Walter Mosley was a 35-year-old computer programmer when he enrolled in the graduate writing program at City College in 1987 and quickly caught the attention of the CCNY English faculty. Just three years later — while still in the program — Mosley published “Devil in a Blue Dress,” the debut novel that established him as a force in American fiction.
More than 60 books later, Mosley tomorrow will receive the National Book Foundation’s 2020 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He is the first African American man to win the lifetime achievement award from the organization that presents the National Book Awards. The medal — whose 32 previous recipients include Toni Morrison, Edmund White, Isabel Allende, E.L. Doctorow and Norman Mailer — this year honors a literary career born and nurtured at The City University of New York.
“Getting into the City College writing program was a great moment for me,” said Mosley, who appears on the CUNYcast podcast in an episode released today. “I spent every day around people who wrote fiction and poetry. It was a very supportive program and it didn’t take you 15 years to pay off.”
The guidance and encouragement he received from several faculty mentors — including the renowned Irish novelist and playwright Edna O’Brien — began an enduring relationship with the college. In 1998, Mosley established the CCNY Publishing Certificate Program to open doors for minorities in an industry long known for its lack of diversity. More than 175 graduates have found editorial and marketing careers in publishing in the program’s two decades.
“Walter Mosley is an American treasure, a prolific and celebrated writer whose cultural impact began with his best-seller ‘Devil in a Blue Dress,’ which he wrote as a creative writing student at City College,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “In many ways, he exemplified the nontraditional and diverse students who remain at the core of our mission, and his success represents their drive. We are extremely proud to call him one of our own, we are grateful for the publishing program he launched, and we congratulate him for his richly deserved National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Mosley, 68, was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of an interracial couple. His mother, who was Jewish, grew up in New York and graduated from both Hunter College High School and Hunter College. His father was a Black man from Louisiana whom Mosley has described as a philosophizing storyteller.
After graduating from college in Vermont, Mosley considered pursuing a doctorate in political theory but learned computer programming instead. He moved to New York in the early 1980s and, almost on a whim, inspired by Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple,” he tried his hand at writing. “One day, I’m just sitting there and I write a sentence. And I go, ‘Wow, that’s a good sentence… I just thought it would be really great if I could write a short story, beginning, middle and end. That would make me so happy. And that’s what I did.”
Mosley was accepted into the graduate writing program at City College, though he didn’t expect it to lead him to a high-profile career: “When you take a writing program, the chances are the job you’re going to get is teaching. So, I thought if I study writing maybe I could get some stories published and then teach writing at a college in the Midwest.”
But he made a fast impression on faculty members including O’Brien, Frederic Tuten, and Bill Matthews. It was the Irish O’Brien who pushed him to write his first novel, telling him, “Walter, you’re Black, Jewish, with a poor upbringing. There are riches therein.” He followed her advice, and “Devil in a Blue Dress” introduced his signature character, LA private detective Easy Rawlins. The book — which Mosley wrote in six weeks — became a best-seller and later a movie starring Denzel Washington.
In the years that followed, Mosley published dozens of acclaimed books in a variety of genres — mysteries, literary fiction, science fiction — along with plays and political commentary, a prodigious output that has kept him at the top ranks of the American literary world for three decades. “Mosley is a master of craft and narrative, and through his incredibly vibrant and diverse body of work, our literary heritage has truly been enriched,” said David Steinberger, chair of the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation. “From mysteries to literary fiction to nonfiction, Mosley’s talent and memorable characters have captivated readers everywhere, and the Foundation is proud to honor such an illustrious voice.”
Opening Doors, Promoting Diversity
Race and social justice have long been undercurrents of Mosley’s work, and in 1998 his concern for the lack of diversity in the publishing industry led him to propose a certificate program at City College to open doors to students from underrepresented backgrounds. He contributed seed money and raised more from New York publishers to create a program offering courses and seminars taught by book professionals and providing a pathway to paid internships, jobs and professional contacts. “It’s not just about writing books, it’s jobs in editing, in marketing and publicity, all the various aspects of the business of publishing,” Mosley said. “I thought this is a way to really begin — and it’s only a beginning — to integrate the New York publishing industry.”
“Walter had this brainstorm that we could get the publishing industry to be more diverse in its employment practices and that could lead to more diverse writers getting published,” said David Unger, a Guatemalan-born writer and professor of creative writing who has been the director of the City College Publishing Certificate Program since its inception. “Most of our students had no idea that New York City was the publishing capital. All they knew was that they liked books, and they liked to read. And here was a program that could lead to internships and possibly careers in the publishing industry.”
More than 250 students have graduated from the certificate program after taking a minimum of four courses from industry professionals in topics including book editing, digital publishing, and marketing strategies. They also complete internships in publishing houses and literary agencies. About 175 graduates of the program have gone on to work in publishing. Among the graduates is Jennifer Baker,the managing editor of Random House Children’s Books.
“A lot of people have gotten jobs, and they’re still getting jobs,” Mosley said. “The program has done a lot of good work.”
Bonus: The Comics (Click on Other Stories to See More Comics)
“Broom Hilda” by Russell Meyers. In agreement with TCA. Click to Expand.
Facebook Comments