Romancing the concrete jungle

The New Brunswick Public Library hosted a talk by local author, CEO and activist Takerra Allen about her first book, Thicker Than Water, published in July 2009.

Allen's novel about four friends, strong young women from Brick City Newark, is loosely informed by real people in the author's life. Dubbed "the Urban Sex in the City" in the publisher's notes, this novel is about the friendships between the main characters, and the romantic relationships with the men in their lives. The story lasts only one summer in the lives of four strong women, but it squeezes in love, lust, deception, and some very bad behavior.

Allen also debuted a second book, Heaven's Hell, a coming of age story about a girl named Heaven, who deals with history of abuse as she looks for love.

 

Allen's novel is a work of deeper Urban Fiction. She qualified the genre, saying some of the established African American literary community looks down on urban fiction as junk literature. But Allen compares it to hip-hop, a worthy if less established medium.

 

Takerra Allen is 25 years old, a New Brunswick High School alumna as well as a Kean University graduate, now living in Somerset. Her father, William Garland, was supportive of her writing, sparking her interest by reading to her when she was little. Mr Garland was active with the Black Panthers in Somerville and Newark, and she is half-sister to the murdered rapper Tupac Shakur, though they never met in person. She said she got bit by the writing bug in high school, but stopped for several years following the death of her mother when Allen was 18.

Beyond her calling as a writer, Allen is an activist as well as CEO and founder of Heaven Inc., a local all-female entertainment company.  Allen said she started the firm by sending out an e-mail to every woman she knew, asking if people were tired of working for someone else and ready to begin their own business.  "Everyone has something to offer," she said, and the pooled talents and interests of all the ladies involved grew into Heaven Inc., paid for in large part by local events and fundraising efforts.

As a community activist, Allen has worked on canned food drives and sending care packages to those suffering from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. She hopes to organize a talent showcase for the New Brunswick youth, saying there are few creative venues for young people in New Brunswick and "kids need feedback to know they have something to offer."

When Allen finished writing Thicker Than Water she founded the Angelic Script Publishing from scratch.  Employees from Heaven Inc and Angelic Publishing do most of their own distribution and promotions, such as book signings and online sales through sites such as Amazon. In order to get into the larger book retailers such as  Barnes and Noble, and Borders, Allen was required to obtain agreement with major distributor.

While the task of first writing, then distributing and promoting a book on your own may seem overwhelming, Allen's advice to young aspiring writers was "just go for it, because you never know."