Author Nalo Hopkinson Provides a Glimpse into the Mind of the Artist

Publish Date: Feb. 20, 2025

Crafton Hills College continued to celebrate Black History month on February 20, with the appearance of author, artist, and Professor of Creative Writing at U.C. Riverside Nalo Hopkinson.

Dressed casually and seated in an old easy chair with a small table at its side, Hopkinson succeeded in creating an atmosphere of intimacy with her audience in the College’s Performing Arts Center. She briefly recounted her career as a science fiction/fantasy writer, beginning with a workshop in Canada, where she met Octavia Butler, author of The Fledgling (2007) and other highly acclaimed novels. She and Butler maintained their close friendship, and Hopkins continued to attend writers’ workshops and develop her creative skills.

Her breakthrough as a professional writer occurred when she submitted three chapters of a novel in a publisher’s writing contest. When she was chosen as a finalist, she was asked to submit her entire novel for judgment. This seeming triumph posed a problem: she had written only the chapters she submitted. Undeterred, she wrote furiously until the final date of submission. Amazingly, she won the contest and went on from there to work with an agent and become a professional writer.

She also explained the importance of her upbringing in Jamaica in her artistic development, including the influence of the parents. Her father was a writer and he mother a librarian. She was encouraged to read, especially classics such as The Iliad and The Odyssey, and learn about the foods she saw when her mother took her to the market.

In addition to writing, Hopkinson creates art in other media, including pieces incorporating fabrics and painting that emphasize her Caribbean heritage, examples of which she presented on PowerPoint.

The session ended with Hopkins answering questions from the audience, mostly about her methods of writing stories and novels. She stressed that what works for her may not work for others since creativity relies on individual preferences. She explained that some days she might write just one sentence; other days she will write thousands of words. She also revealed that she has had to overcome ADHD, autism, and fibro neuralgia.

The audience left with an understanding of what goes into the act of creating art.