Reviews
Greetings O’labumi! Today is the big day, and Between the Covers—An Adult Romance Anthology is now public and available. Thank you so much for joining us on this publishing journey and for lending The Red Penguin Collection your words.
JK Larkin: Editor and Literary Manager of The Red Penguin Collection
Thank you again and we can’t wait to work with you in the future! :)
I don't know how many times I've declared that writing is an ass-in-the-chair business. But it wasn't until 6 years ago that I met a true ass-in-the-chair, and her name was O’labumi Brown. By then, she had cranked out 100s of pages of her in-progress memoir, tentatively entitled Hairalujah: One Woman's Knock-down Drag-out Struggle for respect, recovery and love which she shared with me and of which she sought my opinion. I was struck, first, by her naked, warts-and-all honesty. But also by how vividly she had brought certain moments of her life to the page. Next thing I knew, she was at it again, ass in the chair, polishing her prose to even greater levels, with me cheering her on all the way and, in the process, she has become a close friend. I have no doubt she has the stuff to cross the finish line and get this, her first book, into print. I can't wait till the hardcover is out!
Lee Stringer: Author
Michel Marriott: Author
Lifelong journalist (former staff writer for the Washington Post, Philadelphia Daily News, Newsweek magazine and 19-year veteran of the New York Times), adjunct professor of journalism for the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and leader of the African Voices Memoir Workshop.
O’labumi Brown is a most extraordinary creative force of practically supernatural power on the page. First, she is a remarkable storyteller with an uncanny sense of knowing what story to tell from what I am certain are multitudes of multitudes of stories she has lived and experienced with open eyes, mind, and soul. Secondly, she has a quality that eludes many highly recognized writers; she possesses a wildly inventive approach to prose. Words, even familiar ones, pulse, inflate, fly, dive, and explode right in the reader’s face to delightful and insightful effect. And this is when she isn’t outright creating words that should have existed in the first place. Trust me, there is never a dull page found among any penned by O’labumi Idorian Brown.
Hakimah Abdulmalik: Literary Peer
My first taste of O'labumi's stimulating writing was at The Magic Table, the very inspiring writing workshop at which we met. The richness of her writing always provides an unexpected tingling ingredient that never fails to satisfy the appetite. It's impossible not to know her love of the writing process when reading her work. She is my sister, my friend, and a constant literary example that I strive to emulate.
Dan Simon: Publisher, Seven Stories Press
Dear O'labumi,
I've read the six chapters you sent me, and it was a pleasure. You're able to laugh at yourself, with an open heart, and that's a huge plus. The characters are interesting. And you're able to thread different stories together into one narrative. You have talent and a fire burning, which is to say, stories to tell.
All the best, Dan
An Interview with Author
O’labumi Brown
O’labumi Brown is a retired teacher turned memoirist who is committed to writing with joy and honesty. Her debut memoir, Hairalujah (June 2025), uses a “unique blend of poetic prose and unflinching honesty” to explore “generational wounds, queer identity, recovery, and redemption. It’s a story about the messy, beautiful process of healing—and the courage it takes to reclaim your own narrative.” You’ll find O’labumi on her website Olabumi.com and her Amazon author page. Hairalujah is also available at the independent bookstores Page 1 Books and Organic Books in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Why did you write Hairalujah and who did you write it for? When readers turn the last page of the book what do you hope they’ll take away from it?
Hairalujah (without my realizing it) started as a grad school assignment when the professor asked the class to tell a personal story about ourselves. So, the first pages were for school. My hope is that readers will walk away holding my testimony of transformation and know that even the most broken pieces in a person’s life can be forged into something divine.
What prompted the push to begin the project that became your memoir?
My life was in a shambles. I was suffering emotionally. My mother was dying, my sister was in a wheelchair and awaiting a double hip replacement, and I was going through divorce. I was desperate to find a healing comfort I could trust. One evening amid sobs, I felt myself returning to that school‑day when I felt a spark and my words caught fire as I began to write about me. Rejoicing in this memory I pulled up a chair and started to write.
Did you ever feel you were revealing too much about yourself while you were writing Hairalujah?
No. Before I started writing Hairalujah I promised myself to tell it like it was or not at all.
What did your mature self-bring to the writing table that your younger self never could have?
Living long enough to have passed through the fire and emerge whole, still glowing, and ready to reveal how I found myself on the other side of the flames.
Tell us how you decided on the book’s structure as well as how to end it. Who designed the book cover?
Honestly, when I started this literary journey, there wasn’t a structure. I picked up a pen and just started writing. Later I joined writing workshops and started learning about the cycle of shaping, reshaping, and being reshaped by this work. After my mother passed my sister found a letter she’d written to me and never mailed. As soon as it landed in my hands, I knew it was the book’s finial note. My vision for the cover design emerged as I collaborated with my good friend Lee Stringer. The self-taught graphic designer finalized the book cover.
How did you choose the title of the book?
Since the memoir dances metaphorically using images of black hair culture, I wanted the title to reflect that. In the initial stages the title kept combing through itself, shedding strands until “Hairalujah” finally let go of its split ends.
What was an unexpected benefit of writing Hairalujah?
When my short story from the memoir, “Romance on the Ironhorse,” was published in Between the Covers: An Adult Romance Anthology.
What was the most difficult aspect of publishing your memoir?
The most traumatic and unexpected thing that happened at the time of Hairalujah’s publishing was my sister’s death. So instead of celebrating, I mourned.
Do you have other creative outlets outside of writing?
I adore narratives of psychological suspense, thrillers, historical fiction, dark fantasy, traveling, meeting cool new people and losing myself in the thump and swirl of house music.
What is the best encouragement or advice you’ve received in your writing journey?
Early on, dyslexia froze my passion for writing. I was, and still am, a horrible speller and I used that as proof that I wasn’t meant to write. Until another writer gently reminded me, that a writer doesn’t have to be everything.
Interview published on the Southwest Writers Website by Kathy Wagoner, January 13, 2026.
https://www.southwestwriters.com/an-interview-with-author-olabumi-brown/