FunkY by Christian Loriel

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Author Christian Loriel wants to put the South Memphis she knows underneath the lens of a microscope, point out the crud, the grime, the sweet, and the sad. She wants readers to question what they know about black communities. Most importantly, she wants her readers to talk about the truths we all tend to ignore.

Following is an abstract from Chapter 1 of Loriel’s book:

On the south side of Memphis, you won’t find white folk or pizza delivery boys.

In Funky Town, you’ll find hip-hop pipe dreamers, prostitutes who long for love, a kind drug dealer who sees everything, and disappointed single mothers, who will swear to you that they did their “best.”

And Dara Jackson—she never made it home from school. Her mother, Felecia, is screaming her child’s name up and down “Funky Avenue,” fearing her daughter will end up like other dark-skinned, missing children: ignored and forgotten. The story opens there and takes readers inside the homes of “Funky”

Avenue:

At 1808, Ashley Garret is being haunted by an unsightly, wailing creature.
Across the street, Miss Elsie Burnette soothes her neighbors with good food, while her own exiled daughter starves on the streets for drugs.

Gloria Hardison knows the name of her real father. What Gloria doesn’t know is that her father’s widow lives down the street from her mother.

Teenager Kiara Peppers is pregnant and her mother comes up with a suitable punishment.
And Isaiah is a drug fiend who chases the kids and does odd jobs around the hood to support his habit. He’s an animal, untamed and unapologetic. Someone else is blamed for his failed life.

Readers will meet these residents and all the others. Their joys, sorrows, fears, and secrets will be told in free verse, poetic form. You’ll even hear a pimp’s haiku and the misery of a closeted gay Christian.

About Author Christian Loriel:

Christian Loriel is a new Indie writer, FunkY being her first published work. She’s had a love for literature since she was a child, her favorite books ranging from Animal Farm by George Orwell, to Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. She took a couple of creative writing courses in college, but focused more on her animal health major. She achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Murray State University and currently works in the field of animal science. She was born and raised in Memphis, TN. A great deal of her childhood was spent in South Memphis, in the Riverside area. That particular neighborhood is still a huge part of her life, as it is the place her closest relatives call home. She currently lives and works in Louisville, KY with her husband and one-year-old daughter.