By France-Luce Benson
No, you are not experiencing Déjà vu. Our guest this week on Saturday Matinees is actually the identical twin sister of our guest a few weeks ago, and an extraordinary talent in her own right. On Saturday, Leslie Gray Streeter will share an excerpt from her book, which bestselling author James Patterson calls “a wonderfully touching love story that will make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page.” Streeter’s memoir Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books With Words like ‘Journey’ In the Title, written after the sudden death of her beloved husband, is a celebration of life and the resilience of the human spirit.
FLB: I love the title of your book. Do you really avoid books with “journey” in the title?
STREETER: I do kinda side-eye them. It’s become such a cliché word that doesn’t mean what it’s supposed to mean. I know that it’s meaningful to a lot of people, but I wanted readers to know that my book wasn’t offering some candy-colored look at grief that was some standard they were supposed to live up to. There is no template.
FLB: Who is this book for?
STREETER: Everyone who ever lost someone or loves someone who did and wants to know how to talk to them. Also humans who like words J And Shelia E. references.
FLB: Are you working on a follow up book?
STREETER: Yes! One chapter down. So many to go.
FLB: What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?
STREETER: Turning 50 and starting the next part of my life in the city I love (Baltimore). Also the vaccine. So I can go sit on an island somewhere safely and dream. Also? A less-sucky world.
FLB: What has been keeping you sane?
STREETER: Yoga. My faith. My funny kid and family. Walking past beautiful old buildings and wondering who lived there. Fried tofu.
FLB: What gives you hope?
STREETER: That humanity can learn. We have to. We can do hard stuff.
