One morning, I sat down with Professor Deborah Paredez to speak with her about her forthcoming project, a multi-genre book tracing divahood across memoir and criticism American Diva: Extraordinary, Unruly, Fabulous. The following interview has been edited for clarity and concision. My questions appear in bold
Thankyousomuchforsittingdownandtalkingwithmeabout American Diva forourinaugural issueofRoots.Ihadalotoffungettingtoreadthroughthisproject,andIalsohavealotof questions.Inthebeginningof American Diva, youintroduceustothedivathroughthedialectic–thedivaasfullofcontradictions,butalsothroughNinaSimone'ssong,“IWishIKnewHowIt WouldFeelToBeFree,”whichisoneofmyfavoritesongsperformedbyher.Anditstuckinmy mindbecauseithelpedmeforegroundthecontradictionofadiva'sliberatoryexpression within/beyond/against/despite/fromanindustrythatsustainsitselffromtheverydeprivationof freedom,ofintellectualfreedom,andofmaterialconditionsforfreedom.
I'minterestedinhowthedivadialectic,asyoudescribeit,mightbeamethodforlearningor readingacriticalversionofdivahistory onethatsituatesperformanceinrelationtoquestionsof nation,power,andracialcapital.
Inmytrainingasaperformancescholar,Ilearnedearlyonhowcentralperformance,writlarge,istothe maintenanceofstatecraftortothedestabilizingofpower,whetherit'ssummoningaspectacleintheThird Reich,or,asProfessorFarahJasmineGriffintalksabout,summoningBlackwomensingerstodothe workofnationalmourningorcelebration 1 Tome,performancehasalwaysbeencentraltotheworkings of thestatebutalsotothehistoryofprotest.
Goingintothisproject,partofwhatalwaysdelightedmeandinterestedmewiththedivafigureisthatshe embodiesthepotentialforperformancetodooften-juxtaposingthings Asmuchassheissomeonewho canpushagainstthelimitsofgenderorgenreorracializedcategories,andasmuchasshecangiveusthe literallyrics,asyoumentionedwithNinaSimone,toimagineafreedomwemaynotfeelatthemoment, shealsoissomeonewhodoesn'talwaysmakespaceforothers She'ssingular Communityisnotexactly herthing.Andbecausesheissomeonewhoisvoraciousinallherappetites,she'softenasymbolof unfetteredcommodification So:freedomasliberation,butfreedominakindofneoliberalsense
Divasareoftenaffiliatedwithperformance,whetherthat'sonstage,thetenniscourt,orthepage Performanceisoftencentraltothinkingaboutthat Thedivaisvirtuosicatperformingandperformance inandofitself,andthedivafigureholdswithinherthesametensionsandjuxtapositionsthatareinherent toperformanceitself,whichmakesthemabsolutelythrillingtostudy Andforthattheyarereveredand hated Theycallustoexplorethecontradictoryspacethattheyholdforus,bothintermsofaspirationand intermsofrepulsion.Inthemisogynistworldinwhichwelive,often,onlythepartsthataretobe denigratedgetheldup So,forme,itwasreallyimportanttokindofexploretherange
I’mwonderingaboutrange:yougothroughawiderangeofdivasinyourresearch,rangingfrom VenusandSerenaWilliamsattheendofyourbook,toTíaLuciainchaptertwo,andtoDivinein themiddle.Inoticethatalotofthethroughlinesare,asalways,performance.Howdidyoupickthe divasforyourbook?
Itwasanexceedinglydifficulttasktonarrowitdown Therearehandfulsofchaptersthatgotchopped towardstheend.Thegoalofthebookwasn'ttobecomprehensive,butitwastotrytocreateanarrative arcofmyownlifeandhowthattiedintonationalorculturalmomentsforthoseofuswithintheUnited States Andsomyfirstcriteriawastohavefiguresthatweremeaningfultomeatsomepointinmylife IhadachapteronNinaSimonethat,sadly,hadtogo.Ihadanotheron The Color Purple andthe Broadwayrevivalofthemusicalversionofitin2015.AndachapteronLenaHorne.Forawhile,
ChavelaVargasandDollyPartonwerethere Allofthemwerecutwithgreatpain!Ultimately,inthe service ofnarrativeflow,Ihadtofocusonthedivasthathadmeaningfullyaccompaniedmeforsome partofmy journeyinthecourseofmyownlifeoverthelast50orsoyears.Iusedthetimespanofmy lifeasa temporalcontainersothatitdidn'tgetunwieldy
Itwasalsoveryimportantformetofocusonpopulardivasofcolor Certainlybeforethenineties,the termdivawasoftenaffiliatedwithakindofrarefiedwhitesoprano anoperafigure Blackwomenin particularwereeitherneverallowedtobeincludedinthatkindofrarefiedspace,orweredenigratedfor beingdivas,whichwasjustawayofre-racializingwomenofcolor.Iwantedtomarkthathistoryand reformulateadifferentwayofthinkingaboutwhocancount Iwasinterestedintroublingthataswellas sayingthatthesefigures,primarilywomenofcolor,arevirtuosicandcomefromalonglineoftraining andtraditions.AsmuchasIwantedtoshowthelimitationsofthecategory,Ialsowantedtostagemy reverenceoftheirvirtuosityandtheircomplicatedness
So,fortherecord,itwaspainfultocutallthedivasIhadtocut
Oneofthethingsthatstoodouttomeaboutthisworkwastheform.Itfeelsverylyricaltome. Yourownwritingisverydeeplyintertwinedwithalsothelyrics,theperformances,theinsightof otherscholars,performers,divas,andcombinationsofallthree.There’sthisinclusionofyourown memoriesandyourlife:adolescence,beingamother,exploringkinship.Andatonepoint,you're communingwiththelateJoséEstebanMuñoz.Howdoyouperformyourscholarship,andhowdo youthinkaboutformasaperformativeaspectofyourscholarship?
Itwasveryimportanttomewhenwritingthisbooknottobestrictlyintherealmofscholarship,even thoughI'mtrainedasascholar I’malsotrainedasapoet,butIwasn’ttrainedasanonfictionwriter,soI hadalotofreadingandstudyingtodo Luckily,I'msurroundedinthecreativewritingprogramby amazingnonfictionwriterslikeMargoJeffersonandWendyWaltersamongothers.Andcolleaguesin otherdepartmentshereatColumbiawho’vealsowrittenaboutdivasorpushedgenreboundarieslike FarahJasmineGriffinandSaidiyaHartman Fromallofthesewriters,I'velearnedhowtomove throughnonfictiontoallowforthespaceofmemoirandcriticisminwayswhereeachthreadcan illuminateeachotherasopposedtogettingalltangledornotcohering.
Ialsoendedupreadingalot:fromMaggieNelsontoNathalieLéger,who'sanamazingFrenchwriter Her book, The White Dress,IrememberreadingitandannotatingitsothatIcouldseehowshemoved from paragraphtoparagraph howshemovedfromtalkingabouthermothertothentalkingaboutthis performanceartist,backandforth,whichreallyhelpedmewith,forexample,theRitaMorenochapter 2 Andso,Ithoughtalotaboutform,soIappreciatethequestion,becauseI'vealwaysbeensomeonewhoas apoetandaperformancescholarhasalwaysbeeninterestedinbothofthesewaysofthinking,butalsoin pushingpasttheboundariesofeachofthem.
Ialsofeellikedivasrequireus,oratleastinspireustopushagainstconventionalboundaries Andsoin thiscase,genreconsiderationswereimportanttome Iwantedtofigureouthowtogetasenseof maximalistflourish,howtoachieveableedingbetweenmemoirandcriticismwhileholdingupthethings abouteachofthosegenresthataresopowerfulandrigorous.Ididn'twanttocompromisetherigorofthe analysis,nordidIwanttocompromisethetextureandthestoryaccesstointerioritythatmemoircangive us.ThatmeanthavingtoretrainmyselfinthethingsIhadlearned,tounlearn.Forexample,inascholarly book,you'llputyourargumentupfront:“Here'smythesis,andthenI'mgoingtoshowyoutheevidence,” whereasinabooklikethisthat'stryingtocombinememoirandcriticism,it'sveryimportanttoletthe insightsunfoldasyougothroughreflection,musings,observation,questioning,andanalysis.Ithinkwhat thebookdoes,asyousaid,thelyricismitaspirestoandtheattentivenessreallycomesoutofmytraining asapoet ThethingI'vealwayssaidaboutwritingpoetry,anddoingperformanceanalysisisthatbothof
themrequireanastonishingamountofattention Youhavetopaysuchcloseattention,ifyou'rea performancescholar,towhattheflareofanarmorahandmightmean Andyouhavetowatchitagain andagain,andagain,andagain,ifyoucan,inthesamewaythatapoemwillhavetositanddwellwitha feeling,orthesnowfallingorsomethinglikethat SoIthinkthatallofthesedecisionsaroundformand aboutperformingmyscholarship,asyousaid,cameoutofarealdesiretofuseorpushbeyondthe boundariesofscholarship,memoir,andpoetry.
Whilewe'retalkingabouttheautobiographicalaspectofthisbook,atonepointyoureferto yourselfasa“diva-in-waiting.”Baseduponyourownthinkingandbeinginconversationwithall thesedivas,wouldyouconsideryourselfadiva?
Ifeellikeadivahastoearnthetitle,andIdon'tknowthatI'mvirtuousenoughyettohavedeservedthat title Although,somewholivewithmemightcallmeadivaasawaytosay,“Ohmygosh,she'sso demanding,”or“Shehassomanycrazyquirks,”saidlovingly Forme,itwasreallyimportantinthe booktoestablishmyself,thenarratorinthebook,asthedivaacolyte,thedivafan,oras,atbest,thediva in-waiting.Idothinkthathumilityandvulnerabilityaresobeguilingforanarratorinabook.Itwas importanttomeforthereadertofeelwelcomedintomyownjourneytowardself-discoveryandto encounterthemessalongtheway.IhopedtoshowhowanyofthevirtuosicactsI'veaspiredtowere modeledaftertheseverycomplicatedvirtuosicwomen.Seeingmyselflearningfromthemwasreally important I'mnotinanywaythedivainthisbook;inlife,onmybestdays,Itry forbetterorforworse
Thisrelationshipoftheacolyteissogenerativethroughoutthebook,whichmakesmethinkabout yourchapteronRitaMoreno'sperformanceofAnitain West Side Story. Specifically,Iwasthinking aboutthatconversationyouhadwiththelateJoséMuñozonbrownnessandqueerness.3 I was drawnbythewaythatyouformulatedthisasaconversationacrosstheboundariesoflifeand deathandun/finishedscholarship.AndIthinkitalsojustcaughtmyeyebecause,forme,José MuñozwasthefirstperformancestudiesscholarwhoIread,inmyearlyteens,andhetransformed myconceptionsofscholarshipandacademia.So,Iamalwayskeepinganeyeoutforhim,andIwas overjoyedtoseehisnameinyourbook.
ImentionthisbecauseI’mcuriousaboutyourconversationwithhimregardingbrownnessand beingqueerforUncleSam.Goingbacktoourearlierconversationwhereyousaidthatthedivaisa sourceoftensioninherrelationshipwithfreedom,Ifeellikeyoufigurebrownnessinthisstateof slipperiness,wherebrownnessisnotwhatyoudescribeastheirregularrhythmsoftheBrown Commons,butalsoasan in-between,asnota neither,butasa both,orasa range.Howdoesthe BrownDivacomplicateourunderstandingofthedivainrelationtoliberation?Specifically,how doestheBrownDivacomplicatedivahoodasbothare/mediationofourrelationshiptoracial capital,butalsoasaneoliberalexpressionoffreedom?
ThefirstthingI'llspeaktoistalkingtothedead,orspeakingwithJoséacrosstimeandspace,andhow luckyyouwerethatyougottoreadhimasateenager HewaswritingwhenIwasalreadyagradstudent, andIwassoindebtedtohiminmanywaysasaLatinaperformancescholar,tobeinhiswake Itwas reallyimportantformetostagemyownreckoningwiththischaracter:isthisfigureBrown?Isshe?I don'tknowtheanswer.LetmetalktoJosé.Ican'ttalktoJosébecause“boyslikethat”dieyoung. IhadbeenreadingacolumnbyanonfictionwriternamedSabrinaOrahMark,andshehadwrittenashort piecewhereshesummonsthedeadtofigureoutanidea.4 AndIthought, That's what I need to do. Ineed totalktothedead,asMexicansdo,andtosummonJoséinakindofhypothetical,orsubjunctive,or speculativeconversation,andtoleavemyselfwithinitialpostulationswhicharestillverymuchinthe interrogative:postulationsthatarestillwrestlingwithwhatmakesBrown,youknow, Brown.
Thatwasreallyimportantformetostage.Forexample,ifwethinkaboutRitaMoreno'sperformance,for
example,in West Side Story,she'splayingthefantasyofthePuertoRican It'sacolonialfantasyofwhat PuertoRicansmightbe Andyet,there'ssomethingaboutherperformanceandheragencyasaperformer ThewayshemovesherbodysendsaflareouttothoseofuswhoareBrownbodiestosay, Here's the Brown Here'showBrownnesscannegotiatetheveryframeofcoloniality,theveryframeofthe oppressivefantasy,thebrownfacefantasy,sothatBrownnessthere,evenifnotliberatory,atleastmade usfeellikeperhapswe could feel free,asNinaSimonesays.
Andsimultaneously,ifwethinkaboutthehistoryofdivas,lighter-skinneddivasofcolor,likeLena Horne,wereoftentropicalized ShewasmadetobemoreBrownsothatshecouldbelessBlack Shewas buttressedasaformofanti-Blackness SoBrownnesshaswithinitself,likethediva,thatpotentialtobe eitherliberatory,anti-establishment,oranti-state,butalsotobeputintheserviceofanti-Blackness.In thatway,Brownnesshasdifferentrelationshipstofreedom,citizenship,orbelonging That,tome,was important Brownnessisanimportantcategory AndJoséhadbegunthinkingthisthrough how Brownnesscouldbeacategorythatcandisruptbecauseitisn'tadheringtodichotomousideasofrace.5 Howitcouldpossessawayforustothinkbeyondthesecategories,however,limitedorprovisional.
Ithinkthisfocusondivasofcolorinyourbookisthisreallyimportantforayintohowthedivaisa problemforandalsoafigureinservicetoracialcapitalism.AndIreallyappreciateyourthinking inconversationwithProfessorMuñoz.Thatwas,forme,acentralpointofthebook.Istoppedand reflectedoneachofthedivasthatyouhadpickedandtheirrelationshiptoraceandtothestate.
Which,there'ssomethingyoumentionedinyourlastanswerabouttheagencyoftheperformerin regardstotheirrace.ThatmademethinkaboutyourlastchapteronVenusandSerena, particularlythosesceneswhereSerenaisrepeatedlybooedbythiswhite,WASPycrowd.Iwas thinkingaboutFarahJasmineGriffin’sessay,““WhenMalindySings:AMeditationonBlack Women’sVocality,”whereGriffinreflectsonthe Blackwomanvocalist’sperformancesasaforce ofnationalunity.6 IwasalsothinkingaboutSaraAhmed’sessay, “AffectiveEconomies,”where Ahmedpointsoutaconnectionbetweenwhitesupremacisthatredandthecommunal,lovingbond formedinparalleltoit.7 WhatdoesthefigureoftheBlackdivarevealinourunderstandingofthe whiteaudience?
Thedivaisadamantlysingularandyetalsohousesthemanyintheone InthecaseofSerenaandVenus, Icouldhavetalkedabouttheminarangeofways,butIreallywantedtotalkabouttheminthatgirlhood chapterbecausepartofwhitesupremacy’sworkwastoneverallowtheBlackchildtobeachild.Andthat vociferousthunderofbooingsignifiesamomentwhereweseewhitesupremacyconsolidatingitselfin thedenigrationofthevirtuosicBlackgirl Whitesupremacyhastodotheworkofdemonizingherto supportitself.Itfeelslikeanalmost-pornographicpleasureintheunisonofthecommunityagainsther. Because,asyousaid,it’snotjusthate.Ahmedisabsolutelyrightaboutthat nationhoodisconsolidated throughthesepleasurableforms
Weseethathappeninginthesamewayinmybook Selenidad IrememberwhenSelenadiedandHoward SternalongwithotherxenophobicfolksweredelightinginthemurderoftheBrowngirlandtheywere adamantlyagainstthegrievingofher 8 TheypathologizedalltheLatinoswhowereoutthere,grieving Thatbecameawayofwhitesupremacyconsolidatingthemselves Inthiscase,theanti-mourningofthe Browndivabecameawayofconsolidatingwritesupremacy.Andthiscomingtogetheratthefeetofthe divahasalongtraditionofconsolidatingcommunity.Mostpotently,ontheotherendofthespectrum, marginalizedcommunitieshaveconsolidatedthemselvesandcreatedasenseofbelongingaroundthediva figurewhethershereignsinthedragballhousesinHarlemorontheBroadwaystage.ThestoryofIndian Wellsiswell-knownamongstpeopleofcolorwhofollowtennisasanexampleofthis.9 Soweconsolidate ourselvesaroundSerenatoprotecther,preciselybecausewesawtheworkingsofwhitesupremacyanda nationthatisbuiltonitpronouncedatherexpensewhenshewasjustateenager
Youmentionedthatthisresponseisakindofconsolidation,butyoualsomentionedthecapacityof adivainananti-institutionalsenseofbelongingandcommunity.Youwriteaboutthelatterinyour chapter,“DivaRelations,”whichI’minterestedinhearingmoreabout.Myquestiongoesbackto thisideaofautobiographicalform:howdidyoudecidewhatstoriestofitintothischapter,suchas ReginaJean’sexperienceofgivingbirth?Howdoyoucreatethissenseofrelationthroughthe diva?
Writingaboutcommunitiesconsolidatingthemselveswithinthespaceofdivaworshipisnothingnew WayneKoestenbaumandmanyothershavewrittenaboutthis,andcommunitieshavebeendoingthisfor solong.Watchingjustepisodeof Pose willgiveyouthatsense,muchlessallthehistoriesthathavebeen toldaroundhowdivafigures,boththosethatwemayemulatefromafarandthosewhoareinour everydaylife,canbecomeamother suchasahousemother foracommunityofthosewhohavebeen disenfranchisedorpushedoutoftheirownfamiliesoforigin.Iwantedtoacknowledgethatandaccount forthatbecauseitissocrucialtothinkabouthowthedivacanliterallysaveourlivesandprovidea spacewherecommunitycanbeforged,howevertenuousandephemeral
HowIdecidedthedivacanhelpusberelationalwaspartiallycomingfromthelongtraditionofdiva mentoring Theolderdiva,orthemoreexperienceddiva,oftendecidestobestowthecrown:you becometheanointedone.Likethemothersintheballhousesoreveninopera:theolder,more experiencedsopranowhohelpsgivelessonstotheyoungerone Itwasinterestingformetothinkabout whatthatmentoringlookslike Asmuchasshe’ssingular,there’sthepassingonoftheknowledgeand theacknowledgementthatthistraditionofvirtuositymustcontinue.
Ifeltlikeitwasreallyimportant,thinkingaboutthattimeinmylifewhenIwaslearninghowtobea scholar,learninghowtobeagrown-up,learninghowtohavedeepandsustainingrelationshipswithother womenofcolorintheuniversityenvironment.Therearemanypeoplewhooftentellus, You are here because you are special You are here because there are no other people in your community who are as good as you Soyouhavetocompetewitheachotherforthetokenspot Andthatisamodeof colonization.It'samodeofracism.
AndIwasthinkingbacktothattimeinmylife,inmymid-to-late-twenties,abouthowweworkedvery hard,mygroupofgirlfriendsandI,womenofcolor,mostofthem,todisabuseourselvesanddecolonize ourmindsfromthat.PartofhowwedidthatwasthroughdancingtoCeliaCruz,andadmiringthe relationshipthatCeliahadwithLaIndia.Idon’tthinkinthatmomentweknewentirelythatthiswas happening,butweknewenoughandhadstrongenoughsurvivalinstinctstobedrawntothediva mentoringthatwashappeningoutsidetheboundsoftheinstitutionandthatprovidedalternative genealogiesofknowledge.Thesepracticeswerereallyimportantformyownformationandforthose aroundme Soofcoursewe'regoingtobetherewhenReginagivesbirth,andwe'regoingtobethere whenshe'sfinishingherdissertation.10 Andthat'sjustwhatwedid.
Yourmentionofdivamotheringmademethinkaboutwritingaboutyourmemoriesofmothering andraisingayoungchildduringthiseraof,asyoudescribedit,divagirlhood.Iwasveryintrigued abouttheagencythere.Iguess,verysimply,whatisagirltodo?
Yeah.Whatisagirltodo?But,youknow,it'ssointeresting,andthisiswhyIenjoybeingaperformance scholar,andthereasonwhySerenaandVenusareinthatchapter Anearlierversionofthatchapterwas allabouttheturnofthe21stcentury,wheredivasasgirlshadbecomesupercommodifiedandasymbol ofwhiteness.Thefocusearlyonwasaboutwhitefemininityconsolidatingitselfaroundthedivafigurein atroublingway Theinitialchapterwasjust, This is so terrible What am I to do? My kid is being born and it’s all a mess
Andthen,Ithought, No, you're a performance scholar Performancealwaysholdsallofthe contradictions Sure,Iwantedtheretobespaceforustomarkthatthisishappeningrightinthebeginning ofthe21stcentury.GirlpowergetssupersizedintoDivaGirlwithalloftheproblemsthatgetpiledonto that,whetherit'saboutconstructionsofwhiteness,whetherit'saboutahyper-consumeridentification, whetherit'saboutselfasbrandorself-monitoringastheultimateaspiration
ButIalsowantedtoallowforthespacewhereayoungBrowngirl,likemydaughter,justsingsherheart outanddoesn'tgiveashit
IsawthisalotwhenIwasstudyingSelena:thewayyoungBrowngirlswhowereperformingSelenagot totallyoversexualizedordemeanedforbeinghypersexualasopposedtojustperformingtheirownbest selves.Iwantedtoallowforthat.SoIthinkwhatagirlistodoistoaccountforallthewaysthatthegirl whowastryingtobeadivaisn'tjustconfinedby,oroverdeterminedbycommodification Iwantedto accountfordivagirlslikeSerenaandVenuswhogrewupandnevergaveupandinsteadjustkeptkicking ass.AndIalsowantedtoacknowledgemyownangeratthewaysthattheyweren’tallowedtheirs.I wantedtomodelformygirlthatfocusonrage Iwantedmygirltohittheshitoutofaballsoshedoesn't hittheshitoutofsomebodyelse
Yes!OneofthereasonswhyIthoughtofthatpreviousquestionwasbecausealotofthesechapters areaboutnothavingthatliberatorypotentialinalinearpath.Ithinkmostclearlyaboutyour chaptersonTinaTurnerandSerenaandVenus.ParticularlyinthecaseofSerena,I'mthinking aboutheragencyasatennisplayer:shecaneitherplayornotplay.Atleast,that'showthebinary presentsitself.That’snotaveryagentialsituationtobeinwhencrowdsofadultsarebooingyou. I'malsothinkingaboutTinaTurner,howhernameisinitiallytrademarkedbyIkeTurner,and howhetakesawayherintellectualandperformativefreedom.
Inbothofthesesituationsandinmanymorethroughoutthebook,muchofthediva'schallengeis thatshehastoovercomeoractwithinthatconfinement.Andsometimesthatresponseisn't straightforward.Serenagetsangryandshegetspenalized.TinareturnstoIkeonce,thentwice, untilshefinallyleaveshim.I'mwonderinginboththesecasesandinmanymore,howdoyou reconcilethoseconfineswiththediva?Arethereunintentionalorintentionalwaysofsubvertingor interveninginthatconfinement?
Tome,thedefinitionofadivaissomeonewhoreckonswiththeseconfinementsandshowsushowto endurethem,andinmoments,surpassorovercomethem.Itisn’tjustthatthedivastruggles.It’sthatshe struggleswithflair Shestrugglesoverandoveragainuntilthereisakindoftranscendence Tome,the divalasts,andlasts,andlasts Asaresult,sheallowsforustomarkorchroniclewhatthesestrugglesare, andwhatforcesbearuponallofourstruggles:misogyny,whitesupremacy,capitalism,theworkingsof theentertainmentindustryorthetennisindustry Hercareer,herstruggles,andherperseverancethrough themallowusanopportunitytointerrogatetheseveryforcesthatarethecauseofthesestruggles.
Thedivaallowsforustotalkabouttheparticularitiesandtexturesandsoundsofwhatthatperseverance ormomentarytranscendencecanbelike,orsometimestomournthesuccumbingtothesestruggles.Ifwe thinkabouttheendofallthoseoperas,theythenallowusaspacetomournthefallofawomanwho,asI sayaboutmyTía,madeanariaoutoftheeveryday.
Divas last and last. Studying them gives us the opportunity to interrogate all the structures of racism and sexism and transphobia, etc and to honor the momentarytriumphsormodesofenduranceagainst these forces Theygiveusmodelsforhowtopersevere Howtoputonthatlipstickandwalkoutside
Absolutely.MylastquestionwasaboutyourTíaLucia,andtheideaof,asyousaid,“singingan
ariafromtheeveryday.”ThatchapteraboutyourTíadoessomuchformeinconfrontingthisgap thatIhadfeltpreviously,whichisthatthedivaandthequotidianaretwoverydifferentthings.But likeyousaidbefore,thedivaisalwaysfulloftensionsorcontradictions.I'mwondering,inthecase ofyourTía,whatlessonsdoesthedivaholdforthequotidian?
Thethingaboutadiva,asIsaid,isthatshestruggles,sheperseveresovertime Andshedoesitallin public.Thedisillusionbetweentheboundariesofpublicandprivatehasbeencentraltothediva traditions,aesthetics,andtheories.That’spartofwhatmakesheralmost,ifnotentirely,quitequeer.To dothatallinpublic,tostruggleandpersevereandbeallgreatandunapologetic,becausethat’ssorisky,is reallyprofoundforthoseofuswhocan’taffordtodoitinpublicbecausethecostwouldbesogreat, whetherintermsofsurveillanceorpolicingorthreatstothetransgenderbodyonthestreet.Partofthe diva’srelationshiptothequotidianisthatsheisn’tassociatedwiththeeveryday Thedivashowsushow togetthroughoureverydaythroughstyle,throughoutrageousness,throughbeauty,throughacutting remark.IlearnedfrommyTíathatthewaytogetthroughtheeverydayistoknowthateverythingcanbe transformedintothegrand ThedivaislikeMidas:everythingshetouchesturnstogold She’sgoingto useherstyleorherviewoftheworld Shecan’tsufferhowboringeverydayis,sosheshowsushowto turnitintoanoccasion.Itdoesn’thavetobesomethingthatrequiresalotofmeans,becausesheherself turnseverythingtogold,likepickingflowersshe’snotsupposedtopickandputtingthemintotheroom tobringbeauty,ortakingyournieceandsneakingintotheelevatorsatnightsoyoucanridetheelevators andpretendyou’regrandandfancy.ShemovesthroughspacelikeMidas,likeroyalty,transforming everythingandeveryoneshetouches.
Notes
1. FarahJ.Griffin,“WhenMalindySings:AMeditationonBlackWomen’sVocality,”in Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies, ed.RobertO’Meally,BrentH.Edwards,andFarahJ. Griffin(NewYork:ColumbiaUniversityPress,2004),102–125
2 NathalieLéger, The White Dress,trans NatashaLehrer(St Louis:TheDorothyProject,2020)
3. DeborahParedez,“DivaMovidas,”in American Diva: Extraordinary, Unruly, Fabulous (New York:W W Norton&Company,Forthcoming)
4 SabrinaO Mark,"WeDidn'tHaveaChancetoSayGoodbye," The Paris Review,January14 2021,https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2021/01/14/we-didnt-have-a-chance-to-say-goodbye/.
5. JoséE.Muñoz, The Sense of Brown, ed.JoshuaChambers-LetsonandTaviaNyong′o(Durham: DukeUniversityPress,2020)
6. Griffin,“WhenMalindySings.”
7. SaraAhmed,“AffectiveEconomies,” Social Text 79,vol22,no.2(2004),accessedJanuary19 2024,https://musejhuedu/article/55780
8. DeborahParedez,“Introduction:SelenidadandLatinidadinthe1990s,”in Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory (Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2009),1–30.
9 SeeLeightonGinn,“LookingBackattheWilliamsControversyatBNP,” Desert Sun,January22 2014,https://wwwdesertsuncom/story/sports/tennis/bnp/2014/01/22/looking-back-at -the-williams-controversy-at-bnp/4791323/;SerenaWilliamswithDanielPaisner, Queen of the Court (London:Simon&Schuster,2009);SelenaRoberts,“SerenaWinsastheBoosPour Down,” New York Times,March182001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/18/sports/tennis-serena-williams-wins-as-the-boos-pour-down. html.
10 Paredez,“DivaRelations,”in American Diva