POPSUGAR: What a privilege it was to join you, and Elaine, and Rakia [Reynolds] in conversation over this book. What was it like to have Elaine write the foreword?
Cole Brown: Having Elaine write the foreword was a blessing. I mean, what else can you call it? Elaine and I didn't really have an independent relationship [before], but she is so close with my sister and decided to take an interest in the book, and gave me advice throughout the process. And then as I was moving on through the process and she had just released her book, I came to her with the question of the foreword, and she was incredibly generous and got me a piece of writing that I think really just elevated the entire project.
PS: I'm wondering if having read her book informed writing your own, or how you think these books might be in conversation, perhaps.
"But once I did read her book, there's so many points at which we are in dialogue, and I'm really glad I hadn't read it beforehand."
CB: I didn't read her book while I was doing much writing of my own. I think I was pretty close to the end at that point, and that was an intentional choice. I had a feeling that our stories might intersect in some ways, and I didn't want any of that to bleed into mine.
But once I did read her book, there's so many points at which we are in dialogue, and I'm really glad I hadn't read it beforehand. The feeling of being between — I use the word grey, she doesn't — but I think that references the experience of being outside of what is a commonly understood archetype, perhaps, for Black people. And I think that those limited notions of identity are ones that both of us struggled with — her, perhaps, by virtue of being biracial, and my experience was different, but I think similar in many ways.
![POPSUGAR: What a privilege it was to join you, and Elaine, and Rakia [Reynolds] in conversation over this book. What was it like to have Elaine write the foreword?
Cole Brown: Having Elaine write the foreword was a blessing. I mean, what else can you call it? Elaine and I didn't really have an independent relationship [before], but she is so close with my sister and decided to take an interest in the book, and gave me advice throughout the process. And then as I was moving on through the process and she had just released her book, I came to her with the question of the foreword, and she was incredibly generous and got me a piece of writing that I think really just elevated the entire project.
PS: I'm wondering if having read her book informed writing your own, or how you think these books might be in conversation, perhaps.
"But once I did read her book, there's so many points at which we are in dialogue, and I'm really glad I hadn't read it beforehand."
CB: I didn't read her book while I was doing much writing of my own. I think I was pretty close to the end at that point, and that was an intentional choice. I had a feeling that our stories might intersect in some ways, and I didn't want any of that to bleed into mine.
But once I did read her book, there's so many points at which we are in dialogue, and I'm really glad I hadn't read it beforehand. The feeling of being between — I use the word grey, she doesn't — but I think that references the experience of being outside of what is a commonly understood archetype, perhaps, for Black people. And I think that those limited notions of identity are ones that both of us struggled with — her, perhaps, by virtue of being biracial, and my experience was different, but I think similar in many ways.](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/Ds1rldW8l9Oj7TmompY7hS-RjcI/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2020/11/17/685/n/1922283/bd9994a2d7f8f962_GettyImages-1207634941/i/POPSUGAR-What-privilege-it-was-to-join-you-Elaine-Rakia.jpg "POPSUGAR: What a privilege it was to join you, and Elaine, and Rakia [Reynolds] in conversation over this book. What was it like to have Elaine write the foreword?
Cole Brown: Having Elaine write the foreword was a blessing. I mean, what else can you call it? Elaine and I didn't really have an independent relationship [before], but she is so close with my sister and decided to take an interest in the book, and gave me advice throughout the process. And then as I was moving on through the process and she had just released her book, I came to her with the question of the foreword, and she was incredibly generous and got me a piece of writing that I think really just elevated the entire project.
PS: I'm wondering if having read her book informed writing your own, or how you think these books might be in conversation, perhaps.
\"But once I did read her book, there's so many points at which we are in dialogue, and I'm really glad I hadn't read it beforehand.\"
CB: I didn't read her book while I was doing much writing of my own. I think I was pretty close to the end at that point, and that was an intentional choice. I had a feeling that our stories might intersect in some ways, and I didn't want any of that to bleed into mine.
But once I did read her book, there's so many points at which we are in dialogue, and I'm really glad I hadn't read it beforehand. The feeling of being between — I use the word grey, she doesn't — but I think that references the experience of being outside of what is a commonly understood archetype, perhaps, for Black people. And I think that those limited notions of identity are ones that both of us struggled with — her, perhaps, by virtue of being biracial, and my experience was different, but I think similar in many ways.")
