Kehinde Winful
Kehinde Winful is an Attorney and Writer. She writes both fiction and poetry. She has had her work published in Bandit Fiction, African Writers Magazine, The Docket, and Carefree Magazine.
Tell us about the featured book. What is it about, and why did you choose to write this story?
I wrote Flooding the River because I wanted to read a book where a black woman gets a happy ending. I felt like there was a hole in the market for black literature for literature sake without tropes that focused on trauma. My mission was simple: Black women deserve happy endings even in fiction.
The key message of my book is joy, but particularly for black women. When I wrote this book I wanted to write something with a black female main character who did not have to suffer, and even if she did suffer for a little in the end joy. . . a joyful life was her birthright. I think a lot of the time stories by black people that get critical acclaim center black suffering. I think black authors should be allowed to tell a story for story’s sake (for the art). All of our stories do not have to center around sad themes for a story to be worth reading, black writers should be able to tell a story about the life of a girl who turns into a woman who is just figuring it out. That is what this book is to me. A story about the life of a girl who turns into a woman who is just figuring it out. . . a woman who gets her happy ending. I used to tell people my book was about love, but I think that framed it in a way that didn’t do justice to Lolah or the other characters that impact her life and frame her decision making. I think a better framing of this book is relationships (not just romantic, but as the book shows platonic, family, etc.) is the foundation and joy is the result.
Flooding the River is a third person narrative about a Nigerian American woman named Lolah. As a protagonist, Lolah is indecisive, and a reflection of the old saying that to be seen one must first show up. The novel is broken into three sections that use scenes from the past and present to detail how Lolah makes the hard decision between two love interests. Lolah tries to balance being in love with NNAMDI, who she meets at a writing seminar, and complicated feelings for CHI, the son of her aunt's best friend. Lolah’s problem is one of certainty. Each section of the book adds new layers to the fullness of Lolah’s relationships with the two men, while also examining her relationships with others around her, including her mother and her Auntie Kay. This book captures how relationships frequently unfold in ways we cannot imagine, and shows us that the means are just as important as the end. Faced with sacrifice, loss, and heartbreak, through Lolah, her mother, and her Auntie Kay we see three stories that show the reader there is no one way to be an African woman in love. These characters show how love is learned and unlearned and passed down generation after generation; and yet even through hardship love is really meant to be sweet, hopeful and even triumphant.
Tell us a little about your writing process. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Flooding the River (originally named Lolah) was born at the grocery store. I was at an African food store in Brooklyn Park when a woman in a yellow dress stood in front of me, paying for her groceries using all one dollar bills. I knew immediately she was the main character in my story. I left the store, got into my car, and started typing in my notes app. A lot of the book was written this way, sudden spurts of writing based on my experiences in the world: someone who walked by, someone I remembered. In that aspect, the hardest part of writing this novel was the remembering of feelings that informed how the main character and her love interest interact.
Are there any writers or authors who have influenced your writing? If not, who are some of your favorite writers?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is my favorite author and she influences my writing the most. Her sentences are so beautiful, so lyrical. Chinua Achebe’s short and sharp sentences influence me when I edit, I think to myself how can I say this sentence simpler, how can every sentence build off the next. Lastly, Slyvia Plath makes me want to dig deeper, I want readers to feel something when they read my work. Last year I discovered Eloghosa Osunde, their writing is not of this world. Eloghosa Osunde makes me feel brave in my writing and makes me want to experiment with voice and structure and reminds me that language is art.
Has a library or librarian impacted your life or your writing life
Two libraries in particular: The Northtown Library and the Johnsville Library. Growing up in Blaine I was lucky enough to frequent both of these places. These were the first two libraries where I would stand and picture my books on the shelves one day. I actually wrote parts of Flooding the River at the Northtown Library.
When you’re not writing, what do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to do anything creative, especially paint and bake. I love walks, trying new coffee shops, watching movies and Youtube and going to dinner with friends and family.
Favorite place to go to in Minnesota?
Easy, my mom’s house. Followed closely by a small bench in a park in the TPC facing a lake. I love sitting there listening to music or just thinking.