Jadi Campbell is from Germany / Upstate New York. Jadi is one of IHRAM Press’s treasured writers. In this interview, she shares her musings, inspiration, and honest thoughts on her experience with us as an author and activist.

Jadi’s latest publication with IHRAM Press, “Red Red Roses,” is featured in the IHRAM Quarter 2 Literary Magazine: Reflections of Feminine Empowerment.

Thank you for all you do, Jadi. 

Now, be honest, how has your experience been with IHRAM Press? How did you find us, and why did you choose to publish with us?

For several years, I took part in a variety show to benefit V-Day, begun by Eve Ensler, to end violence against all women, girls, and the earth. I began to look for a publication that might be interested in the essay I wrote for the show: “Red Red Roses.” When I found your call for submissions on the topic of Reflections of Feminine Empowerment, I knew my piece might find a perfect home.

Would you recommend IHRAM Press to other writers/artists?

I already have!

Share a quote from your ESSAY published in IHRAM Literary Magazine 2024!

“One day out of the blue my father astonished me by confessing that he and his male peers had watched with envy as my generation experienced the sexual revolution. I have no idea how much sex he imagined I’d had, but clearly he believed a generic ‘we’ were in and out of beds often.

Of course, he was speaking as a man. The cultural shift for women was complicated and it was messy. We inherited society’s clichés, including how we should look. My mother told me that when she was a girl she was instructed, it takes a lot of work to be attractive, and women just have to suffer in order to be beautiful. Mom passed this dubious wisdom on to me and my two sisters.

Another cliché I was taught is that nothing bad happens to girls who are good. We lived in a small town and I had no idea that terrible things could happen even there.”

Now for the fun questions! What compels you to pick up a pen or open your laptop to free-write? And what inspires/influences your writing, particularly when it comes to addressing human rights issues?

At the age of 6 I decided I was going to be a writer – and waited until I was 50 to get serious about it. A compulsion to write now rules my waking hours. I’ve belonged to a writers’ group since 2012. We talk about a writer’s need to bear witness. I write both fiction and nonfiction, and believe that compelling writing tells the truth no matter what genre a writer chooses. What influences me is a desire to make readers feel and empathize with the lives of others.

The human rights concerns addressed in the IHRAM literary magazine are often complex and challenging to navigate. How do you navigate the balance between highlighting these challenges and maintaining a sense of hope or optimism in your writing?

I couldn’t write about real-life attempted rape and societal blame without leavening the piece with humor. I also tried to give the story a historical perspective, and talked about the world my mother bequeathed to me and my sisters vs. what she had lived through. I marched on the streets 40 years ago and witnessed progress. I cannot believe that the majority of us want to turn back the clock.

How do you personally connect with our mission? Particularly on the power of art and literature to influence social change, and our values of beauty as a fundamental creative principle, sincerity, vulnerability, celebrating diversity, and opening doorways of engagement.

Your work is electrifying. The mix of international perspectives as well as the incredible artwork you feature produces a beautiful and stunning magazine. The word I keep coming back to is inspiring. I am incredibly proud to have been featured in such a global group of artists and writers. We are all interconnected, and using art to celebrate and explore what that signifies is healing and powerful.

The IHRAM magazine aims to celebrate authors contending with their identities within the context of their environments. How does your environment influence your view of the world (your home country, city, and surrounding culture)?

I’m an American who has spent half her life in Europe and another language. Experiencing a life between cultures informs everything… A dear friend once told me I’d become a citizen of the world. My German husband and I travel a great deal, and the globe is like a pointillist painting. The dots gather and connect, and create a larger and more detailed picture as I slowly fill it in.

In comparison, how does your intersectionality influence your view of the world (your personal beliefs, gender expression, religious affiliations, etc.)?

I seek out the sacred places of each place I visit. I will try to set my own ideas about what is ‘right’ or ‘true’ to one side and see if I can understand what a foreign culture has to tell me. With that said, a society that holds a group as more important or valuable than others is never justified.

Read and enjoy all of Jadi’s work:

The Taste of Your Name (November 2024), The Trail Back Out (August 2020), Grounded (May 2016), Tsunami Cowboys (November 2014), Broken In: A Novel in Stories (September 2012), Nance: Trials of the First Slave Freed by Abraham Lincoln (Edited by Jadi Campbell, Story by Carl Adams).

You can find Jadi on Instagram, Facebook, and on her website.

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