Meet Jasper Joyner

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasper Joyner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasper below.

Hi Jasper, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

The older I get, the more I’m like, “Nobody really knows what they’re doing.” We’re all just out here doing our best, so I just try to trust in my work. All I can know for sure is that I love what I do and I do it with all my heart. That (usually) gives me peace of mind.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a Memphis-based author, poet, ​and editor, and I also come from a film background and try and tap into my film criticism bag whenever I get the chance. My works’ been featured in Huffington Post, B*tch Mag, anthology book OUTSIDE THE ​XY, and many others. Right now I run two awesome ​newsletters on Substack—one self-titled, and the other called HERE TO ​COMPLAIN, a digital zine where Black and brown folks share their ​microaggressive work stories. I also mentor and teach creative writing at a few places; in person locally, nationally, and online. My chapbook, A ​FLAMBOYANCE and debut YA fantasy novel, ​JUNIPER LEAVES, are out now. Also! My book PANSY: A BLACK AMERICAN ​MEMOIR is out this October 22nd.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My imagination has been the most transformative quality for me in terms of my career. It’s what guides me and helps me figure out new and creative ways to navigate this, unfortunately, declining media and publishing industry. I’ve let my imagination lead the way despite what my industry tells me is “the right path.”

Persistence is another one because, when it comes to my art, I literally never give up. Also in that same vein, I try and have integrity in my work, which is tough! I’ve lost opportunities because they don’t align with my beliefs or would require me to compromise some part of myself but I’m not mad about that. I’m proud to have a career with no regrets. I guess my advice is what I also tell myself: forge your own path. Lead with your integrity in tact and keep going. Love what you do, and keep doing it—even if its just for yourself.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

ZAMI by Audre Lorde changed my life. Its style, biomythography, is what my memoir PANSY is inspired by. She describes biomythography as a story that combines history, biography, and myth. I have never in my life read a book that so poetically explores the human condition without necessarily offering answers, but more so offering good questions—great questions—the reader may ask themselves to help them feel more whole.

It’s so hard to be a Black queer person (or a non-white male) and not be asked to dissect every part of yourself in your writing. I *love* that Audre always refused to do that. Its what makes so much of her work timeless—she never shrunk any part of herself to fit anything at all. That’s such an expansive, radical act of self-love. I think her quote kind of rounds up a lot of why I love her work so much, “‘If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jasperjoyner.com/
• Instagram: @blkpansy.mx
• Other: linktr.ee/jasperjoyner
  @pansythememoir on Instagram

Image Credits

Headshot of Jasper in black by Taylor Boyd
All other images by Jasper Joyner