is is when the real writing and revising began. I knew early on that I wanted to center on Black life in Cleveland, which meant I’d be writing about violence, suff ering, illness, friends, family, and love. I never strayed from that.

Is there any form of writing you enjoy more than others?

I am a poet first. Poetry is my favorite form of writing.

What are you currently working on?

A novel about a 15-year-old Black girl who becomes a star in Cleveland’s pedal bike world, along with a full collection of poetry.

What are some of the books you’ve enjoyed in the past year?

I am currently reading Hanif Abdurraqib’s A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance and it is absolutely gorgeous. I loved Zadie Smith’s Intimations and Danez Smith’s Homie. I always return to The Carrying by Ada Limon.

You directed a literacy-based after-school and summer program for girls in Cleveland. What was your proudest accomplishment/greatest take-away from working with the girls?

My biggest accomplishment was getting the girls fi red up about reading and writing. I introduced them to books by Black and brown authors: Angie Th omas, Ibi Zoboi, Fatimah Asghar, and others. We often drifted from our daily agenda because the girls never wanted to stop reading. I get emotional just thinking about it.

What attracted you to work at Shaker Library?

I’ve been a Shaker Heights resident for 11 years and I really wanted to be more connected to my community and the library itself. I ask myself: How is it that I’ve been a Shaker Heights resident for 11 years, I’m a writer, I love books, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve stepped foot in our library prior to being hired? I believe I can play a role in making sure this kind of disconnect does not continue for other community members.

“I am a poet  first.”

What is a favorite part of your job?

I love that I can meet new people and build relationships. I look forward to learning from the community and working together to address issues, and work towards bettering ourselves and our community.

You are currently leading a virtual writing program for teens called WRD: Write, Read, Discover. What advice would you give an aspiring poet or author?

An aspiring poet in East Cleveland recently reached out to me about this same question. I advised her that she needs to become an avid reader fi rst. I told her that she has to read a book twice before she can say she’s read it. If you like Tracy K. Smith’s work you must read everything she’s written. Memorize some of her poems. Say them aloud. Reading is like practicing jump shots before a big basketball game. Like anything else, if you want to get better at something you have to be serious and you have to put in the work. Then you need to find someone you trust to read your work. Some of my best advice comes from folks who are not writers.  After you’ve received feedback go back and revise. Then, start looking for journals where you can submit your work if the goal is to get published.

How do you relax?

During the pandemic I discovered that shooting pool really relaxes me. It’s one of the few times that my brain actually turns off and the only thing I’m focused on is making my next shot.

Originaly published in Shaker Life, Summer 2021.