Boston Writers of Color Presents: Christine Pride in Conversation with Angie Chatman

Event Description

Join the Boston Writers of Color (BWOC) for an evening of discussion with editor and author Christine Pride on her latest novel, You Were Always Mine, co-authored with Jo Piazza. She will be joined in conversation with BWOC member, writer, and storyteller Angie Chatman. The event will be hosted by author Jennifer J. Gaskin.

Please note: This event is for Boston Writers of Color Group Members only. Learn more about BWOC and join here.

About You Were Always Mine

Cinnamon Haynes has fought hard for a life she never thought was possible—a good man by her side, a steady job as a career counselor at a local community college, and a cozy house in a quaint little beach town. It may not look like much, but it’s more than she ever dreamed of or what her difficult childhood promised. Her life’s mantra is to be good, quiet, grateful. Until something shifts and Cinnamon is suddenly haunted by a terrifying question: “Is this all there is?”

Daisy Dunlap has had her own share of problems in her nineteen years on earth—she also has her own big dreams for a life that’s barely begun. Her hopes for her future are threatened when she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Desperate, broke, and alone, she hides this development from everyone close to her and then makes a drastic decision with devastating consequences.

Daisy isn’t the only one with something to hide. When Cinnamon finds an abandoned baby in a park and takes the blonde-haired, blue-eyed newborn into her home, the ripple effects of this decision risk exposing the truth about Cinnamon’s own past, which she’s gone to great pains to portray as idyllic to everyone…even herself.

As Cinnamon struggles to contain old demons, navigate the fault lines that erupt in her marriage, and deal with the shocking judgments from friends and strangers alike about why a woman like her has a baby like this, her one goal is to do right by the child she grows more attached to with each passing day. It’s the exact same conviction that drives Daisy as she tries to outrun her heartache and reckon with her choices.

These two women, unlikely friends and kindred spirits must face down their secrets and trauma and unite for the sake of the baby they both love in their own unique way when Daisy’s grandparents, who would rather die than see one of their own raised by a Black woman, threaten to take custody.

Once again, these authors bring their “empathetic, riveting, and authentic” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling to an unforgettable novel that revolves around provocative and timely questions about race, class, and motherhood. Is being a mother a right, an obligation, or a privilege? Who gets to be a mother? And to whom? And what are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of marriage, friendship, and our dreams?

About the Boston Writers of Color

GrubStreet’s Boston Writers of Color (BWOC) program focuses on artistic and career development for writers of African, Indigenous, Native, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander and Arab heritage in New England and beyond. Founded by author and GrubStreet Instructor, Jonathan Escoffery, this program includes literary support funding, free writing sessions, a network of BIPOC writers and artistic leaders, and a variety of free events that focus on community, artistic growth, and publishing. Our mission is to amplify the work of writers who are often marginalized and systemically undervalued in the existing publishing industry, and we strive for cultural, economic, and financial equity.

Learn more and join BWOC here!

Program Format

This program will take place in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood.

Covid-19 Update

GrubStreet's space will be mask optional when Boston's Covid-19 Community Level is low or medium. When the Covid-19 Community Level is high, our space will require masks. Please check GrubStreet's Covid-19 page for the latest info on masking and Community Levels before visiting in-person.