By Ifrah Yousuf
Novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez drew listeners into the emotional world of her characters during an appearance at Old Dominion University’s 47th annual Literary Festival.
Perkins-Valdez induced goosebumps in this listener as the author read portions of her intense 2022 novel, “Take My Hand.” The flair in her voice when reading the dialogue — changing her tones to indicate the character shifts — kept the audience hooked.
Described as a chronicler of American historical life, Perkins-Valdez honed her literary skills over several novels including “Wench,” from 2011, and “Balm,” from 2016. “Take My Hand,” was a New York Times bestseller. The book earned a long list of honors: the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, a Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association, and a Fiction Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. It was long listed for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award.
“Take My Hand” was inspired by real events. It introduces readers to a pair of underprivileged sisters living in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1973. They were among the victims coerced into taking Depo-Provera birth control shots even though they didn’t need them.
In the first part of her Oct. 11 reading at University Theatre, Perkins-Valdez shared a passage describing how protagonist and narrator Civil Townsend, a nurse, had been hired by a family planning clinic and was learning the ropes of her job. Next, the writer introduced the audience to the young sisters as Townsend visited their farm to give them shots. The third reading focused on Townsend’s friends. An argument broke out as Townsend learned that she had been advised to administer the shots even though Depo-Provera had not been approved by the FDA.
During a Q&A session, audience members asked Perkins-Valdez about the craft of writing, how she chooses her titles, and the research required for an upcoming work, “Happy Land.” That book is said to be a multi-generational novel inspired by a true story. It’s set in a self-sufficient, North Carolina mountain community. “Happy Land,” is to be published in April 2025.
Ifrah Yousuf is a Creative Writing MFA student and editor-in-chief of “Constellate,” an Old Dominion University student writing anthology.