Judy Juanita was a pioneer in black studies at San Francisco State University and Laney College in her hometown, Oakland, California, and in 2013 she saw the release of her debut novel, Virgin Soul, which retraced, through fiction, her own experiences joining the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. In the years since, Juanita has released two more books, 2016’s De Facto Feminism and 2018’s Homage to the Black Arts Movement: A Handbook. With these works, Juantia shares her insight into black life past and present through essays, poetry, and playwriting. For her, self-publishing these books meant finding just the right audience for her sharp, witty takes. 

In De Facto Feminism, you refer to yourself as an “observational ironist.” How does this sum up your style as a writer?

I’m a “Kibbles and Bits” writer. I’m always making notes, scribbling on Post-its and envelopes. And I get my sense of irony from my dad, who was a very sarcastic person….I eventually learned that sarcasm is a mark of high intelligence. So, I flatter myself to say that I observe closely and I see the absurdity in human life. But, it’s really just a fancy term to say that I check things out.

How have your experiences self-publishing differed from working with a major publisher? 

One of the main differences was that there is a small window of time with traditional publishers. It helps to get their stamp of approval, but exposure and publicity with them was only from the day the book came out to about three months later. It was just the opposite with De Facto Feminism,which took off slowly but is still getting responses. To me, the benefit of self-publishing is keeping your work alive. Once you’ve self-published, it’s there forever unless you take it down.

Do you think that self-publishing can open doors for more diverse voices?

Yes, because you can get to your own audiences, especially if you are a person of color or a person who has a specialized audience. One of my friends told me, “Do Oakland. Do you.” So, that’s what I did, and colleges here have taken up my books. I also learned an important lesson on my book tour. I saw very successful authors who had their book from traditional publishers and [others with] their books through indie presses. And they were all selling. It wasn’t as though the buyers made some huge distinction. They were buying books just because they were by these authors.

You joined the Black Panthers when you were a student. What do you want to see today’s young African Americans do to combat racism and fight for equality?

I want my students to have historical awareness. I want them to be aware of the factors involved in situating them where they are today. The breakthroughs that came from the Black Power and civil rights movements, those were so historic and fulfilled one part of the promise of the American independence….They need to understand those factors so they can understand why a Beyoncé and a Jay-Z can exist and have incredible power, why a Barack Obama can come along seven generations after the Emancipation Proclamation. That took seven generations of concerted effort.

You’ve written about “avoiding African American chick lit.” What do you wish you saw more of on bookshelves from African American women?

It’s a critique but not a slam against those books. Anything that gets people reading is fine with me. My hope is that we penetrate all the genres. That’s it. Like Barbara Neely, a mystery writer who recently passed away and wrote about a black maid that solved murders. Other people are able to write anything. Why shouldn’t we? Sometimes they want to file us just under “Black Authors.” We should be all over the place....James Joyce, you know, he was not just an “Irish Writer.”

Rhett Morgan is a writer and translator based in Paris.