Your Next Rep.: Six residents apply for open Harrisburg council seat.

August 25, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Next week, Harrisburg City Council will select from six applicants to fill the vacant council seat.

Six city residents want to be the next Harrisburg City Council member, as the deadline passed today to submit applications for the open seat.

The applicants include a former city councilwoman and several residents who have run previously for elected office. They are:

Joshua Burkholder, a former CBS21 News reporter who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress last year and now works as a multimedia digital artist at Hollywood Casino at Penn National.

Christopher Conroy, a political newcomer who manages a medical practice affiliated with PinnacleHealth.

Jennie Jenkins, a former Harrisburg police officer who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for mayor last May.

Dave Madsen, a tax account collections technician with the PA Department of Revenue who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for council in May.

Brian Ostella, a long-time member of the city’s audit committee who previously ran unsuccessfully for Harrisburg treasurer.

Patricia Stringer, a former city councilwoman who since has run unsuccessfully for another seat on council.

Residents had until noon today to declare their interest and submit applications to serve on the seven-member body. The seat became vacant earlier this month following the resignation of former Councilman Jeffrey Baltimore.

On Thursday, beginning at 5:15 p.m., council will choose from among the six applicants. Candidates will be given one to two minutes to explain why they’re interested in the seat. Afterwards, council members will nominate one candidate of their choice. Council then will interview the nominees before voting for their selection.

The new council member will only serve a four-month appointment. The Dauphin County Democratic and Republican committees are slated to select their own nominees, who will appear on the general election ballot in November for a two-year council seat to serve out the remainder of Baltimore’s term. The winner of the election will take office in early January.

In their applications, candidates were asked to state why they want to serve on City Council. Their responses were as follows:

Burkholder: Working closely with the public in the media and during my run for Congress, I recognized in myself the strong desire to become involved in my community and take part in issues that affect so many lives. I listened to the people and began to realize that their voices weren’t being heard, and they were not being represented by those they trusted to do so. It is vital to stay close to the community and listen to the concerns of the constituents and to make government and its process accessible to all people. I have been a part of the Harrisburg community for many years and I would like to take on a role that will improve the quality of life for our people.

Conroy: I am born and raised in Harrisburg, and feel a strong commitment to the continual improvement of our city. I believe that as the city continues to grow and change, we citizens must contribute all of our personal skillsets to our government so that it is fully responsive to the needs of each and every person living here. I would like to bring my understanding of new technologies to engage new avenues of growth for Harrisburg. The committee on which I would chair, if chosen, is working on precisely the issue for which I have ideas.

Jenkins: I want to represent the public, while balancing the well-being and interests of the city.

Madsen: I want to be a councilman that works for everyone and makes sure every voice is heard in city hall. If elected to the council, I will push for real change that will preserve our city for future generations. I would like to work with members of council and the mayor’s office to ensure that Harrisburg is set on a stable path.

Ostella: I am interested in serving on Council because I want to help the citizens of Harrisburg. I believe true leadership is found in serving others and Harrisburg needs more leaders who are willing to serve and do what is best for the whole, not just what is best for themselves. I believe that my government, corporate and nonprofit experience make me qualified to help serve all of the stakeholders in Harrisburg. Whether they are a citizen, a business owner, a government official, and/or a visitor to our city, they all have a voice in how the city’s policy decisions impact them.

Stringer: I have always wanted to serve the residents of Harrisburg by representing them in a professional manner, engaging them civically, speaking out on their behalf and assisting them with any concerns relating to the city of Harrisburg.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Leaf Us Alone: Susquehanna Twp. residents unswayed on Harrisburg composting proposal.

August 25, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg hopes to turn this area in Susquehanna Township into the city’s new composting facility.

Harrisburg mayor Eric Papenfuse came to Susquehanna Township on Thursday with an apology, but still found few supporters for a controversial waste disposal project the city seeks to build on an old school site.

Papenfuse appeared at the Township’s Board of Commissioners workshop meeting to defend the city’s application to build a composting facility at 1850 Stanley Rd. The property, which is owned by the Harrisburg school district, already houses a small composting site.

Papenfuse said that the proposal would expand and improve the existing facility, satisfying a state Department of Environmental Protection mandate that the city have its own composting plant for leaves, lawn debris and woody waste.

The mayor offered to scale back the permit application to help appease community concerns. However, township residents, citing concerns about public health, remained skeptical of the city’s intentions.

“Everything is suspect, and my trust has been destroyed,” said resident Pat Thompson, who called the proposal an issue of environmental justice for the largely African-American neighborhood nearby, citing research that shows that a disproportionate number of waste facilities are located in predominantly non-white neighborhoods.

Resident Jamie Folks pointed out that any agreement that the city reaches with the township could be revised under a future administration. Papenfuse said that the city does not intended to compost food waste at the facility, but Folks said that a future mayor could pursue a different plan.

“We might take food scraps out of the application tonight, but that permit allows for all sorts of things,” she said.

She asked for the creation of a permanent advisory council composed of Susquehanna Township residents with oversight of the facility.

Harrisburg submitted a preliminary permit application to the DEP on April 13 for a facility that would compost food and plant matter. More than 60 residents came to a July 22 commissioners meeting to stand against the project, and the board unanimously passed a resolution opposing the permit application.

Since the land is owned by the Harrisburg school district, the city has the power to go ahead with the project even without approval from the township. At last night’s meeting, however, Papenfuse insisted that community input was essential to the project’s evolution.

“I apologize for how this issue was communicated, and I take responsibility for it,” Papenfuse said, pledging to consider input from the meeting and return with a revised permit application that would be more acceptable to residents.

Papenfuse also defended the choice to build the facility at the Stanley Road site.

“Harrisburg is a small city, and most of it is in the flood plane,” Papenfuse said, reiterating that the city could not find a project site within its own borders.

John Rarig, Harrisburg’s recycling coordinator, insisted that residents would not notice any noise, odor, pests or traffic resulting from the project. He cited comparable facilities in Camp Hill and Swatara Township as evidence that the facility would not affect neighboring home values. Finally, he asked for public trust that the city comply with DEP regulations protecting air and water quality.

“We have nothing to gain from doing this wrong,” Rarig said.

One obstacle that Papenfuse faced last night was a general skepticism of city public works projects. AJ Overton, a Harrisburg resident who has family in Susquehanna Township, asked about the health hazards of the project. Overton grew up in the South Harrisburg neighborhood bordering the city’s incinerator, and she said that she has a chronic lung condition as a result of its air pollutants.

Amy Warnagiris echoed Overtin’s wariness.

“Your administration is the victim of past consequences,” Warnagiris said, addressing Papenfuse.

She said the township has been suspect of the city administration since it began the permit process in April.

“The lack of communication to us did not help,” she said. “The first permit did not go well, and I don’t know what it will take.”

Susquehanna Township residents were not the only ones who came out to oppose the facility. Rhonda Mays spoke on behalf of a community group from Allison Hill, which borders the proposed site south of Arsenal Boulevard. She said that Allison Hill residents have not received the same information as Susquehanna Township citizens, though they fear they will absorb some of the traffic and noise pollution from the project.

In an informal show of hands at the end of the meeting, about half of the people in attendance said they still opposed the project. Papenfuse remained optimistic that he could change their minds.

“We are hopeful that we can continue to work on a revised application that may be acceptable to you,” Papenfuse said, rejecting comparisons to the incinerator and adding that the composting facility carries “no health danger at all.”

Township residents, however, seemed unconvinced.

“You are ignoring us completely,” one resident said in exasperation. “We want nothing to do with it.”

In his final public comment, Papenfuse conceded that the city might need to consider alternative sites.

“There may come a time when this is deemed to not be in the best interest of the city or Susquehanna Township,” Papenfuse said. “We do not want to do something you don’t want.”

Speaking after the meeting, however, Papenfuse said that there are no alternative sites currently under consideration. He explained that building on the Stanley Road property would be mutually beneficial to the city and the school district, since the site is unsuitable for a school but fits the needs of the compost project.

The Stanley Road property, which was sold by the state to the school district decades ago, is bound under an educational covenant that requires it to be used for educational purposes. To comply with the property’s covenant, the facility would accommodate school trips and be used in the district’s environmental science curriculum, he said.

He also elaborated on the terms of the lease with the school district, saying that the city would pay a nominal fee—“maybe a dollar”—for use of the land.

Papenfuse could not offer a concrete timeline for the project, but insisted that the city needs its own composting facility. Currently, Harrisburg sends its lawn waste to a compost plant in Swatara Township. However, the DEP mandates that a municipality of Harrisburg’s size have its own dedicated site for leaves and wood waste.

Author: Lizzy Hardison

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

August 24, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

Gorgeous weekend ahead!

Hey I’m actually home this weekend, and I think we’re doing something super fantastic like painting the nursery. Actually, I believe Friday, we’re river-bound with friends, then Saturday I’m back to my NSP/BSM routine. Plus I’m hoping to stop by Calicutt’s Customer Appreciation Day.

Obviously, you don’t want to miss this year’s Merlot/Flash Gourd’n Release Party – starring Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms & Blues Traveler – at The Vineyard & Brewery at Hershey!

Beautiful temperatures and sun are the stars this weekend, so check out the list of festivals and events, get outside and enjoy!

What are you doing this weekend?

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Water & Wire: City Announces 2017 Kipona Festival

August 22, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Alice Herrick, 21, walks on a tight rope outside of city hall today to promote the 2017 Kipona festival. Photo by Yaasmeen Piper.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse predicts a record-breaking Kipona celebration this Labor Day weekend—and not just in terms of attendance.

At the city’s 101^st annual Kipona festival, which will be held Sept. 2 to 4 at Riverfront Park and City Island, two tightrope walkers will strut across the Susquehanna in hopes of breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest wire walk in high heels. Stunt artists Alice Herrick, 21, and Rilee Gallagher, 16, both of the Finucular Circus troupe in Philadelphia, will attempt the feat at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2.

Herrick, who was at the Tuesday morning press conference where Papenfuse announced the Kipona schedule, will be wearing 4½ -inch heels when she attempts to break the record. She said she is excited but nervous about executing the stunt.

“If I fall, I hope it goes viral,” Herrick said.

She and other wire walkers will perform additional walks (albeit in slippers, not heels) throughout the day on Saturday.

The tightrope walk is just one high-adrenaline event at this year’s Kipona, which is free and open to the public. On Sunday, the city and PinnacleHealth will erect a free, 28-foot high, 200-foot long zip line on State Street—the first of its kind at a Kipona celebration.

Some perennial favorites will return this year, as well, including the Native American pow-wow, Festival of India, the Dick Reese canoe race and fireworks on City Island at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday. Festival-goers will also be able to cool down at a Midtown Cinema movie tent, enjoy drinks at a beer garden, and view local craft goods at the artists market.

In all, more than 130 food and product vendors, artists and nonprofit organizations will be present at the event, Papenfuse said.

Kipona is presented each year by the City of Harrisburg in partnership with the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau and a number of corporate sponsors.

Sue Kunisky, vice president of the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, reported that 55,000 people attended last year’s celebration, many of them from outside the city. This year, organizers are preparing for an even higher turnout.

“Kipona is a time to celebrate Harrisburg’s diverse cultures,” Papenfuse said.

Kipona 2017 will take place Saturday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 4 at Riverfront Park and City Island in Harrisburg. Visit Harrisburgpa.gov/kipona2017 for more information, including an event schedule and parking details.

Author: Lizzy Hardison

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

August 17, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

Peace out, Harrisburg!

Just kidding, but I’m heading out of town again — only this time for a mini-vacation with my husband of all people! We’re headed to Silver Birches Resort in the Poconos for some R&R&F (Fishing, obv) – anyone been?

That means I’m missing things you should not, like 3rd in the Burg (Have you been to the Zeroday Øutpost yet?), Hip Hop in Harrisburg at HMAC, and more.

We’re back on Monday – stay cool.

What are you doing this weekend?

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One Fish, Big Fish: Rare stripers snagged in Harrisburg.

August 16, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Mike Sholley and his catch in front of the Dock Street Dam.

The Susquehanna River is not exactly a chasm, averaging just a few feet deep in Harrisburg.

So, what the heck was a 35-inch, 20-pound striped bass doing there?

“It really is rare for something like this to happen,” said veteran angler Mike Sholley, who snagged the fish earlier this month near the Dock Street Dam. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Sholley, of Palmyra, has been fishing the river since he was a boy and said that never before had he caught a “striper,” a fish usually found in the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay. But he’s caught four this year.

“For them to get all the way up here, it’s amazing,” he said.

Geoff Smith, Susquehanna River biologist for the state Fish and Boat Commission, said that several stripers had been observed passing upriver by the Holtwood and York Haven dams. The stripers, which can live in both salt and freshwater, also may have come downstream from Raystown Lake, a large reservoir in Huntingdon County where they’re stocked, or even from a hatchery on Brunner Island in York County, he said.

“There are likely not many striped bass in the Susquehanna River and tributaries, and the angler was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time,” Smith said.

Sholley and Smith agree that this season’s copious rains and relatively high water levels may have contributed to the unusual catch.

Smith said that Raystown Lake has been releasing more water than usual into the river, and Sholley added that higher river levels have meant cooler summertime water temperatures, which stripers prefer. Both agreed that ample stocks of smaller species, such as shad and herring, this year also may have attracted the predatory fish.

“They’ll stick around as long as the food supply is there,” Sholley said.

And they may still be around, as Sholley released the fish soon after catching them.

In a broader sense, Sholley said he was delighted to see the stripers because it says something positive about the health of the river. He’s out on the river nearly every weekend and, in fact, with a few river-loving friends, runs an online apparel company called Susquehanna Native.

“If a fish of that caliber can live in the river, right now the river is doing pretty well,” he said.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Fact-Free: “Not a Scientist” calls out politicians’ willful ignorance.

August 15, 2017 | by Yaasmeen Piper

“Not a Scientist” display at Midtown Scholar Bookstore

In 1980, when Ronald Reagan compared the CO2 levels of Mount St. Helen’s to those produced from automobiles, his words were as follows:

“I’m not a scientist, and I don’t know the figures, but I have a suspicion that that one little mountain out there has probably released more sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere of the world than has been released in the past 10 years of automobile driving…”

Science journalist David Levitan now has called out Reagan and other politicians who mischaracterize science in his book, “Not A Scientist: How Politicians Mistake, Misrepresent and Utterly Mangle Science.”

This debut work breaks down the errors politicians make when it comes to science and how those errors affect the public. Controversial topics, such as vaccinations, abortion, and of course, climate change, appear in the book.

“Those [controversial] issues are pretty important for the public to have a good understanding of them,” Levitan said in a recent phone interview. “It’s important for the public to just be aware of what the science tells us rather than just what the correspondents on cable news tells us. They’re not exactly speaking from a position of authority there.”

In 2015, after years as a freelance science journalist, Levitan landed a position at Factcheck.org as the site’s first ever, full-time science writer.

“My job was to basically call out politicians who got science wrong and to explain why they were wrong,” said Levitan, who will drop Midtown Scholar Bookstore for a reading and signing on Aug. 26. “I got a lot of people mad at me for telling them that they were wrong. My particular corner of the site tended to focus on one side of the aisle because one side of the aisle gets science wrong more often.”

Over that course of time, Levitan started to detect similar patterns in mischaracterizing scientific issues.

“The times that I would see politicians getting science wrong, I would see them doing it in very similar ways,” he said. “It would be similar rhetoric, similar word choices, the same methods of getting science wrong.”

He began to collect those methods and track those patterns, eventually gathering enough data to create “Not a Scientist.”

Each chapter analyzes recurring errors politicians make when it comes to science. Some of the errors include “Lost in Translation,” a type of political game of telephone in which information is lost and changed as it’s passed from one person to another, and “Straight-up Fabrication,” which, well, speaks for itself.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to tell where they got [the information],” Levitan said. “Sometimes, you can trace it back to certain sources—sort of think tanks that would put out position papers, or something that a certain institute said. Or they’re just sort of talking points that have been recycled over and over, and the origin almost doesn’t matter. The more times that you repeat them, the more they sound like they should be true.”

According to Levitan, politicians choose not to consult scientists for the benefit of their reputation.

“They have an ideological position or a policy position they are trying to defend, but they know, on some level, the science won’t back them up,” he said.

The book’s forward message begins by disappointing readers’ hopes of seeing Donald Trump’s name between the pages. Levitan started writing “Not a Scientist” before Trump even won the Republican nomination. But that doesn’t mean he’s completely off the hook.

“Do not let his absence from these pages fool you: what the new president does not know about science could fill a book on its own,” Levitan writes in his forward.

One bit of optimism prevails. Levitan believes that the public’s science knowledge is increasing, even if it’s not to the extent he’d like.

“My impression is that the public is getting a little better with things like that, but obviously not to the extent that there is sort of a penalty for politicians who continue to ignore the science,” he said. “So, I would say it’s sort of a middle ground. There is evidence that people are getting better informed, but I’m not sure it has the desired effect just yet.”

The long-term solution, said Levitan, is STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.

“Having people better appreciate how science is done, the methods behind it, and basically the idea that you should demand evidence in claims that people make,” he said. “If we improve the overall scientific literacy in the public, then we reduce the possibility politicians can get away with this stuff.”

To learn more about “Not a Scientist,” visit David Levitan’s website at Davelevitan.com and see him on Aug. 26, 4 to 6 p.m., at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg.

Rock On: 11-year-old starts rock hunting group with a little help from her community.

August 15, 2017 | by Allison Moody

A painted rock by Joey White.

While taking a summer stroll in New Cumberland, you may just stumble on one or more prettily painted rocks scattered around town for the passerby to find.

These rocks are more than just decoration, as children in the community have been painting and “rock hunting” all summer long.

Rock hunting has become popular in communities around the nation recently, but “NC Rocks” was the brainchild of 11-year-old Joey White. When visiting her grandparents near Scranton, she was told about “Lake Region Rocks” and wanted to start the activity in her local community.

“I like doing crafts and stuff, so I thought it’d be a cool idea to paint rocks and hide them for people to find,” White said.

In any of the rock hunting groups around the nation, the timeline of events is nearly identical. Rocks are painted and hidden around the community, with a tag for the specific rock group on its back. The hope is that those who find them will post a picture on the Facebook page and re-hide for another person.

The group was started at the end of May, with the “NC Rocks” Facebook page created for White to follow the rocks as they traveled. The page has gained nearly 350 likes, nearly the same number of rocks that Joey and her family have personally painted and distributed around the community.

“We have a little one, and we pile all our painted rocks in the back of her bike, and we just walk down the street and put them out,” said Jen Barrett, Joey’s mother. “It’s fun to kind of watch people find them as we’re walking around.”

While some of the rocks from New Cumberland have traveled as far as Wildwood, N.J., and Assateague Island in Maryland, many of the rocks have simply disappeared completely. White and her family have been painting and hiding more rocks as the amount dwindles, but it has been a challenge to keep up.

“If you find one that you really like, go ahead and keep it, but paint a couple more and put them out out there,” Barrett said. “I think the more people that know about it, they’re playing along.”

In the past few weeks, Michelle Bohrer and her daughters Kayla and Brielle have painted four-dozen rocks and go rock hunting nearly every day. While the newfound activity lets her daughters get creative and spend time away from electronics, Bohrer understands the impact it has on the community.

“Every time I paint a rock, I think of the little kid who finds it, and the look on his face,” Bohrer said. “It’s the cutest thing ever. It kind of brings the town together.”

With support from the community, White and Barrett hope to keep this going in New Cumberland through all seasons. Rock groups also have started in Mechanicsburg, York, Gettysburg and Hanover, to name a few, and can be found on Facebook.

“It’s definitely fun to watch people find them and get the big smile on their face,” said Barrett.

Find out more about NC Rocks on their Facebook page.

Burg View: PennDOT needs to find ways to improve safety at Front and Forster.

August 14, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

The intersection of Front and Forster streets is blocked following an accident on Thursday morning.

And it happened again.

Yesterday, on the way from my house to Sunday breakfast at Yellow Bird Café, something caught my eye as I looked down Forster Street.

Flashing lights, police vehicles, a few wrecked cars.

I’ve seen this before. In fact, it was the second time in three days that I witnessed the aftermath of a crash at the foot of the Harvey Taylor Bridge. On Thursday morning, a multi-vehicle accident caused a big mess in the eastbound lanes just off the bridge, calling out the usual regiment of police, ambulances and fire trucks.

I have to give our emergency workers credit. They’ve become quite efficient at clearing that intersection since, I suppose, practice makes perfect.

Over the years, I’ve seen the stone Miller’s Mutual sign at the corner wiped out and traffic lights and pedestrian signals on all corners—as well as on the small traffic island—destroyed. Street signs have been knocked down so many times I’ve lost track.

An analysis of PennDOT data shows 14 automobile accidents just in 2016 directly in the intersection, with several others very close by. And many of these weren’t mere fender-benders, as six people ended up being taken to the hospital.

But it’s not just vehicle-on-vehicle crashes. In June, TheBurg ran a lengthy story about the most dangerous intersections in Harrisburg for pedestrians, and this intersection was among those. In fact, the person we featured in the story was hit in the crosswalk on Forster Street.

It’s time to do something.

In my personal experience as a pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist, I’ve witnessed three recurring problems at the intersection of Front and Forster streets, both state roads.

First, motorists run the light on Front Street. Secondly, drivers make illegal left-hand turns from Forster onto Front to avoid crossing the bridge. Finally, worst of all, cars exiting the bridge run the light at a high rate of speed, losing their chancy bet with the changing traffic signal.

In the 1950s, the state and the city, with the Taylor Bridge completed, together turned once-quaint Front and Forster streets into multi-lane urban highways. We can’t undo that mistake easily. However, we must try to make the intersection safer to avoid the constant accidents.

Certainly, better enforcement of traffic rules would help, as a well-positioned cop could pick off people all day speeding through the intersection, running red lights and making illegal turns.

Absent that, PennDOT needs to find ways to reduce traffic speeds on the Harvey Taylor Bridge as it approaches Front Street. There are numerous ways to do this, including, though not limited to, a reduced bridge speed, a “your speed” sign, flashing lights and an altered road surface.

No, this won’t stop everyone from thinking a yellow light is a reason to speed up, not slow down. But it may stop some drivers from blasting through a red light at 60 mph, leaving in their wake fragments of cars, poles and people.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Strength & Fragility: Novelist Zinzi Clemmons reads, signs at Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

August 11, 2017 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Author Zinzi Clemmons signed copies of her debut novel, “What We Lose,” after a reading at Midtown Scholar.

“I was called to the office at school on the day of the appointment,” read Zinzi Clemmons from her critically acclaimed novel “What We Lose.” “I was almost relieved to learn what it was even though it was the worst possible outcome, because it ended this period of not knowing.”

Clemmons took to Midtown Scholar’s stage on Wednesday night to read passages from her freshman novel, a coming-of-age story that depicts the life of Thandi as she struggles with race and identity, losing her mother to cancer, falling in love and eventually creating a family of her own.

The novel, which an audience member referred to as “beautifully all over the place,” is told through terse passages, photography, articles, passages from memoirs from Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama, one-sentence pages, and even lyrics from the Notorious B.I.G.

“I think it’s wonderful that people have talked about the book in terms of form, in terms of questions about race and gender and all of these things,” Clemmons said. “I really was pleasantly surprised by that.”

“What We Lose” flips between fiction, nonfiction and memoir, with Thandi and Clemmons sharing links between their lives. Like Thandi, Clemmons’s mother is South African and her father is American, raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where the novel is based. Since an infant, Clemmons switched between her life in the states and her summers in South Africa.

“The best thing has been that people have connected to the book because of their own experience in some way,” she said. “That has been, more often than not, people who have lost parents, people who identify with some of the things I talk about in terms of identity, women and black women especially.”

Clemmons started writing the novel while she was home with her mother, who was suffering from cancer. She put her grad school education on pause and returned home to be with her in her final stages. As she watched her mother dissolve, she wrote down her experiences and practiced what she called “anticipatory grief,” writing as if her mother were already gone.

“Some of them were in the finished book pretty much unchanged,” Clemmons said. “I didn’t intend to publish them at the time—it was just a journal entry. But, some of those notes started to creep up in the manuscript, so I decided it was important to focus on them.”

Writing about the loss of Thandi’s mother was therapeutic for Clemmons, though she admitted that, if the novel were a complete memoir, she wasn’t sure she would be able to read it in front of an audience.

“Part of loss is acceptance,” she said. “You see what happens to people who can’t accept loss. Writing this, and writing from my mother point of view, helped me accept it.”

Another early portion of the novel focuses on crime and anti-blackness in South Africa. The novel dipped into creative non-fiction as Clemmons used found articles and photos from photojournalist Kevin Carter of a vulture stalking a visibly weak child and another of a person running toward a cloud of smoke.

“All of the ugliest parts: anti-blackness, the colorism, homophobia, gender bias, those things,” Clemmons said. “The first step is to acknowledge that they are there.”

She insisted that “What We Lose” be sold in South Africa.

“I wanted [my family] to read it and see it in the bookstore,” she said.

Clemmons also wanted South African citizens to see their neighborhood from the outside.

“Crime and anti-blackness in South Africa may not be something everyone wants to talk about, but it’s important,” she said.

Currently, Clemmons lives in L.A. with her husband. She teaches and is a contributing writer to Literary Hub, a website for contemporary literature. For her next novel, she plans to switch gears and return to nonfiction. In the meantime, she hopes her readers who also are struggling with grief will find acceptance through Thandi’s story.

“Externalizing as much as possible, especially for black women and other women who find themselves because of culture mainly, they have a duty to hold it all together and put on a strong face,” she said.

Clemmons recommended writing, talking to friends, and strongly encouraged therapy.

“The times that I really struggled were the times that I was just trying to be strong,” she said. “And that’s never the answer.”

To read more of Clemmons’s work, visit her website Zinziclemmons.com.

Author: Yaasmeen Piper

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