Jael Richardson remembers being in Grade 10 drama class, searching for the perfect monologue to show off her blossoming acting skills, but only able to find historical stories about pilgrims and settlers. “They weren’t about black women,” she says. “I know I’m an actor, but there was still this sense that I am not meant to play this part.”
When 15-year-old Richardson eventually did find a monologue that spoke to her, the character was a jailed prostitute.
“At the time I thought this was fun and interesting and dynamic, but that’s not good,” she says. Later, playwright Djanet Sears – the first author of colour whom Richardson would meet – suggested she start writing her own parts. But Richardson wasn’t ready to think of herself as a writer – not yet. In fact, it was years after graduating with a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Guelph before she felt comfortable declaring herself an author.