March 13, 2023 / blahblahblah / by fennthornbot

Almost two years ago, when I decided to begin writing the first book of the Journey Across Genes saga. At first, it was going to be a historical fiction. Then, it morphed into something more than that. At the time, I was listening to Toshi Reagan and adrienne marie brown’s podcast where they go chapter by chapter with Octavia’s two-book series, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.

3.23.21 @7:49am

(@10:21am) In Octavia’s Parables, amb asks the question: Who will tell your story? Will they be sympathetic or critical?

I’m going to take this question and ask it to my ancestors, two ancestors in particular: Imre (James) and Erzsébet (Elizabeth). It’s me!! I will write your stories! But, unfortunately, y’all haven’t made it easy. I don’t know your stories directly, so I’m left filling in the gaps with historical occurrences from a larger scale and piecing together the different bits and pieces we have from your children and your children’s children.

A question for you James: Did you change your name? Parts of it? Why? What was the reason you decided to leave your family? Did you also leave behind people who made you a target for minoritization and discrimination? Let’s be clear. I don’t blame you for leaving. I would have left, too. I would love to leave where I live now, but I’ll probably find similar problems wherever I go. So, why did you leave? Do I have your permission to rewrite your story?

Erzsébet: Why did you leave Hungary? What’s your story? I have so many questions: What was your favorite food? What was it like being a mother? What was it like being forced to assimilate? What languages besides Hungarian did you speak? Were you both escaping something and that’s why you both decided to hook up on the boat? I mean, is that really where you met? That’s the story I was told. How will I ever know? Do I have your permission to rewrite your story?

I’m going to have to read a bunch of historical accounts that would have affected y’all. This will help me contextualize your lives a bit. If only I could know more…