Kevin M. Weeks is the author of The Street Life Series: Is It Suicide or Murder? More information about Kevin and his books can be found at http://www.thestreetlifeseries.com/

Do you have a special routine or rituals when you write?

I listen to music. The genre of music I listen
to ranges from old school music to artists such as Maroon 5,
Robin Thicke, and Daughtry.

What are you working on now?

Kevin M. Weeks: I’m completing the final draft of the second
book in The Street Life Series titled: The Street Life Series:
Is It Passion or Revenge? Shortly thereafter, I’ll complete the
first draft of the third book which I have already started. I
have the outline for the fourth book as well.

How did you become a writer?

Sitting down to write, I found it difficult to
stay focused. Then I shifted my priority to mentoring young
men, who were coming into the prison system, about not taking
the same path that I took when I was their age. I was shocked
by their interest in the wisdom that I was sharing with them and
was encouraged by them to complete my novels. With a renewed
passion, I started to write again. My goal now is to be an
inspiration to others, particularly to those who are
incarcerated, that it is never too late to achieve career goals
and turn things around in order to make a positive impact on
society.

Why is street fiction important and why should people read it? Why should librarians purchase street fiction?

I have found that Street Fiction, also known as
Urban Fiction, is one of the best avenues to grab the attention
of those who absolutely despise reading and it has turned many
into avid readers. By the same token, Street Fiction has turned
many into writers; those who would never pen a novel. The
National Endowment of the Arts reports: “The rate of decline
for the youngest adults, those aged 18 to 24, was 55 percent
greater than that of the total adult population.” That’s a huge
drop in young adults who read. Let’s leverage Street Fiction as
a way of promoting literacy.

I have heard that librarians don’t want to purchase Street
Fiction because these books somehow are the ones that are never
returned. I understand that this is a major issue. My belief
is that the reason many books are not returned is because Street
Fiction is passed from reader to reader. I hear this all the
time, “Hey man, can I borrow that book after you finish reading
it?” Then the book is passed to the next friend and on and on.
So, people are reading the books; however, either the book’s
binding falls apart or the books are lost. I’d rather for us as
a literary community to find a solution to the problem rather
than not having Street Fiction in libraries. Would it help if
there were more books in stock or if the author offered a
discount to replace lost books? I want to be a part of the
solution. I’d like to hear from your readers on how I can help.

Another reason many in the publishing industry don’t support
Street Fiction is because they feel the English language is
compromised. I wish the critics would see that Street Fiction
is motivating people to read and write. So instead of
criticizing, let’s rally together around Street Fiction and
provide writing mentors to authors. As an example, I have a
writing mentor from PEN American Center, And I’m mentoring
aspiring authors as well. This all goes back to allowing Street
Fiction to promote literacy through reading and writing. I want
to thank streetfiction.org for highlighting the importance of
Street Fiction.

See you on the freedom side, Kevin M. Weeks.

The Xlibris published book, The Street Life Series: Is It Passion or Revenge?
by Kevin Weeks, was selected for its story-telling ability of the author and the potential of the work to win wider recognition from the international publishing community. Continued…

Although Erasure is fictional, it is dead-on about the high-octane rise of a genre often called street lit. Also called ghetto lit, urban fiction and gangsta lit—as well as hip-hop’s literary equivalent—it unofficially burst on the scene in 1999. That’s when breakaway success greeted the novel The Coldest Winter Ever penned by rapper-activist Sista Souljah. Still considered to be the one of the best offerings in urban fiction, Souljah’s tale chronicles the hustling life and times of Winter Santiaga, who stole clothes and transported drugs for a living. Now considered classics, other novels from the late ‘90s include Teri Woods’s True to the Game and Vickie Stringer’s Let That Be The Reason. Both writers published their own books and sold them from the trunks of their cars after collecting numerous rejections from mainstream publishers. Since that time, Woods’s novels have grossed more than $15 million, and she is now signed with a division of Warner Books, while Stringer has built an urban-fiction empire out of her Triple Crown Publications.

According to Essence’s bestseller lists, which reflect data from Black bookstores across the country, street lit accounts for almost all of the current top-selling paperbacks. Rachelle Williams can testify to this from when she worked at Karibu Books in suburban Maryland near Washington, D.C. “I would say about 70 percent of the customers who came into the store bought these books, either for themselves or to send to a family member or friend in jail,” recalls Williams, who is now a doctoral student at the University of Maryland and has written about the genre.

Bestseller lists can’t comprehensively capture the numbers though, because most street lit is not sold at bookstores, but at barber shops, beauty salons, sidewalk kiosks and online. And now the media moguls want a piece of the pie. Traditional publishers like Kensington Books, Simon & Schuster and St. Martin’s have created urban-fiction divisions. Nikki Turner, who started out as a Triple Crown Publications author, now has her own imprint with Random House/Ballantine. Turner has penned popular titles like A Project Chick and, with rapper 50 Cent, Death Before Dishonor. With his G-Unit Books—an imprint of MTV/Pocket Books—“Fitty” has extended his brand into print, even promoting his songs and vitamin water in his ghostwritten novellas.

Why is the genre so hot?

Look no further than Shakespeare, advises Kevin Weeks, an Atlanta-based author of street fiction. As in Shakespeare’s plays, Weeks says, “universal elements of love, sex, jealousy, betrayal, murder and revenge” make for compelling storytelling in urban fiction. Continue…

Find more street lit by Kevin M. Weeks.

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Find more street lit by Kevin M. Weeks.

Already read this book? Was it good or bad? Share your thoughts and do a review for Street Fiction. Tell us what you think of this book or author in the Comments section. Thanks.