Brendan Slocumb on the Validation of Recording Racism and Discrimination in His Novel
From Micro, a Podcast for Short But Powerful Writing
This episode is part of an interview series for Miami Book Fair, where members of Team Micro interview authors appearing at the fair about their work. For more information about MBF’s programming and to check out the incredible roster of authors appearing this year, visit miamibookfair.com. And be sure to follow them at @miamibookfair and #MBF2022 for more updates.
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In this episode of Micro, M.M. Kaufman talks to Brendan Slocumb about his new book, The Violin Conspiracy.
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From the episode:
The instances of racism and discrimination were actually quite shocking for a lot of people who have never experienced those things. I have often been told by people reading this book, “I didn’t believe a word of it. Things like that really don’t happen.” That’s what I’ve been hearing my entire life. A lot of the instances in the book actually came from my own experiences. And when I would tell my friends and colleagues this happened, immediately I was met with “you’re exaggerating, it wasn’t that bad.” So putting it down on the page for people to actually read and be able to identify with was very, very validating.
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Micro is edited and curated by Dylan Evers and produced and hosted by Drew Hawkins. Theme song is by Matt Ordes. Follow the show on Twitter at @podcastmicro.
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was born in Yuba City, California and was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in music education, concentrations on Violin and Viola. While at UNCG, Brendan was the concertmaster for the University Symphony orchestra and served as the principal violist. He performed with numerous small chamber ensembles, including flute and clarinet choirs, and in the BESK string quartet.
M.M. Kaufman is a fiction writer based in Georgia. She is a Fulbright Scholar and earned an MFA in the University of New Orleans’ Creative Writing Workshop. She is currently the Managing Editor at Rejection Letters and works on the team for Micro Podcast. Her fiction is published with The Normal School, Hobart, Metonym Journal, Sundog Lit, Daily Drunk Mag, (mac)ro(mic), HAD, Olney Magazine, the Miller Aud-cast, Pine Hills Review, and elsewhere. Find her on Twitter @mm_kaufman and on her website mmkaufman.com.
