Writers LIVE! Terry McMillan, Author of It’s Not All Downhill From Here in Conversation with Victoria Kennedy

When I saw the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s announcement that Terry McMillan would be in conversation via Zoom with Victoria Kennedy about her book, It’s Not All Downhill From Here, I was super excited. So I quickly registered and settled in for a treat on March 11, 2020 at 7 pm to 8 pm.

Terry McMillan, New York Times best-selling author needs no introduction as most of us have already read many of her novels and/or seen the movies and TV shows adapted from some of them like Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Disappearing Acts (HBO Pictures) and A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime). 

Victoria Kennedy is a Baltimore-based writer, and MFA graduate of the University of Baltimore Creative Writing & Publishing Arts program. She is also the founder of Zora’s Den (of which I’m a member), a social and supportive group for Black women writers. 

For starters, I enjoyed the way Victoria eased into her conversation with Terry and how she set the stage nicely for an engaging discussion. It was like watching a fireside chat in a casual online setting. I loved Terry’s office with the red background surrounded no doubt by ideas for her next bestselling novel. 

Anyway, having met Terry a few years ago when she came to Baltimore at the Enoch Pratt Free Library (central branch) on her book tour (I Almost Forgot About You), I was ready to see her humor and candidness shine through the screen and I was not disappointed. She was very real and I loved her honesty about allowing herself to be depressed and watching “stupid stuff” on TV during the pandemic. 

When Victoria asked Terry, “What is your happy place?” She replied she lives in Pasadena and loves going to the movies that’s within walking distance and watching independent films. Victoria then asked a question from the chat – “What would you tell your 30-year-old self?” and when Terry said, “Nothing” without blinking an eye, I cracked up laughing because she was so honest.

Terry also shared some of her family dynamics: she’s the oldest of 5 children, she lost family members “who should still be here” due to laziness, drugs, drinking, and her mother gave her sage advice (“Gotta get up when you fall down,” “You can only be stupid once,” “Stop whining and do something about it,” etc.). 

Overall, it was a great conversation about the book, the characters and the storyline. I enjoyed every minute of it and can’t wait to dive into my own copy of It’s Not All Downhill From Here and read about Loretha Curry, her sister circle, and navigating life through loss and love. Kudos to Victoria Kennedy for doing a great job and weaving questions in about the book, Terry’s perspective about life, and her writing process. 

Here are some of my takeaways about life, loving and being our most authentic selves:

“Be our best selves because no one can treat you better than yourself.”

“Life is a journey not the destination.”

“Make a reader feel stronger and more encouraged and that it’s not too late to find joy.”

“Dream out loud – we don’t get a do over.”

“Be here now.”

“Take responsibility for our stuff.”

“Be willing to take risks.”

“Read what you are curious about. Read books by everybody.”

“Wish I could fix what is wrong.”