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We sit down with award-winning author Victoria Christopher Murray to talk about Harlem Rhapsody, her novel about the Harlem Renaissance and the woman who made it possible. This gripping novel brings to life Jessie Redmon Fauset, a pioneering literary editor, mentor, and novelist who played a pivotal role in shaping the Harlem Renaissance—yet remains largely forgotten today.
“W.E.B. Du Bois and Jessie were always together. I tried to write the story without their affair, but there were too many plot holes. It was part of the truth.”
We also talk with the founders of a new publishing company featuring largely forgotten women authors of an earlier time. Bremond Berry MacDougall and Lisa Cooper founded Quite Literally Books — which is coming out with Jessie Redmon Fauset’s 1928 novel Plum Bun, along with two other books.
Black History Month on Writer’s Voice
Every week this month, we’ll be featuring books about key times in America’s Black History, a history that enriches and enlightens us all. We talk with:
- Aaron Robertson, BLACK UTOPIANS
- Aran Shetterly about MORNINGSIDE: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre
- Victoria Christopher Murray about her novel of the Harlem Renaissance, HARLEM RHAPSODY
- Bernadette Atuahene about her history of how racist policies undermine Black home ownership In America, PLUNDERED
You might also like: Carla Kaplan: Miss Ann in Harlem
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Key Words: Victoria Christopher Murray, Harlem Rhapsody, Jessie Redmon Fauset biography, Harlem Renaissance, W.E.B. Du Bois, Quite Literally Books, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Nelia Gardner White
Segment One: Victoria Christopher Murray
Jessie Redmon Fauset was one of the most influential women in American literary history, yet few remember her today. She helped spark the Harlem Renaissance in her role as literary editor of The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP.
But she carried a secret: Her boss, W. E. B. Du Bois, wasn’t just her mentor—he also was her lover. At least, that’s what novelist Victoria Christopher Murray imagines in her wonderful novel about Jessie Fauset, Harlem Rhapsody. She creates narrative tension between Fauset’s secret liaison with Du Bois and her mission: to scout and champion literary talent among young Black writers.
Fauset discovered and mentored such future literary giants as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Nella Larsen. As a Black woman, she stood as a singular figure at the center of a cultural revolution, contending with both racial and gender prejudice to cement her place in history.
Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than 30 novels.
Key Topics Covered:
- How Jessie Redmon Fauset discovered, mentored, and published some of the greatest Black writers of the Harlem Renaissance
- Her Complex Relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois – Their intellectual and romantic connection.
- Gender and Power in the Harlem Renaissance – Why Fauset’s work was overshadowed by men and how sexism shaped her career.
- The Talented Tenth and Class Divides – How W.E.B. Du Bois’ philosophy impacted Black society and Fauset’s life.
- The Civic Club Dinner of 1924 – How an event meant to honor Fauset was co-opted by male writers, symbolizing broader gender inequalities.
- What It Means to Be a ‘Black Writer’ vs. Just a Writer – Murray shares her own experiences navigating racial categorization in publishing.
Segment Two: Reviving Forgotten Women Writers with Quite Literally Books
We welcome Bremond Berry MacDougall and Lisa Cooper, the co-founders of Quite Literally Books, a new independent press dedicated to reviving out-of-print books by women. Their mission is to bring forgotten female authors back into the literary conversation—especially Black women writers and feminist voices whose works have been overlooked or erased.
Key Topics Covered:
- The Mission of Quite Literally Books – Why MacDougall and Cooper are reviving forgotten women writers.
- Jessie Redmon Fauset’s Plum Bun – A novel exploring race, gender, and passing through a feminist lens.
- Feminism in The Homemaker – How Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s novel challenged gender roles 100 years ago —and why it’s still relevant today.
- Nelia Gardner White’s The Pink House
- Upcoming Releases – The feminist utopian novel Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and why its themes of female autonomy resonate today.