by Cyrus Webb
In the state of Mississippi there are few who are involved in the creative community like Richelle Putnam.
By sharing her love for the Arts with others, it has fueled her own creativity and given her success and motivation to continue on her path. Throughout the good times, however, she has experienced bumps along the road that would cause many to give up on their dreams. But Richelle Putman is not like those people.
She has learned from unpleasant experiences and directed that energy into an organization in which she now serves as President. This conversation is for anyone who has given birth to a vision, followed it through and now enjoys the fruit of their labor.
Richelle, I have a lot of ground I want to cover with you, so let's just begin with your life as a creative person. When did you first realize that you had a love for the arts?My love for the arts must have been inbred in me because I’ve always loved to create, whether it is visual art pieces, music, or stories. My mother encouraged her children’s creativity. My sister, Robyn, and I were performing before Mother and the neighborhood when we were in elementary school. Plus, Mother had this wonderful volume of books of famous writers, my favorites being Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allen Poe, that I began reading in the third grade.
For many they find the arts as an escape. Did you ever see them in this way, and what are your earliest memories of how your work was accepted by others?I began taking my writing seriously in my late teens, writing poetry about war and love (they seem to go hand in hand) and yes it was an escape from not only traumatic political times such as Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement, but in growing up in a single parent home. My mom worked hard to provide for us, but, let’s face it: Moms can only do so much (I can say that now that I’m a mom) and she had three teenagers to deal with. I still have most of my first (really bad) pieces. After I taught myself how to play the guitar, I put my poetry to song. In my mid-twenties, I joined some of my dear musician friends and we formed a band called “The Magnatones.” They had a recording studio in their house and we recorded reels of my songs. It was these guys, Philip Whaley, Joey Etheridge, Terry Rush, Leon Williams, and Lamar McKenzie who really encouraged me and cheered me on in my writing and I’ll always be indebted to them for their support. I’m in the process of trying to get those songs onto CDs.
Who have been your biggest cheerleaders in the campaign you have waged for the arts?Well, first and foremost, I have to give my husband, Tim, credit for his continued support in my endeavors. He has always had faith in my writing and he is the one who suggested that I really go for it. I took my first writing course in 1994 and he continues to encourage my educational pursuit in creative writing. My mom and sister have been great supporters, as have my four children. But my writing friends in Mississippi Writers Guild share that same passion and dream and we talk for hours and hours about writing and never feel that we have covered enough ground. Having a support group like that is crucial to a writer because it encourages you when you’re rejected and cheers when you’re accepted.
Visiting your website www.richelleputnam.net it is incredible to me all that you have been able to accomplish and experience. Do you ever look back on it all and marvel at how the arts have shaped your life?Yes, actually I do. What I see most is how I’ve grown from that first accepted piece to now. And the reasons for that growth have been persistence, diligence, consistency, and downright stubbornness. That’s what I want to share with new writers. That’s what I want them to see when they look at my page. Not how much I’ve accomplished (though that does come into play), but how a writer keeps going and never gives up. Believe me; my rejection bio would fill many, many pages. Also, I want whoever visits my page to know that I believe in writing and I’m all about writing, so when I offer any services relating to writing, like articles on writing or workshops or writing courses, they can weigh my credentials for doing so.
You wrote on one webpage that you "enjoyed the southern flavor of hospitality, family and friendship, but observed and experienced the negative aspects and lasting affects of social and racial prejudice." Tell us how that shaped the person you have become and how you express that through your writing.As I said earlier, I experienced first-hand Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement, both of which affected my growth as a person tremendously. I was in one of those southern families that had a full-time maid because both my parents worked. Blanche was a second mother to me and I loved her like one. But there were things I always questioned, like why blacks always went to the back of the bus. Always. I remember getting on the bus as a child of probably eight or nine and going all the way down the aisle to the long seat in the back. I loved that long seat. To me, bigger was better. There I plopped down amid all these black ladies and men and never thought once about it. The bus driver would not pull away from the curb until I came up front. I was embarrassed because of all the attention I drew, but mostly I was confused. Sure, I knew everything was separate, water fountains, restrooms, waiting rooms, but the difference between the two were so substantial that even as a child it made me wonder why. No, I didn’t question it out loud, that I remember, because it was a way of life, but I wanted to. Why was my Blanche not able to eat lunch with me downtown or take me to the restroom or sit beside me on the bus? Children in the fifties were sheltered and unspoken issues haunted the air like hot and cold fronts about to collide. And they did. They had to. As a teen, I fell into peer pressure. I lived in Jackson and the school systems were experiencing havoc. Students were pulling out and going to council schools. The summer of ’70, before my senior year began in the fall, I befriended a really cool girl who lived not far from me. When school started, I gave her a ride to and from school.
One afternoon she asked if I could give this guy a ride home and I said, “Yes.” It was a black guy and he asked if I could give one of his friends a ride home. I hesitated, but said, “Yes.” It turned out that she and the black guy were sort of going together. I didn’t want any of my other friends at school see me drive off with this racially mixed group. I felt all these accusing, judgmental eyes on me as I drove the streets of Jackson, Mississippi and I knew I never wanted to feel like that again. I went against what in my heart I knew was right and went with what was comfortable. I quit hanging around with my friend. I never told her why, but I think she knew. I watched her slowly be devoured by blacks and whites. Black girls attacked her for being with a black guy. White girls attacked her for being with a black guy. She got pregnant in high school and her family disowned her. I have dreams about my friend. My mind wanders to her at the weirdest moments and sometimes the guilt is so heavy to carry. She was persecuted and judged and sentenced all because she didn’t see color.
That will stay with me the rest of my life. I have done much research on slavery and the road leading to the Civil Rights Movement and I understand so much more about the political veil that was placed over our entire state and the repercussions that still exist even though it’s better now.
Can you remember the first time you saw your name either on a bookshelf or by-line of an article? What kind of validation did that give you for the work that you had done up to that point?My first published piece, “The Quintessence of Romance,” was winner in a contest and was a personal experience piece about my husband’s cancer. There is no feeling like having your work out there for the world to see. Not just because you’re finally published, but because your voice is being heard and your experiences are being shared with so many others.
Much has been said about the racial divide that seems to still abound in the South, including Mississippi. What's your opinion of the role that the arts have played in either improving that image or confirming it?The arts were and still are the open gate to the racial fence that divides us. If you step back to the fifties and turn right onto the music lane, you’ll find there was no racial line. Parents were scared to death because of this and that’s why some music artists were banned from radio airwaves. Also, poetry united men, women, races, and cultures. We were no longer afraid to share our dreams, our anger, and our hurts through the arts. Fear is what divides us. Not race. Not culture. Art has no fear because it has no limits; it has no boundaries. Art is expression and expression is free. Free expression is what this country was founded on. Why do we make this so hard?
Being President of the Mississippi Writers Guild puts you in a position to network with those who use words to make a difference throughout the state. Do you think that writing receives the credit it is due?Writing does not receive the credit it is due because the system has turned it into a task, rather than including it as an art. Give a child a piece of paper and what do they do? They draw. That’s wonderful, yes, but what does it tell us? If a child draws a picture, that picture is usually hung on a board at school or on the refrigerator at home. If a child writes a piece for school, red marks end up on it that say, “This is not good enough. You have made a mistake. You must change this to make it right.” Children don’t feel intimidated when they draw. Why do they feel intimidated when they write? “Creative” Writing is just that. Creative. And if you notice, the “Creative” comes before the “writing.” Allow the creativity first, with all the misspelled words, the incomplete sentences, whatever. Let them find their voice and story—first. How can we expect them to engage the right-sided imagination if we’re forcing their left-side to dominate the structure of it?
To piggyback off the last question, Richelle, I am curious as to how you feel about the role that television, video games and other activities seem to play in the lives of young people in the place of reading and writing.Young people are no different than us. They loved to be entertained. The problem is that they don’t realize how much more entertaining it is to actually do the “entertaining.” Poetry slams, literary performing, acting out plays you’ve written, where are these outlets in our educational system or in our state for that matter? Cyrus, I am in awe of your accomplishments within the educational system and in your activities outside the school system. You have encouraged youth to participate in the arts, but you have also provided them an outlet in order to do so. It’s easy to talk about what youth should be doing or could be doing, but stepping up to the plate and actually doing it, well, it takes a strong capable person to do that. Some of the state’s “whole” schools are doing a wonderful job in this area, but we need more. We need organizations like Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG) partnering with other art organizations to do this very thing. Right now, MWG is partnering with Meridian Museum of Art in their People’s Choice Awards by offering a writing competition to writers 15 and up. Writers visit the museum, choose one of the art pieces, and then write about that piece in a poem of 32 lines or less or a prose piece in less than 500 words. You can view this competition at www.mississippiwritersguild.com for contest details. It’s going to be lots of fun. Hope some of your youth will participate.
We all know that words indeed have power. Can you share some words of wisdom that have been passed on to you along your journey?“Writing heals.” This is one of the most powerful facets of the writing world and one that writers might not take advantage of. I have facilitated journaling workshops with the trustees of our detention center in Meridian and the results have been tremendous. I have also researched how when the hand takes the pen, something happens in the brain. In the book, “With Pen in Hand,” by Henriette Anne Klauser, PhD, published by Perseus Publishing, she states that,
“…translating events into language can affect brain and immune functions.
…subjects tested had an increase in germ-fighting lymphocytes in their blood and lower stress levels.”
…(writing) has been found to reduce anxiety and depression, improve grades in college, and…aid people in securing jobs.”
Now, if writing is that powerful, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Over your artistic career, what has been one of the highlights that you refer to when things don't seem to be going as well as you would like?Hmm. With reference to my writing, probably the 3rd place in the Mainstream/Literary Category of Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition for “Confessions of a Single Mother.”
This is a story that had gone through many revision stages, to the point that I was sick of it. But still I loved the story. I loved the characters. I wanted this story to succeed. I feel this way about many of my stories and when they don’t succeed at first, I think about “Confessions.”
With reference to Mississippi Writers Guild, seeing where it is now versus where it was a year ago. Developing an organization is very hard work. It takes lots of time, energy, and effort. MWG has a very strong board, thanks to people like you, Cyrus, and with people like that it’s impossible for other writers not to feel the positive vibes emanating from them. Plus, when obstacles pop up that we have to hurdle over, I think of how badly Mississippi needs an organization like Mississippi Writers Guild and that keeps me going.
Is there a goal that you have yet to see realized with the arts in your area?More events focused on the craft of writing; conferences with intense workshops, writer retreats, more literary performances that include seniors, young people, at-risk teens, and minority groups, more writers coming to schools and working with students.
What is next for the Mississippi Writers Guild and how can others find out more information.MWG is sponsoring its first writing competition by partnering with Meridian Museum of Art’s People’s Choice Award, which I mentioned earlier. Also, we are starting the ground work on what we believe will be the best writer’s conference in the south. This is targeted for late summer 2007. We hope to have a keynote speaker on Friday night with a reception and book signing. All day Saturday will be intense workshops with editors and agents and published authors. We will have formal critiques by those same editors and agents and published authors and a closing panel discussion. Plus, we hope to integrate our first statewide writing competition with the awards being given out at the closing event. Stay tuned for that. Visit the website often for updates.
Thank you again, Richelle for taking out this time with us. Do you have any last words of encouragement for those who might be reading this and interested in pursuing a career as an author or columnist?Join Mississippi Writers Guild. Why? Because we have writers who will encourage you. We have information and resources that will pull you away from the predators and scams and steer you in the right direction. We can help you polish your craft and mentor you in the process of submission. New, inexperienced, or experienced writers will benefit from MWG
by Cyrus Webb for Conversations Book Club/Conversations Magazine
