Cherene Sherrard interviewed by Literary Mama

Autumn House author Cherene Sherrard talks with Literary Mama Editorial Assistant Kimberly Lee about her latest poetry collection Grimoire. In this interview, Cherene describes Grimoire as an extension of her debut poetry collection, Vixen, and explores how the collection speaks to both historical and present-day experiences.

In ways I didn’t initially imagine, the poems in Grimoire crystallize many of the anxieties of the current moment, especially racial disparities in education and health. When I dedicated the book to ‘the mothers,’ I hoped its spells and recipes would sustain and comfort. I didn’t anticipate how 2020 would increase the sisterhood of women mourning children who have been lost to state violence, and how the COVID-19 pandemic would exacerbate poverty and precarity.

We’re grateful to Literary Mama for taking the time to interview Cherene Sherrard. Read the full conversation here.