Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Allegedly
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://writeinbk.com/
CITY: Brooklyn
STATE: NY
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.harpercollins.com/cr-123950/tiffany-d-jackson * http://www.yainterrobang.com/allegedly-tiffany-d-jackson/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.:
no2017007080
LCCN Permalink:
https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017007080
HEADING:
Jackson, Tiffany D.
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__ |q Tiffany Danélle
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__ |a Jackson, Tiffany D. Allegedly, ©2017: |b t.p. (Tiffany D. Jackson) About the author page (Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional and novelist, earned her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University and a master of art in media studies from the New School, a Brooklyn native currently still residing there)
670
__ |a Her website, Jan. 17, 2016 |b (Tiffany Danélle Jackson has a decade of experience in the film industry, producer of various hip hop documentaries, wrote and directed a short horror film, born in New York City, grew up in Brooklyn Heights, lives in Brooklyn, has written a novel under the pseudonym Blu Daniels)
====
Daniels, Blu
LC control no.:
no2017007105
LCCN Permalink:
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__ |a Daniels, Blu. Bad habit, 2015: |b title page (by Blu Daniels)
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__ |a Tiffany Danélle Jackson website, Jan. 17, 2016 |b (Tiffany Danélle Jackson has a decade of experience in the film industry, producer of various hip hop documentaries, wrote and directed a short horror film, born in New York City, grew up in Brooklyn Heights, lives in Brooklyn, has written a novel under the pseudonym Blu Daniels)
PERSONAL
Born in New York, NY.
EDUCATION:Howard University, B.A.; The New School University, M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author, film director, producer, and event manager.
AVOCATIONS:Beaches, cookie dough, naps.
WRITINGS
Also author of the screenplay The Field Trip, 2009.
SIDELIGHTS
Prior to her professional debut, Tiffany D. Jackson attended New School University and Howard University, from which she earned an M.A. and B.A., respectively. When Jackson isn’t writing, she can be found working on various television projects—her primary career. She has collaborated with notable television networks, including FUSE and BET, as well as released her own independent production, The Field Trip.
Allegedly is another piece from Jackson’s repertoire, this time in a literary sense. The novel focuses on Mary B. Addison, a young girl whose life has been fraught with controversy, the ripples of which still cross into her life as of the present day. At the age of nine, Mary was accused of infanticide. The crime received heavy publicity and landed Mary in prison for the rest of her formative years. Now, at fifteen, she is stuck in a group home, where she receives further abuse from those around her and still has no freedom. Her only chance to turn her life around is to finally, truly speak up about the events surrounding her case. It is up to Mary to prove her innocence so she can earn back the chance to pursue her dreams and care for her own future baby. The only thing standing in her way is her mother, who may be perfectly content to let Mary continue to take the fall. BookPage contributor Annie Metcalf wrote: “Though the unsettling outcome may disturb some readers, Allegedly is a mind-boggling story sure to entertain young thriller enthusiasts.” Maggie Reagan, a reviewer in an issue of Booklist, remarked: “Mary herself is a carefully crafted character, unreliable at times and sympathetic at others, who will not be forgotten.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews calls the novel “[s]earing and true.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly commented: “Well conceived and executed, this is an absorbing and exceptional first novel.” On the School Library Journal website, Sabrina Carnesi wrote: “This dark, suspenseful exploration of justice and perception raises important questions teens will want to discuss.” She also felt that the book is “[a]n excellent selection for YA shelves.” Ardo Omer, a contributor to the Women Write About Comics blog, said: “I highly recommend picking up this book.” She added: “It’s my first YA of the new year and what a great way to start it.” Bustle reviewer Kerri Jarema remarked that the book’s subject matter contains “extremely timely issues that deserve to be faced head on.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
AudioFile Magazine, April-May, 2017, review of Allegedly, p. 36.
Booklist, December 15, 2016, Maggie Reagan, “Diverse fiction roundup–youth,” review of Allegedly, p. 48.
BookPage, February, 2017, Annie Metcalf, review of Allegedly, p. 27.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, December, 2016, Karen Coats, review of Allegedly, p. 178.
Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2016, review of Allegedly, p. 59.
ONLINE
Bitch Media, https://www.bitchmedia.org/ (October 8, 2010), Hannah Neurotica, review of The Field Trip.
Bustle, https://www.bustle.com/ (May 1, 2017), Kerri Jarema, review of Allegedly.
Decatur Book Festival, https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/ (August 30, 2017), author profile.
Fantastic Fiction, https://www.fantasticfiction.com/ (August 30, 2017), author profile.
Graveyard Shift Sisters, http://www.graveyardshiftsisters.com/ (December 18, 2013), “5 Questions With Filmmaker Tiffany D. Jackson.”
HarperCollins, https://www.harpercollins.com/ (August 30, 2017), author profile and summary of Allegedly.
Mystery Diary, https://themysterydiary.wordpress.com/ (February 27, 2013), Nicole Witte, “Women in Horror Recognition Month: Films to See.”
Pop Goes the Reader, http://www.popgoesthereader.com/ (June 16, 2017), Tiffany D. Jackson, “Her Story: Ladies in Literature With Tiffany D. Jackson.”
School Library Journal, http://www.slj.com/ (February 1, 2017), review of Allegedly.
Strand Books, http://www.strandbooks.com/ (August 30, 2017), author profile.
Women Write About Comics, http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/ (January 28, 2017), Ardo Omer, review of Allegedly.
Write in BK, http://writeinbk.com/ (August 30, 2017), author profile.
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, http://www.writersdigestconference.com/ (August 30, 2017), “From Attendee to Speaker: An Interview with Tiffany D. Jackson.”
YA Interrobang, http://www.yainterrobang.com/ (March 8, 2017), Lucy Nisbet, “The Darker Side of the Story: Tiffany D. Jackson talks Allegedly.”*
Write in BK
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SHORT BIO
Tiffany D. Jackson is the author of ALLEGEDLY (January 24th, 2017; HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books). A TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film from Howard University and her Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School University. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable chihuahua Oscar, most likely multitasking.
A LITTLE BIT MORE
Tiffany D. Jackson has over a decade of experience in the television industry, working for various networks and media companies including National Geographic (focused on documentaries such as Lockdown, a prison subculture series) Roc Nation, BET, and FUSE. From managing live events, concerts, festival showcases such as BET AWARDS and SXSW Music Show Case, to TV series, specials, and pilots such as FUSE: TOP 20 Countdown, Trending 10, The Hustle: After Party Live and in studio concert series to producing hip hop documentaries and artist promotional spots. In 2009, she wrote and directed the short horror film, The Field Trip, receiving praise in the film festival circuit.
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013
5 QUESTIONS WITH FILMMAKER TIFFANY D. JACKSON
Tiffany D. Jackson is a Brooklyn, NY native who makes movies and has consulted, written and produced for various media outlets from Rocawear to National Geographic. With her diverse resume, experience, and talents, Tiffany laments that horror is her first love.
Everyone's story is unique. Tell us how you became enthralled with horror as a genre.
I've been watching horror movies since I was five with my cousins. That chest gripping feeling of excitement and fear was addicting.
What inspired you to become a horror filmmaker?
I guess it was the only genre I had ideas for. I'm a writer with a large imagination. I can make the simplest ideas/moments turn insane. Seeing SCREAM was the tipping point for me. I watched it maybe about six times and kept thinking to myself, "Yes, this is right. I can do this." After that I signed up for a pre-college film course and the rest was history. High school, Undergrad, and Grad School senior thesis projects were all low budget horror films.
What challenges and triumphs have you experienced as a Black woman in the horror community?
First off, We're considered weirdos. LOL! On dates, the moment I say my favorite movie of all time is CARRIE and not LOVE JONES, I'm given a side-eye.
Second, since I'm a black woman, I'm expected to produce profound documentaries and content on the struggles of black people. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not my beat, I wouldn't be able to do it justice. It's like asking Steven King to write a romance novel. It just doesn't work.
Third, funding. Black filmmakers have a hard time finding funding for our work in general. Most of the grants out there are given to films that "help the community," or have big stars behind it. So if I want to make a film about a serial killer in the projects, I have to do it on my own. Horror/scary in our community wrapped up in religious horror, voodoo, and witches. I'm into hauntings and slasher films.
The triumphs; people seem to be very open and encouraging of black women in horror, especially since there are so few of us. We're breaking a glass ceiling in some ways, not just being women in horror but being BLACK women in horror. I like being able to blow peoples minds by having intellectual conversations about the psychological aspects of Friday the 13th and Halloween series.
What are your aspirations for yourself and other Black women filmmakers in the horror industry?
I had to take a break from horror for the last year or so to take care of some personal matters, but I'd like to be one of the great directors next to Wes Craven. I want to expel the cliche that black people are the first to die next to the dumb blond running up stairs in a horror movie. I want all black women horror filmmakers to make intelligent realistic black characters. It pisses me off when I see black characters hear a noise in the attic and go investigate alone. We don't do that in real life, we inherently have street smart defensive mechanisms and instincts. We'll at least bring a weapon and a flashlight with us.
What are some of your current and future projects that you can share?
At the moment, I'm having the equivalent of writers block for filmmakers. I'm toying with a few ideas so hopefully by next summer, I'll have a new project ready for fall.
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Women in Horror Recognition Month: Films to See
Posted on February 27, 2013 by Nicole Witte
February is Women in Horror Recognition month. I like horror. A lot. As many of you know, I’m currently in post production on a short horror film I wrote and directed called Small Talk. I hear the same old bs all the time about how women don’t like horror, or don’t like gory horror, or only like horror for the excuse to snuggle into the arms of our boyfriends or what the anachronistic fuck ever. It’s 2013 and people still say this. I read that the majority of the audience who showed up for the recent Texas Chainsaw reboot were women, but such facts don’t seem to register among all the “common sense” in countless magazine articles and blog posts I will refrain from linking.
I know of course that while there are tons of women horror fans, women are way under represented when it comes to writing and directing films (at least those that get distribution and seen). I didn’t realize quite how especially dire the situation was until I tried to brainstorm scary movies I’d seen that were directed by women. The list I came up with is depressingly short, and I will share it with you in a future post, but for this one I decided to do something different: come up with a list of horror films directed by women that I’d like to see.
The selections below run the gamut from intentionally campy to likely seriously disturbing, relatively “mild violence” to gorehound candy, art house to mall-grade sequel cash-in. If you’re like me and have been missing women’s voices in your horror, maybe you’ll find something here to rectify this absence.
1. Trouble Every Day (Dir. Claire Denis)
A Salon review promises “lurid spectacles that would challenge the imagination of Herschell Gordon Lewis or H.P. Lovecraft”, and everything I’ve read makes it this sound right up my ally. Some of the stills I’ve seen are pretty gorgeous.
Trouble Every Day
2. The Commune (Dir. Elizabeth Fies)
This coming-of-age-in-a-cult horror film sounds promising and is getting good word of mouth. It’s streaming on Netflix, so I’ll definitely be checking it out.
3. The Field Trip (Dir. Tiffany D. Jackson)
I saw this film come up a few times while googling about women in horror. I’m not usually a big fan of found footage horror (thought Blair Witch was just boring) but have heard some good things about this from the blogosphere. Also, director Tiffany D. Jackson has made it available on YouTube, and it’s a short, so why not check it out? To keep this blog post concept in line, I have not watched it yet, but will after this goes live. Here is the movie:
4. The Moth Diaries (Dir. Mary Harron)
This boarding school vampire flick didn’t get the best reviews, but I’ve loved every movie of Mary Harron’s so far. American Psycho is one of my favorite films of all time. So I’m more than ready to give this the benefit of the doubt, for now. Besides, it looks fun.
5. Blood and Donuts (Dir. Holly Dale)
For the name alone, but then David Cronenberg is in it also!
6. Office Killer (Dir. Cindy Sherman)
I’ve been curious about this since it came out, and it’s been sitting on my Netflix queue for awhile. This shall spur me to actually watch it. I remember it getting lukewarm-at-best reviews, but who knows? I’m intrigued by the idea of Cindy Sherman directing other people in a full length genre film, however successful or not the film ultimately proves itself.
Office Killer DVD art
7. Near Dark (Dir. Katherine Bigelow)
It’s so stupid that I’ve never seen Katherine Bigelow’s vampire movie. WTF.
8. The Rage: Carrie 2 (Dir. Katt Shea)
I’ve heard it’s not so bad. ’90s teen movie Carrie sequel–even if it’s awful, it’s a collision of enough things I like to make me want to see it. I meant to see it back in the ’90s, for god’s sake. Might as well do it now. It looks pretty fun. Katt Shea has a bunch of other scary movies under her directorial belt as well.
As an aside, I am thoroughly looking forward to Kimberly Pierce’s (Boys Don’t Cry) remake of Carrie starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. It’s coming out in October. I’m as fond of the DePalma film as anyone, but this is no sacrilege.
9. American Mary (Dir. Jen and Sylvia Soska)
I’ve been hearing really good things about this movie from the festival circuit–that it has amazing f/x makeup, great acting, a story that is actually thought provoking…really, really hoping this comes to Netflix STAT. LOL! That was an accidentally appropriate turn of phrase as the film follows a med student through her debt and disillusionment into the world of extreme underground surgeries. Writer/director team Sylvia and Jen Soska also serve on the Women in Horror Recognition month board
American Mary Trailer
10. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (Dir. Rachel Talalay)
Just about the only film I haven’t seen in one of my preferred horror sequelfests. Directed by Rachel Talalay, who later brought us a killer soundtrack and Ice-T as a kangaroo in the Tank Girl movie adaptation.
Freddy’s Dead teaser one sheet
Idk if it’s the best, and I know it definitely wasn’t the last, but if I actually sat through Freddy Vs. Jason, and that Freddy baby one, I have time for this.
Well, those are my picks for films to check out. Next I will share my thoughts on some horror movies by women that I have actually seen, so keep an eye out for that. I’ll spare you the bloody jpg I’d really like to include now, because maybe not all of you are into that. I tried to keep the in-post images mutilation-free, for all the splattered blood. Happy Women in Horror month! Support women in horror! xoxo
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This entry was posted in feminism, Film, horror, Nicole Solomon and tagged American Mary, Blood and Donuts, Carrie, Chloe Grace Moretz, Cindy Sherman, Claire Denis, David Cronrnberg, Elizabeth Fies, Holly Dale, Jen soska, Julianne Moore, Katt Shea, Kimberly Pierce, Mary Harron, Near Dark, Nightmare on Elm Street, Office Killer, Rachel Talalay, Stephen King, Sylvia Soska, The Commune, The Field Trip, The Moth Diaries, The Rage: Carrie 2, the twisted twins, Tiffany D. Jackson, Trouble Every Day, WiHM, women in horror recognition month. Bookmark the permalink.
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4 Responses to Women in Horror Recognition Month: Films to See
ᏟᏝᎯᎡᏋ (@hadaly) says:
February 28, 2013 at 1:21 pm
As you know, I am one of the women who is not into horror. (Though recent turns watching the BBC series Luther has made me wonder if I might have a higher tolerance for it than I think I do?) Anyway, I am writing in response to your point at the beginning about the dearth of women directing horror. I have no doubt that this is true, but it also strikes me that film directing (and cinematography perhaps even moreso) is, these days, one of the most male-dominated fields there is. Horror films may have a worse record than films overall, but maybe not that much worse.
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Nicole Witte says:
February 28, 2013 at 1:41 pm
You’re definitely right. I think I went into this in the original intro to this post, which wordpress somehow ate (it was my own fault, long boring story). I don’t know how to quickly make a quantitative judgement on how much worse it is in horror than film in general, but my anecdata suggests that it’s markedly worse, though likely action and other “male” genres have a similar problems. I mean, when you see my next post and how I, a horror fan, had to scrounge so hard to find any horror films I’ve seen directed by women…it’s ridiculous. I could only come up with 5, some were a stretch, and not all were even anything I’d recommend.
A lot of people (including, very disappointingly, women) disparage horror, and often the “it’s for boys” thing plays into it as some kind of pseudo-feminist critique. Like, the genre is trash and should die and appeals to people’s worst impulses BY DEFINITION (including sexism). Sometimes an exception will get made for Alien/s, but those films can conveniently be re-defined as sci-fi. As I touch on in the next post, the box office failure of Jennifer’s Body was often written about as proving that horror is for dudes, while no one wants to see women-centric (meaning, I guess, horror movies written and directed by women, as female protagonists are nothing new).
Reply
Nicole Witte says:
February 28, 2013 at 1:55 pm
The whole thing is so weird given how balanced my crew is genderwise. One of my producers is a guy and the other is a woman, my DP and gaffer are both women, though both my camera assistants were dudes, I had 2 ADs, one a guy and the other a girl, etc. I didn’t plan it that way, that’s just how it came together based on who I know who I wanted to work with. I usually look at crew credits on films and am always saddened when the non-art dept categories are almost always sooooo male dominated. I mean, I know so many people who are not dudes who do that stuff. The issue is waaay bigger than horror. I think it just gets, like, super compounded within horror.
Reply
ᏟᏝᎯᎡᏋ (@hadaly) says:
March 1, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Yeah – I find it really shocking how male-dominated the film industry continues to be. I think as movie-goers, we often don’t experience it as male-dominated because we are focused on the movies themselves, which often ends up being just the actors, but when you start to look at crews it’s striking.
Also, I forgot to mention I am 98% sure I have seen Office Killer, but I can’t remember a thing about it. I used to be really into Cindy Sherman and remember being really excited that she made a movie.
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About the Book
Orange Is the New Black meets Walter Dean Myer’s Monster in this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home.
Mary B. Addison killed a baby.
Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?
There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?
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Allegedly
by Tiffany D. Jackson
On Sale: 01/24/2017
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Tiffany D. Jackson
Tiffany D. Jackson
Biography
Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University and her master of arts in media studies from the New School. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable Chihuahua, Oscar, most likely multitasking. You can visit her online at www.writeinbk.com.
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The Darker Side of the Story: Tiffany D. Jackson talks ALLEGEDLY 0
BY LUCY NISBET ON MARCH 8, 2017 AUTHOR FEATURES, CONTEMPORARY, FEATURES
What if she didn’t do it?
Allegedly tells the story of Mary B. Addison, a teenager convicted for killing a baby at the age of nine. When a white baby died in the care of a black church-going woman and her daughter, the public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say. There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but when the state threatens to take her unborn baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past.
The idea for Allegedly came to debut author Tiffany D. Jackson after she learned of a real case from 2012 – the case of a nine-year-old, who, like Mary, was charged with murder.
“My only question was: What if she didn’t do it? What would that story look like…based in Brooklyn?” said Jackson.
Jackson wrote the first draft of Allegedly in a week, just after Hurricane Sandy hit.
“My only question was: What if she didn’t do it?”
CLICK TO TWEET
“With the Internet down, I went to the Brooklyn Public Library and combed through books, researching case studies on child murderers and the juvenile justice system.
“For the second draft, I spoke to experts, like lawyers, doctors, social workers, and correctional officers. For the third draft, I spoke to girls who had actually been through the system. That’s when the story, or I should say Mary, found a voice.”
But by the time she finished her manuscript, the ending of Allegedly had dramatically changed since that first draft.
“I added a “shock value” so the story would stay with you longer,” said Jackson. “I never want you to forget Mary.”
Mary’s story – like the stories of so many real children and teenagers in the juvenile justice system – is rooted in poverty, abuse and injustice. Tough themes – but although she jokes that it makes her sound morbid, writing dark stories with complicated protagonists comes naturally to Jackson.
“There’s a side of me that is really fascinated by the darker side of a person’s story because it’s so unknown. Growing up, I read stories with nothing but these picture perfect happy endings while surrounded by kids that weren’t so fortunate. It frustrated me, wondering what happens to the kids that aren’t adopted, or are sent to jail for petty crimes, or are sexually abused at home. Where are the stories about them and their outcomes?”
Their stories are found aplenty in Allegedly. Mary, and the girls she lives with – some of whom are guilty of the crimes they’ve been sentenced for, some of whom are innocent – are a sympathetic and wonderfully diverse group of characters. Jackson doesn’t sugarcoat the abuses Mary and her peers suffer at the hands of their guardians, the media and the justice system, and she hopes that her more privileged readers will be able to read Allegedly and put themselves in Mary’s shoes for a while.
“You know the saying, ‘show don’t tell’? Well, I think that is crucial in diverse lit. It’s not just about kids seeing themselves on the page; it’s also about showing and exposing other kids to different cultures and experiences — giving them an opportunity to live in someone else’s shoes through the page and build/strengthen their empathy. You can’t force feed knowledge; sometimes you have to present a story and let kids learn for themselves,” said Jackson.
Jackson hopes Mary’s story inspires action.
“I’d hope this story sticks with you, fills you with outrage, so that you’ll always remember there are REAL girls out there, going through the system and how unfair it is to them. Then, get involved! Volunteer, make noise, and donate to organizations in your area.”
Allegedly is available now.
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Lucy Nisbet
LUCY NISBET
Lucy is an English teacher-in-training and a self-confessed book nerd. She often buys more books than she can reasonably afford or possibly have time to read. Her Hogwarts letter is now several years too late, but she’s sure it’s just gotten lost in the post.
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Tiffany D Jackson
Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film from Howard University and her Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School University. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable chihuahua Oscar, most likely multitasking.
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Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film from Howard University (Washington, D.C.) and her Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School University (New York City). She is a Brooklyn native; a lover of naps, cookie dough and beaches; and currently resides in the borough she loves with her adorable chihuahua Oscar. She's most likely multitasking. You can visit her online at www.writeinbk.com.
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Crime & Punishment
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Allegedly
Walter Dean Myers’s Monster meets E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars in this smart, gritty, and haunting YA debut in which Mary Addison—a teen girl who was convicted of an unspeakable crime at age nine—must find her voice to fight the past and tell what really happened that fateful night.
Mary B. Addison killed a baby.
Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a church-going black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say.
Mary survived six years in baby jail before being dumped in a group home. The house isn’t really “home”—no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home.
There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?
In this gritty and haunting debut, Tiffany D. Jackson explores the grey areas in our understanding of justice, family, and truth, acknowledging the light and darkness alive in all of us.
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HER STORY: LADIES IN LITERATURE WITH TIFFANY D. JACKSON
Friday, June 16th, 2017 at 12:00 AM | filed under Her Story: Ladies In Literature
HER STORY: LADIES IN LITERATURE is a special, month-long series on Pop! Goes The Reader in which we celebrate the literary female role models whose stories have inspired and empowered us since time immemorial. From Harriet M. Welsch to Anne Shirley, Becky Bloomwood to Hermione Granger, HER STORY: LADIES IN LITERATURE is a series created for women, by women as thirty-three authors answer the question: “Who’s your heroine?” You can find a complete list of the participants and their scheduled guest post dates HERE!
ABOUT TIFFANY D. JACKSON
Tiffany D. Jackson is a TV professional by day, novelist by night, awkward black girl 24/7. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film from Howard University and her Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School University. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves with her adorable chihuahua Oscar, most likely multitasking.
Author Links: Website ● Twitter ● Facebook ● Instagram ● Goodreads
There weren’t many YA novels that spoke to me as a young girl. I tended to lean towards adult novels, books that took me out of my element and into a world of survival, a familiar set of circumstances. But I never opened a book and said, “Ah, there I am! There’s Tiffany, in all her jumbled, awkward glory.”
Until I read Carrie by Stephen King.
Now before you think I’m completely deranged, hear me out. She’s not a cookie cutter heroine, but there are fundamental humanistic similarities that often go unnoticed.
At a basic molecular level, we all want to belong and be loved for who we truly are. We all want to be “normal.” Hence, what people tend to miss about the story of Carrie, a bullied high school girl who used her new found telekinetic powers to seek revenge on her tormentors, is her pain. It was heartbreaking to witness her deep longing to be just a normal as I also struggled to fit inside basic shape molds, just for the peace of inclusion.
I came from a mix household with old-school philosophies and traditions. I was an extremely quiet child to the point of being considered a mute. My clothes weren’t cool, my music taste wasn’t cool…I, in every way, wasn’t cool. I don’t like using the words like “different” or “unusual” to describe myself. Unicorn would be my title of choice. But growing up in a cutthroat urban environment like Brooklyn, weird was by far the nicest term kids used to call me. Even when we moved upstate and I attended a predominately white high school, I was still an outcast among outcast. So like Carrie, I too, had been ridiculed, teased, taunted, and grossly underestimated for the majority of my life.
Nevertheless, once Carrie realized what she possessed, her entire thought process switched. She honed in her super power and found the strength to face her adversaries. Carrie bravely pushed herself outside her comfort zone, going so far as attending prom, despite the likelihood of being laughed at. And even there, drenched in pig’s blood, she was unstoppable.
Key lesson here: Once that moment of self-realization hits, once you realize you were born to be MORE than normal, everything changes.
Carrie was always one of my favorite horror movies and at my Grandmother’s suggestion during the summer before my junior year, I picked up King’s first novel, then something clicked. I became hyper focused on my own gift, the gift of story telling, and vowed to prove everyone wrong about the girl they assumed I was, one way or another.
So as warped as it might be, cheering for a girl murdering her fellow classmates, to me Carrie will always serve as one of the best metaphors for embracing your power. Cheers to breaking glass ceilings, blowing people’s minds and burning all previous misconceptions down to the ground. Success is and will continue to be the best revenge.
TITLE Allegedly
AUTHOR Tiffany D. Jackson
PAGES 387 Pages
INTENDED TARGET AUDIENCE Young Adult
GENRE & KEYWORDS Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Mystery
PUBLISHED January 24th, 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
FIND IT ON Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository
Orange Is The New Black meets Walter Dean Myer’s Monster in this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home.
Mary B. Addison killed a baby.
Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?
There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted — and their unborn child — to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?
BUSTLE'S AMERICAN WOMAN BOOK CLUB WITH TIFFANY D. JACKSONBUSTLE'S AMERICAN WOMAN BOOK CLUB WITH TIFFANY D. JACKSON
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Tuesday June 6: 6:00PM – 7:00PM
Bustle's American Woman Book Club is back! We've made it our mission in 2017 to read novels by women of all different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, social classes, religions, and sexualities. This month, the book club will be reading Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson.
Allegedly tells the haunting and heart-wrenching story of Mary B. Addison, who killed a baby. Allegedly. Mary didn't say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn't say.
Mary survived six years in juvenile hall before being dumped in a group home. But the house isn't really "home" — no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home. There wasn't a point to setting the record straight before, but now she's got Ted — and their unborn child — to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?
This event will be located on the second floor of our store.
This event is free to attend. Reserve a copy of Allegedly here. Please note that payment is required for all online event orders at the time of checkout. The event will be located on the 2nd floor of Strand at 828 Broadway at 12th Street.
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From Attendee to Speaker: An Interview with Tiffany D. Jackson
We’re thrilled to welcome Writer’s Digest Annual Conference attendee alum Tiffany D. Jackson back to this year’s event—this time as a speaker on the Debut Author Panel. Jackson’s first book, Allegedly, is a page-turner of a YA novel that will appeal to teens and adults alike (and I’m not just saying that because I read it compulsively in two days). We recently asked Jackson about her experiences becoming a published author and her take on where YA is headed next.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your path to publication for Allegedly? Was this story one you wanted to tell (and think about your publication strategy afterword), or has publication always been a significant career goal for you?
A: I definitely didn’t take the traditional path here. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I could spell, but older, jaded writers deterred me from pursuing a career. Still, I wrote stories all the time, participated in writing contests, and even begged my Mom for a subscription to Writer’s Digest, which meant giving up my YM Magazine subscription (I’m ageing myself!). I went to undergrad for film and graduate school for media studies, all while working on stories that I never shared. Then, in 2012, when I read the real case of a 9-year old charged with murder, the idea just STUCK with me and wouldn’t let me go.
Q: How do you balance your fiction writing with your (admittedly exciting-sounding) day job?
A: Balancing both the TV world and Publishing world is ALL about time management. When I worked fulltime, I would wake up at 5am, write until 8am, leave for work around 9:15am, edit or read during my 45-min commute, write during lunch or after work, then head home. While traveling, I wrote on planes or snuck into dark corners on TV-sets. Now that I’m freelance, I can pack most of my writing in-between gigs!
Q: What has been the most un-writerly muscle you’ve had to learn how to work as a published author (i.e. the business side of things, public readings and speaking engagements, social media strategy, etc)?
Although TV and Publishing have a lot of the same qualities business wise, branding was THE toughest part to work on. Before, I lived behind the camera, now I have to step in front of it. It’s an introvert/extrovert’s worst nightmare.
Q: How did you find your agent?
A: Finding an agent took an extreme amount of dedication, perseverance, and, money.
Dedication: I set a goal for myself that I would query 100 agents before reevaluating my novel. (I got to 26)
Perseverance: Bought the yearly Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents, combed through, researched, and targeted agencies by genres. I set up an excel spreadsheet, organizing the agents in tiers, keeping track of emails sent and followed up every two weeks.
Money: Attending networking events and writer conferences can cost but if you really want something, you have to make sacrifices, including new clothes, Saturday boozy brunches, and premium cable.
In the end, good old-fashion cold-querying to Natalie Lakosil sealed the deal, but I had been following her amazingly helpful, Adventure’s In Agent Land for almost two years prior. It was listed in a Writer’s Digest as one of the top 100 websites for author’s to follow.
Q: Is writing a Young Adult novel a significantly different process than writing one aimed at adults?
Yes and no. Originally, I thought Allegedly was an adult novel but was advise that it would work better in a YA market, so the process of writing it really did not differ. But when you’re writing for kids, there’s a separate set of rules you have to take into account. You have to be a bit more cautious with your words as we’re speaking to young developing minds.
Q: With so much of your book taking place in Brooklyn (and evoking it beautifully), is the process of world-building for a novel easier or more challenging when you’re setting your story in such a familiar location?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn but there are places I had never been to before I started researching. For example, Mary’s childhood home was in Ditmas Park, a place up until four years ago, I barely knew existed and it’s only ten minutes from my apartment. I spent a fall day walking around, studying these beautiful Victorian homes in awe, given I’ve only been exposed to brownstones and apartment buildings. So even though a place can be familiar, you still have to dig deeper into the nooks and crannies.
Q: Why do you think YA fiction resonates so strongly with adults, as well as teens?
YA Books today are taking risks, exploring hard topics, and have a lot of the answers to questions adults never got as kids. I always tell students, high school never ends. Adults are just a bunch of super seniors still trying to figure life out.
Q: Now that you have a first novel under your belt, what’s next for you?
More novels of course! In the middle of editing my second novel, out next spring, and working on a proposal for my third. I’d also love to sink my toe into the adult world at some point, but for now, I like where I am.
8/8/17, 5(56 PM
Print Marked Items
Allegedly
AudioFile Magazine.
25.6 (April-May 2017): p36. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 AudioFile http://www.audiofilemagazine.com
Full Text: ALLEGEDLY Tiffany D. Jackson Read by Bahni Turpin
Bahni Turpin's stunning narration of this audiobook at some points seems like a multivoiced performance. As a 6- year-old, Mary was jailed for killing an infant, and at 16 she's pregnant, living in a halfway house and ending years of silence. Mary is unsure of many things, and Turpin catches every nuance. More amazing, she expresses the many layers of all the characters. For example, Mary's mother's false saccharine tone switches to a restrained explosion when Mary hints at the truth of the past. Turpin excels at giving dimension to even minor characters--bullying housemates, pretentious and cruel housemothers, and the lawyer who is determined to get Mary justice. Interspersed are documents from newspapers, teachers, police, and psychiatrists, which Turpin delivers in a neutral tone. From the gripping beginning to the unsettling ending, Turpin maintains the intensity of this compelling story. S.W.
Harper Audio 10.5 hrs. Unabridged Ages 14+
Trade Ed.: CD ISBN 9781470859138 $39.99 (also DD) Blackstone Audio Library Ed.: mp3ISBN 9781470859152 $39.99
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Allegedly." AudioFile Magazine, Apr.-May 2017, p. 36. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA492995796&it=r&asid=c71af106b8542cc1e4b7afc7817fabf5. Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A492995796
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Allegedly
Annie Metcalf
BookPage.
(Feb. 2017): p27. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 BookPage http://bookpage.com/
Full Text: ALLEGEDLY
By Tiffany D. Jackson Katherine Tegen $17.99, 400 pages
ISBN 9780062422644
Audio, eBook available
Ages 13 and up [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Mixed-race Mary B. Addison has lived in a group home since her release from "baby jail," where she was held for six years. The other girls are like Mary--convicted of violent crimes--but she is the one they call "psycho." Mary committed the most heinous crime of the group: When she was 9 years old, she killed the white baby her mother was babysitting. Allegedly.
Mary wants the opportunity to rebuild her life unfettered by her reputation. She is extremely smart, and wants to go to college and be a teacher. But because of the nature of her crime, many doors are closed to her. She can't attend regular public school, and a career that would put her in contact with children is out of the question.
Now that she has a loving boyfriend and a baby on the way, it's even more important that she convince her mother to tell the whole truth about that night. But Momma isn't trustworthy, and Mary is reluctant to divulge details.
With Mary's first-person narration interspersed with excerpts from true crime books about her case and transcripts of interviews with detectives and doctors, Tiffany D. Jackson's debut novel unfolds in meticulously layered detail.
Mary and Momma are fascinating characters at the center of a sophisticated and morally complex plot. Though the unsettling outcome may disturb some readers, Allegedly is a mind-boggling story sure to entertain young thriller enthusiasts.
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Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Metcalf, Annie. "Allegedly." BookPage, Feb. 2017, p. 27+. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA479076941&it=r&asid=c3efca959f5fe9107b5dbf72b7f23ee2. Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479076941
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Diverse fiction roundup--youth
Booklist.
113.8 (Dec. 15, 2016): p48. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In anticipation of our February 1 Spotlight on Diverse Books, we present this group of 2017 youth books presenting diverse content that you will want to put on your radar.
* Allegedly.
By Tiffany D. Jackson.
Jan. 2017.400p. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen, $17.99 (9780062422644). Gr. 9-12.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Mary B. Addison was nine when a jury quickly convicted her of a crime the public was already convinced she'd committed: the murder of Alyssa Richardson, a white infant that African American Mary and her mother were babysitting. Back then, Mary kept quiet about the incident. Now almost 16, she has spent the better part of her life under lock and key, first in "baby jail" and then in a group home. But Mary has a boyfriend now, and they're expecting a baby, and there's no way the state will let a convicted baby-killer keep her child. For the first time since her trial, Mary may actually have to speak about her childhood, her tumultuous relationship with her mother, and what happened--allegedly--that night. Interspersed with psychiatric evaluations and newspaper clippings, this slowly unfolds in two directions: elements of Mary's past are revealed even as the story rolls toward its unsettling conclusion. Suspenseful without being emotionally manipulative, compelling without resorting to shock value, this is a tightly spun debut that wrestles with many intense ideas and ends with a knife twist that will send readers racing back to the beginning again. Complicated family loyalties, the lasting effects of media sensationalism, and the privileges inherent with whiteness all come into play here, and Mary herself is a carefully crafted character, unreliable at times and sympathetic at others, who will not be forgotten.--Maggie Reagan
* American Street. By Ibi Zoboi.
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Feb. 2017.336p. HarperCollinsfBalzer + Bray, $17.99 (9780062473042). Gr. 9-12. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Zoboi's stunning debut intertwines mysticism and love with grit and violence to tell the story of Fabiola Toussaint, a Haitian teen adjusting to her new life in Detroit. Fabiola's dream of a better life with her aunt and cousins in America snags when her mother is detained at the U.S. border. Forced to continue alone, she must also confront the reality that her new neighborhood is every bit as dangerous as the one she left behind in Port-au-Prince. Drugs, gangs, and violence pervade the status quo, but thanks to her cousins' tough reputations, Fabiola can find her footing. Zoboi, who emigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, brings a nuanced portrayal of that culture to the narrative. Evocative prose, where Fabiola calls on voodoo spirits, informs and enriches her character, while standing in counterpoint to her hard-as-nails cousins. Zoboi pulls no punches when describing the dangerous realities of the girls' lives, but tender moments are carefully tucked into the plot as well. This story is many things. It is a struggle for survival. It is the uncovering of one's bravest self. And, most significant, it is the coming together of a family. One or two scenarios strain credibility, but the characters' complexities ultimately smooth over any bumps. Fierce and beautiful.--Julia Smith
Calico Girl.
By Jerdine Alolen.
Feb. 2017.192p. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, $16.99 (9781481459815). Gr. 4-6.
Fort Monroe, a Union-controlled outpost in the antebellum South, provides the backdrop for the story of Callie, an enslaved girl. Callie's mistress is also her aunt, and one day she will free Callie, like she freed her brother, Callie's father. But the sale of Callie's stepbrother, to raise money for the war effort, reveals how fragile that promise is. Then comes news of Fort Monroe, where slaves can find refuge as "contraband of war," outside the reach of newly seceded states. Part one documents the start of the Civil War and the breakup of Callie's world, while part two focuses on the choices Callie makes as she prepares to leave her family for an education in the North. Callie's story, despite the disturbing complexity of her family tree, is less compelling than the history lesson. Background notes and a time line at the beginning explore how Union soldiers were able to exploit a legal loophole to save countless lives, while an afterword provides further source material for this pivotal moment in American history.--Kara Dean
* The Hate U Give.
By Angie Thomas.
Feb. 2017.464p. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780062498533). Gr. 9-12. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two very different worlds: one is her home in a poor black urban neighborhood; the other is the tony suburban prep school she attends and the white boy she dates there. Her bifurcated life changes dramatically when she is the only witness to the unprovoked police shooting of her unarmed friend Khalil and is challenged to speak out--though with trepidation--about the injustices being done in the event's wake. As the case becomes national news, violence erupts in her neighborhood, and Starr finds herself and her family caught in the middle. Difficulties are exacerbated by their encounters with the local drug lord for whom Khalil was dealing to earn money for his impoverished family. If there is to be hope for change, Starr comes to realize, it must be through the
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exercise of her voice, even if it puts her and her family in harm's way. Thomas' debut, both a searing indictment of injustice and a clear-eyed, dramatic examination of the complexities of race in America, invites deep thoughts about our social fabric, ethics, morality, and justice. Beautifully written in Starr's authentic first-person voice, this is a marvel of verisimilitude as it insightfully examines two worlds in collision. An inarguably important book that demands the widest possible readership.--Michael Cart
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: From the moment this book sold, it has been high-profile. An in-the-works movie adaptation will further push this to the head of the class.
* Hello, Universe.
By Erin Entrada Kelly.
Mar. 2017.320p. Greenwillow, $16.99 (9780062414151). Gr. 3-6. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Four middle-schoolers' fates intertwine one summer in Kelly's (The Land of Forgotten Girls, 2016) touching tale of friendship. Scrawny, aciturn Virgil Salinas can generally be found caring for his guinea pig and avoiding neighborhood bully Chet Bullens. The only people he feels comfortable around are his Lola (his Filipino grandmother) and his Japanese American friend Kaori, who fancies herself a psychic. Kaori's quirky self-confidence is a foil to Virgil's insecurities, and when he comes to her for help befriending a girl in his class, Valencia Somerset, she can't wait to consult her star chart. For her own part, Valencia struggles with nightmares after being rejected by her best friend, and the fact that she's deaf hasn't made finding new friends easy. When she spots Kaori's "business card" on a notice board, she makes an appointment to discuss her troubling dreams. That very day, Virgil goes missing, and Valencia joins Kaori's search for the boy. Chapters alternate between the four kids' perspectives, infusing the story with their unique interests, backgrounds, beliefs, and doubts. Lola's hilariously grim Filipino folk stories weave in and out of Virgil's mind, ultimately giving him the courage to stand up for himself; and rather than holding her back, Valencia's deafness heightens her perceptiveness. Readers will be instantly engrossed in this relatable neighborhood adventure and its eclectic cast of misfits.--Julia Smith
Ronit and Jamil.
By Pamela L. Laskin.
Feb. 2017.192p. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen, $17.99 (9780062458544). Gr. 9-12.
Israeli-born Ronit's abba works as a pharmacist in East Jerusalem; Palestinian Jamil's abi works as a doctor. But when both fathers decide to drag their willful teens onto the job with them, they impart the same stern words of advice: "Don't look." Yet in this modern-day Romeo and Juliet revamp, Ronit is quick to admire Jamil's hazel gaze, and Jamil, too, swiftly swoons for the "girl / with the song in [her] voice." So begin text-message trysts, marketplace meetups, and a love as fierce as it is forbidden. Like its predecessor, Laskin's tale, a series of mostly page-length poems, unfolds in five acts. Alternating between the perspectives of each teen (and, eventually, their fathers), it illuminates a tense but textured land riddled with rockets, roadblocks, and olive trees. Occasionally saccharine but always accessible, the modern verse--flecked with Arabic, Hebrew, and iconic excerpts from the play itself--will ease romance-hungry teens into both Shakespeare's original and the challenging context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A welcome nod to hope in the face of the impossible.--Briana Shemroske
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When Morning Comes.
By Arushi Raina.
Jan. 2017. 210p. Trademind, paper, $10.95 (9781926890142). Gr. 9-12.
South Africa's 1976 Soweto student uprising brought the bitterness and tragedy of the antiapartheid struggle onto the world stage. Raina's novel tells the story via multiple narrators who offer their own takes in alternating chapters: Zanele assumes a bold and dangerous activist role; Meena, daughter of an Indian shopkeeper, gets involved as an intermediary; Thabo, Zanele's neighborhood boyfriend and wannabe junior gangster watches helplessly as Zanele gets more deeply enmeshed in the political movement and falls for Jack, a privileged white teen smitten with her beauty and spirit. Class and race intersect at a pivotal moment in history as the compelling characters--a wide cross section of South Africans--offer their stories, and a day in the life of a country in crisis comes into focus. Suspense builds gradually to the day of the uprising, a surprise twist grabs the reader near the end, and action-movie excitement takes over when Zanele becomes a fugitive. A sophisticated political thriller that challenges readers and offers no pat endings. The appended historical note and glossary are essential.--Anne O'Malley
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Diverse fiction roundup--youth." Booklist, 15 Dec. 2016, p. 48+. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA476563559&it=r&asid=c04c69759e7cf83936e20ae1bcbc36ba Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A476563559
.
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Allegedly
Karen Coats
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 70.4 (Dec. 2016): p178. From Book Review Index Plus.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Coats, Karen. "Allegedly." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Dec. 2016, p. 178. PowerSearch,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA476825777&it=r&asid=f188095578887948112fc813b49cd7c1. Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A476825777
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Jackson, Tiffany D.: ALLEGEDLY
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2016): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Jackson, Tiffany D. ALLEGEDLY Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins (Children's Fiction) $17.99 1, 24 ISBN: 978-0-06- 242264-4
With a black mother suffering from multiple mental conditions and a possibly white father who's "N/A"--at least according to her birth certificate--15-year-old Mary B. Addison finds herself navigating the prison-industrial complex alone for allegedly killing a 3-month-old white baby. She was placed in "baby jail" at 9 under a cloud of national notoriety spawned by her case. Now she endures unremitting bullying from the staff and the other girls at the all- female group home in Brooklyn, where she lives under house arrest; the attentions of the do-gooder white female writing coach who tries to give the young women hope through words yet "knows [their] future is grim"; and the bureaucratic obstacles to get a state ID simply to take the SAT. While in this gritty environment, Mary becomes pregnant by her boyfriend, Ted, an 18-year-old black man who is also confined in the labyrinth of the penal system but later must turn to "survival sex" to maintain his shelter. The author presents all of this as a matter of fact in Mary's voice, not sensationally or, worse, exploitatively. Because of this, her novel effectively joins Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th and Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow (2010) to become another indictment of the penal system's decimating power beyond its bars and, more subtly and refreshingly, a pro-reproductive-justice novel. Searing and true. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Jackson, Tiffany D.: ALLEGEDLY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2016. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA469865729&it=r&asid=191911d795d5738041f61d6ceab8edc5. Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A469865729
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8/8/17, 5(56 PM
Allegedly
Publishers Weekly.
263.46 (Nov. 14, 2016): p59. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Allegedly
Tiffany D. Jackson. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-06-242264-4 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Mary Addison, a black 15-year-old from Brooklyn, has been locked up in "baby jail" for six years, after allegedly killing a three-month-old white child. Now living in a group home, Mary is bright, quiet, and well behaved, which makes her the target of the more aggressive girls in the home. Her one escape is volunteering at a nursing home and having secret assignations with Ted, a fellow volunteer also living in a group home. When Mary becomes pregnant and faces losing custody of the baby, she comes forward with a startling confession: she didn't kill Alyssa. Threaded with media accounts of Alyssa's killing and police interviews with the nine-year-old Mary, Jackson's debut is reminiscent of the popular true crime podcasts Serial and Criminal', the characters are complex, the situation unsettling, and the line between right and wrong hopelessly blurred. It's also intensely relevant, addressing race, age, and mental illness within the criminal justice system. Well conceived and executed, this is an absorbing and exceptional first novel. Ages 14-up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Allegedly." Publishers Weekly, 14 Nov. 2016, p. 59. PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473459074&it=r&asid=d8f338b0bda32786706bbc7df9db7f7e. Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473459074
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HOME › ARTICLES › SCREEN › HORROR SHOW: WOMEN HORROR DIRECTORS TO WATCH
SCREENFILM
HORROR SHOW: WOMEN HORROR DIRECTORS TO WATCH
by Hannah Neurotica
Published on October 8, 2010 at 11:17am
Have you ever wanted the power to be invisible? It’s easy—try being a woman and launching a career in the horror industry. Voila!
It’s sad but true—if you’re a woman, the odds of you making it in the horror biz are bleak. Other than being a Vh1 “scream queen” or one of the “bloody babes of the month” in a lad mag, women are completely completely overlooked as horror writers, directors, producers, F/X artists, and even, in many cases, as fans.
The slogan “Discovering the New Blood of Horror and Honoring the Masters” belongs to SCREAMFEST, a career-launching horror-film festival founded in 2001. The festival recently announced its 2010 slate of 18 films—not one of which was written or directed by a woman. Google ‘female horror directors’ and you’ll find headlines like “Do women and horror films mix?” and message boards full of fanboys proclaiming there are no women making horror, and if they did the results probably wouldn’t be very scary. But what about American Psycho (directed by Mary Harron)? What about Pet Cemetery (Mary Lambert)? What about The Slumber Party Massacre (Amy Jones)?
The conventional wisdom is that women don’t want to be scared—or enjoy scary movies only insofar as the terror gives them the opportunity to snuggle up to male companions, as Entertainment Weekly pointed out in a 2009 piece. This strikes me as bizarre. Women bleed, after all, regularly and sometimes very heavily. We push human beings out of our bodies. We deal with constant threats to our safety. So it only makes sense that women can portray fear, terror, and gore onscreen in ways only those who’ve experiences it up close and personal can.
But I can’t blame the general public for the assumption that women just don’t make horror films. How would anyone really know, when the films that do exist are routinely ignored and diminished? This disturbing and irresponsible invisibility is why I founded Women in Horror Recognition Month in February 2010—a tradition that will hopefully continue until we are respected, visible, and included as both creators and fans. And right now, I’d like to introduce you to five women among the many who are working hard to be seen and heard in this scarily sexist genre.
JEN AND SYLVIA SOSKA
The most recent issue of my feminist horror zine, Ax Wound, features an interview with horror bigwig Eli Roth. Since he’s a man near the top of the horror-industry food chain, I figured he might have some insight into female horror filmmakers working under the radar. And he delivered: “You should check out the Soska sisters, who made a film called Dead Hooker in a Trunk. It’s really violent and the stunts are superb. They are Canadian twin sisters who made a feature that they wrote, produced, directed, and starred in and it’s fantastic!” And let me tell you, Roth was right.
As little girls, Jen & Sylvia started acting and modeling, but as they got older they realized that identical female twins have limited options when it comes to film roles. As Sylvia puts it, “The roles got more and more repetitive—hot twin bikini girls, hot twin sorority girls, hot twin aliens…” With a desire to have more options, the multitalented sisters decided to venture into stunt work. And as they learned how to kick ass, they also jumped into launching Twisted Twins Productions and writing, producing, directing, and starring in their first feature.
The 2009 film follows twin sisters Badass and Geek, along with their friends Junkie and Goody Two-Shoes. As you might guess, Badass and Junkie have different interests than Geek and her Bible-thumping love interest Goody Two-Shoes. But it’s not long before all four of them have one major thing in common: There’s a dead hooker in their trunk, and nobody knows how she got there. With skilled actors, amazing F/X work, and love for the genre written all over it, DHIAT has screened in the US, UK, and Canada, racking up festival awards. Join their to bring their Dead Hooker to a theater near you.
ELISABETH FIES
Elisabeth Fies didn’t start out a horror fanatic. As a little girl, her nightmares were so horrific she felt horror movies were probably best avoided. It wasn’t until she was in her twenties and struggling with depression that Fies found solace in the genre—and grew into an intense storyteller with the ability to simultaneously make you cringe and be awe-inspired.
Her debut feature, 2009’s The Commune, is a true piece of feminist art that’s been an Official Selection at over a dozen film festivals. The story follows a teenage girl whose father gains custody of her and relocates to a creepy commune with sinister plans. The exploration of female sexuality, sexual abuse, groupthink, and family entangle in a narrative of horror and tragedy best summed up by the film’s tagline: “Every Girl’s Worst Fear.”
Aside from working hard to get her own work seen by a larger audience, Fies is driven to support and promote the work of other women in the industry. In 2010, she founded L.A.’s BLEEDFEST in order to showcases horror features written and directed by women. (One of the three inaugural selections was the Soska twins’ Dead Hooker In a Trunk.) Add The Commune to your Netflix queue now, and bookmark Fies’s blog—all this month, she’ll be featuring female-made horror films.
AMY LYNN BEST
In 2004 Amy Lynn Best helped launch Pretty/Scary, the first online hub for female horror fans. (It’s now run by co-founder Heidi Martinuzzi under the name Fangirltastic.) With no formal film training, Best learned by observing, asking questions, and engaging with technical skills like grip work and line producing on short low budget films.
With a dedication to supporting and furthering the goals of indie filmmakers like herself, Best co-founded Happy Cloud Pictures with her friend Bill Homan, along with her husband, horror writer/director Mike Watt. And in 2003, she made her directorial debut with the sorority-house slasher Severe Injuries.
Between working in front and behind the camera, Best has more than a dozen films under her belt. Recently, I watched Splatter Movie: The Directors Cut (2008), which Best directed and coproduced. The film follows a group of filmmakers shooting their latest horror movie. Unfortunately, a member of the crew is picking them off one by one. The film is a great commentary on women’s roles in horror, but the ending—I won’t spoil it—is one that only a person fed up with the true invisibility of women in the industry could have concocted. Aside from co-producing and directing, Best also stars in the film, as director Amy Lee Parker. Even spoofing herself, Best’s portrayal of a film set run by a strong woman is inspiring to female would-be horror directors.
Visit Amy’s website and check out more of her work, including Were-Grrl and Spicy Sister Slumber Party, a documentary featuring B-movie actresses discussing their work.
TIFFANY D. JACKSON
At age five, Tiffany Jackson was more likely to be watching Friday the 13th at her grandmother’s house than playing with toys and puzzles. Viewing slasher films at such a young age inspired Jackson’s vivid imagination, and by age 14 she was writing her first horror script. She made her first film at 17. For her senior thesis at Howard University, Jackson pulled together all her friends, as well as her baby brother for “a babysitter slasher movie” that she made using her dad’s camera and the school’s dated video-editing equipment.
Most recently Jackson wrote and directed The Field Trip, a Blair Witch–like chiller in which six Harlem high-school classmates are sent, by way of punishment for delinquency, to a haunted trail. The film recently screened at the Martha’a Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF).
If it’s hard to get recognition as a female horror filmmaker, as an African American female horror filmmaker, the obstacles are multilayered. Says Jackson, “Looking back, my most serious projects were all horror/suspense films. It’s just the genre I always felt I belonged to. Being a black filmmaker, you get a lot of pressure to make “poignant” films. But that’s never been my passion. [Horror] is not an easy genre to belong to. But if I’m weird, I’ll be [weird and] proud.”
Currently, Jackson is in postproduction on a web series called So I Married A Vampire, which she describes on her website as “The Office meets True Blood.” When asked in the Sept 2010 issue of XI Magazine to give advice to other young women wanting to make films, she responded: “Just pick up a camera and start shooting. Don’t worry about the particulars. If you have an idea, find the camera, find the people who are just like you, and just do it.”
The Field Trip from Tiffany D. Jackson on Vimeo.
Hannah Neurotica is the woman behind Az Wound Zine and Ax Wound Radio Show. To find out more about her work in feminism and horror, visit her website.
Remember, Bitch readers: Since this is part of the Horror Show series, whoever leaves the best comment gets a shiny copy of The Exorcist on DVD! Be sure to register before you comment so you can claim your prize—if you dare!
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April 21, 2017
Bodies and minds will always be rooted in a sociopolitical context, and it is that context that privileges one type of body and one type of mind over all others.
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Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson | SLJ Review
By SLJ on February 1, 2017 3 Comments
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redstarJACKSON, Tiffany D. Allegedly. 400p. ebook available. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. Jan. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062422644.
YA-HS-SP-Jackson-AllegedlyGr 9 Up –Jackson delivers a requiem about systemic issues of injustice in this debut novel that portrays the juvenile justice system, meant to rehabilitate youth who have gone astray, and the social service system, which is intended to defend those whose rights have been infringed upon. Interwoven with case study excerpts, depositions, and inmate interviews, this gripping thriller centers on 16-year-old Mary Beth Addison, who was incarcerated for the alleged murder of a three-month-old infant. Not all of the clues point to then nine-year-old Mary’s guilt, though. Now Mary is in a group home with hopes of moving into the world and maybe even to college. But she’s been unable to get her birth certificate from her mother, and she needs the document to take her SATs. She’s also just learned that she’s pregnant, which threatens to turn her macabre existence into a permanent nightmare. Because Mary is underage and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Ted, is also in a group facility, their child will be put up for adoption after Mary gives birth, but Mary will go to any length to prevent that from happening. With remarkable skill, Jackson offers an unflinching portrayal of the raw social outcomes when youth are entrapped in a vicious cycle of nonparenting and are sent spiraling down the prison-for-profit pipeline. VERDICT This dark, suspenseful exploration of justice and perception raises important questions teens will want to discuss. An excellent selection for YA shelves.–Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA
This review was published in the School Library Journal February 2017 issue.
BY ARDO OMER ON JANUARY 28, 2017 BOOKS, RACE, REVIEWS
AllegedlyAllegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson. Katherine Tegen Books. HarperCollins. January 24th 2017.
Tiffany D. Jackson
Katherine Tegen Books
January 24th, 2017
I read the synopsis to Allegedly a few months ago and by the time I got around to reading it a few days ago, I barely remembered what it was about. There was a crime. That part was evident in the title, but the rest was a haze as I turned the first page. I had no expectations going into this outside of the usual “I hope this is a good reading experience” thoughts but after the final page, I knew I had something that blew my expectations out of the water.
Allegedly is set in New York and it’s about 16-year-old Mary who, at nine-years-old, was convicted of the murder of an infant. She’s in a group home for teen girls, with an ankle monitor, when she finds out she’s pregnant and it’s this discovery that prompts her to set the record straight and tell the truth of what really happened. It’s a story with big stakes and the reader is pulled along with the promise of the truth if we play our part in the narrative: a witness.
Jackson’s writing is phenomenal. She knows how to withhold information and when to give us the answers we crave which is harder to do than it looks. Hold back too much and readers get angry but offer up too much and you’ve ruined the mystique. The result ended up being a slow start that eventually got me racing through it in the last few chapters. I enjoyed the different ways the characters spoke, which added a diversity of experiences like Ms. Claire’s West Indies accent (she is Mary’s SAT tutor) and the AAVE (African-America Vernacular English) which is used by Ted, Mary’s boyfriend, the group home girls, and Mary.
Jackson also made me feel angry. This book is essentially about how the institutions and people who are supposed to protect us can cause more harm than good. There are so many adults who should be reprimanded and stripped of their positions for how royally they’ve messed up. Mary’s mother shouldn’t have been looking after a child. The agents of the criminal justice system — the correctional officer, social worker, therapist, group home supervisor etc — were either incompetent or flat out harmful especially when they’re responsible for minors. For most of these kids/teens, the failure of the adults in their lives is why they’re in the system, which has more adults failing them adding to the vicious cycle.
None of this is new to me but it may be new to readers; both teens and adults. I will say that characters in this book have done some terrible things or have accepted the terrible things that others have done. I think the book makes a point to talk about the wider system where all of these terrible things operate and doesn’t let anyone off for their deeds.
I highly recommend picking up this book. It’s my first YA of the new year and what a great way to start it. I will also add a content warning for some mention of sexual assault/violence in the book.
Criminal Justice HarperCollins Katherine Tegen Books Tiffany D Jackson YA YALit young adult
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ByKERRI JAREMAMay 1 2017
Five months in and 2017 has definitely been a roller coaster ride. But one thing we have always been able to depend on is books... and now Bustle's American Woman Book Club. Every month this year the club has come together online on Goodreads and in person at The Strand Bookstore to discuss a timely read that speaks to some aspect of the incredibly diverse experience of being a woman. In May, we'll be turning to Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson. And now has never been a better time to join in.
Allegedly tells the haunting and heartwrenching story of Mary B. Addison, who killed a baby. Allegedly. Mary didn't say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn't say.
Mary survived six years in juvenile hall before being dumped in a group home. But the house isn't really "home" — no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home. There wasn't a point to setting the record straight before, but now she's got Ted — and their unborn child — to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?
Allegedly tackles issues of race in the justice system, coming of age as a black woman, and finding your voice in a world that is trying to silence you... all extremely timely issues that deserve to be faced head on. So, go grab a copy and come read along with us!