Interview With Author D. Emily Hicks
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a writer and an artist. I live in Southern California (San Diego). I have written three books: a) Border Writing, the Multidimensional Text; b) Ninety-five Languages: Multicultural Education in the Twentieth Century and c) An Introduction to Complexity Pedagogy: Using Critical Theory, Critical Pedagogy and Complexity in Performance & Literature (2023). I am writing a book now, Parables, that will be published in 2024.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, An Introduction to Complexity Pedagogy (2023), was inspired by my research with a geophysicist at Scripps/UC San Diego who works in the area of complexity science. We have collaborated since 2005. We view of the Mexico-US border as a complex system.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write with Blackwing matte pencils (inspired by Hemingway’s use of these pencils).
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by the Chicana lesbian author Gloria Anzaldua, the Argentine authors Julio Cortazar and Luisa Valenzuela, the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the Black Studies scholar Christina Sharpe.
What are you working on now?
I am writing a book, Parables, on African American (Octavia Butler), Afro-Latinx and mixed (Melungeon) authors.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have used Facebook to update my audience about my latest book, An Introduction to Complexity Pedagogy. This has allowed me to be in contact not only with readers (including my students and friends) but also with educators and artists who may want to teach my book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Marketing is important, especially the Guerilla Marketing approach, but it is also important to do research and to be willing to work with editors (if you have a contract with an academic or commercial press). At the time of this writing, new authors working with some presses may have to use Track Changes. The publishing industry is changing very quickly. It is important to set aside one’s ego and learn to work quickly and under (sometimes unreasonable) deadlines. For self-published writers, ‘zine-makers and artists, it is important to have a network of other writers for support and inspiration.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The philosopher Herbert Marcuse told me to “stay home” (within the context of doing research and writing). This did not mean to avoid travel, but rather to focus and to be disciplined about writing. In others, if one is always socializing, there will be little time for writing.
What are you reading now?
I am reading Eli Clare’s Exile and Pride and Christina Sharpe’s In the Wake.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am interested in reaching a larger audience by doing book signings/readings. My work is on borders and higher education, and in order to bring about change in immigration policies and education in the United States, I need to reach outside of the academic world and to participate in international debates.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Julio Cortazar’s Hopscotch, Saidya Hartman’s Scenes of Subjection and any book by Jodorowsky.