*EN.BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* ERIC JEROME DICKEY GAY
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1.875rem;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{paddg:0 1.875rem;}}</style><div class="css-mktybr exadjwu4"><style data-emotn="css 6bdp5f">{font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;grid-lumn:1/-1;marg-bottom:0.9375rem;marg-top:0.9375rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){{font-size:1.75rem;le-height:1.1;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{font-size:2.625rem;le-height:1.1;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{font-size:3.125rem;le-height:1.1;}}@media(m-width: 73.75rem){{font-size:3.125rem;le-height:1.1;}}</style><h1 class="css-6bdp5f exadjwu10"><span aria-hidn="te" class="css-0 eagam8p0"></span>‘He Ma Me Realize It Was Possible:’ Rememberg Eric Jerome Dickey<span aria-hidn="te" class="css-0 eagam8p1"></span></h1><style data-emotn="css 1cgvs9y">{font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;marg-bottom:0.625rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){{font-size:1.0625rem;le-height:1.2;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{font-size:1.25rem;le-height:1.2;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{font-size:1.5rem;le-height:1.2;}} a{-webk-text-ratn:unrle;text-ratn:unrle;text-ratn-thickns:0.0625rem;text-ratn-lor:her;text-unrle-offset:0.25rem;lor:her;-webk-transn:all 0.3s ease--out;transn:all 0.3s ease--out;} a:hover{lor:#B20B16;text-ratn-lor:borr-lk-body-hover;}</style><div class="css-1cgvs9y exadjwu8"><p>Black wrers reflect on the life and lerary fluence of the acclaimed thor.</p></div><style data-emotn="css 1yvxpqj">{marg-bottom:0.625rem;paddg-right:0.3125rem;font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:0.70003rem;le-height:1;letter-spacg:0.05em;text-transform:upperse;} span{le-height:1.6;}</style><div class="css-1yvxpqj exadjwu7"><style data-emotn="css ku2dj9">{font-style:normal;paddg-right:0.3125rem;font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:0.70003rem;le-height:1;letter-spacg:0.05em;text-transform:upperse;}</style><addrs class="css-ku2dj9 ehvvd9m2"><style data-emotn="css 6ywij2">{paddg-right:0.3125rem;font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:0.70003rem;le-height:1;letter-spacg:0.05em;text-transform:upperse;}</style><span class="css-6ywij2 ehvvd9m1">By <style data-emotn="css 5z6rvi">{-webk-text-ratn:unrle;text-ratn:unrle;text-ratn-thickns:0.0625rem;text-ratn-lor:her;text-unrle-offset:0.25rem;lor:her;-webk-transn:all 0.3s ease--out;transn:all 0.3s ease--out;}{lor:#B20B16;text-ratn-lor:borr-lk-body-hover;}</style><a href="/thor/222538/brni-danielle/" class="css-5z6rvi e1c1bym14">Brni Danielle</a></span><style data-emotn="css w0ebia">{display:le-block;text-transform:upperse;marg-left:0.625rem;}</style><time class="css-w0ebia exadjwu6">Published: Jan 6, 2021</time></addrs></div></div></div></hear><style data-emotn="css k008qs">{display:-webk-box;display:-webk-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}</style><div class="css-k008qs ewisyje0"><style data-emotn="css 7ce51e">{marg-bottom:0.9375rem;posn:relative;}@media(max-width: 64rem){{max-width:lc(100vw 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article-ntaer css-7ce51e ewisyje3"><style data-emotn="css trzem2">{jtify-self:center;posn:relative;}@media(max-width: 48rem){{marg-left:-50vw;marg-right:-50vw;width:100vw;left:50%;right:50%;}}</style><div class="ntent-lead css-trzem2 ewisyje6"><style data-emotn="css sm2oir">{height:to;}@media(max-width: 48rem){{marg:to lc(50% - 50vw);}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{marg:to;}}</style><div class="ntent-lead-image css-sm2oir e5f9kgu2"><style data-emotn="css eag3eq">{posn:relative;height:to;}</style><div class="css-eag3eq e5f9kgu1"><style data-emotn="css 335qep">{posn:relative;width:100%;height:100%;object-f:ver;vertil-align:top;}</style><img fetchPrry="high" alt="eric jerome dickey" tle="Rememberg Eric Jerome Dickey’s Lerary Legacy " width="1000" height="1000" dg="async" data-nimg="1" style="lor: transparent; width: 100%; height: to;" siz="100vw" srcSet=" 640w, 980w, 1120w, 1200w, 1920w" src="" class="css-335qep exi4f7p0" /></div><style data-emotn="css 285vyd">{le-height:1;}@media(max-width: 73.75rem){{paddg-left:0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{paddg-left:0;}}</style><figptn class="css-285vyd enfs9c50"><style data-emotn="css r1wujd">{paddg-right:0.3125rem;lor:#595959;font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:0.70003rem;le-height:1;letter-spacg:0.05em;text-transform:upperse;}</style><span class="css-r1wujd e6iqd2">Joseph Jon Photography/Shondaland</span></figptn></div></div><style data-emotn="css woto36">{font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;font-size:1.1875rem;le-height:1.6;paddg-left:0rem;paddg-right:0rem;posn:relative;}@media(m-width: 48rem){{paddg-left:3.5rem;paddg-right:3.5rem;}}@media(m-width: 48rem) and (max-width: 61.25rem){{max-width:45.25rem;marg-left:to;marg-right:to;}}@media(m-width: 61.25rem){{paddg-left:0rem;paddg-right:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 73.75rem) and (max-width: 100rem){{paddg-left:0rem;paddg-right:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 90rem){{paddg-left:0rem;paddg-right:0rem;}} em{font-style:alic;font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;} strong{font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;font-weight:bold;}{clear:both;ntent:" ";display:block;font-size:0.7rem;le-height:1.5rem;height:0rem;visibily:hidn;}</style><div class="article-body-ntent article-body standard-body-ntent css-woto36 ewisyje7"><style data-emotn="css 16u7zb0">{font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;font-size:1.1875rem;le-height:1.6;}{float:left;text-transform:upperse;font-weight:bold;marg-right:0.9375rem;marg-bottom:-0.625rem;marg-top:0;}{font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:3.8431rem;le-height:1;}@-moz-document url-prefix(){{marg-top:0.625rem;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{font-size:6.00318rem;le-height:1;}} strong{font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;font-weight:bold;} em{font-style:alic;font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;}</style><p data-no-id="0" class="body-dropp css-16u7zb0 et3p2gv0">Like s on screen unterparts, Black ntemporary fictn had somethg of a renaissance the 1990s. Between shows like <em>The Frh Prce of Bel-Ai</em>r and <em>Livg Sgle</em> domatg primetime, and films like <em>Boomerang</em><em>, Wag to Exhale,</em> and<em> Love Jon</em> lg the big screen, books were another way wrers shed a light on the everyday liv of Black folks the 90s.</p><style data-emotn="css aeyldl">{font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;font-size:1.1875rem;le-height:1.6;} strong{font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;font-weight:bold;} em{font-style:alic;font-fay:Charter,Geia,Tim,Serif;}</style><p data-no-id="1" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">As the progrsed, wrers like E. Lynn Harris, Terry McMillan, Omar Tyree, and more crafted vivid tal of love, loss, and hilarly lic drama their novels, and rears ate up — discsg their work at book clubs meetgs, onle foms, and bety shops across the untry. Among the list of 90s Black lterati, few stood taller than Eric Jerome Dickey, a bt-sellg thor who wrote <a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="dozens of novels" class="body-lk css-5z6rvi et3p2gv0">dozens of novels</a> that chronicled nearly every facet of morn Black life.</p><style data-emotn="css 1m81y1o">@media(max-width: 30rem){{m-height:209px;}}@media(m-width: 30rem){{m-height:225px;}}{ntent:"";clear:both;display:table;}</style><div data-embed="twter" data-no-id="2" class="embed align-center css-1m81y1o e1dhx11l2"><style data-emotn="css 8c6v">{posn:absolute;left:-10000px;top:to;width:1px;height:1px;overflow:hidn;}</style><div data-ad-exclu class="css-8c6v ehha8ut0">This ntent is imported om twter. You may be able to fd the same ntent another format, or you may be able to fd more rmatn, at their web se.</div><div class="css-ky2lhl e14n76iz1"><style data-emotn="css 44bwek">{grid-lumn:1;grid-row:1;z-x:-1;}@media(max-width: 30rem){{font-size:1.1rem;le-height:1.4rem;}}@media(m-width: 40.625rem){{max-width:550px;}}</style><div class="css-44bwek e1v57j5l0"><blockquote class="twter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My iends are keepg me pany as I wre through the night, If Beale Street Could Talk playg the background <a href="></a></p>— Eric Jerome Dickey (@EricJDickey) <a href=">December 15, 2020</a></blockquote></div><style data-emotn="css 47ss7b">{grid-lumn:1;grid-row:1;}@media(max-width: 40.625rem){{width:100%;max-width:lc(100vw - (1rem * 2));}}</style><div data-width="550px" class="css-47ss7b e14n76iz0"><blockquote data-align="center" data-nversatn><a href=" class="twter-timele"> </a></blockquote></div></div></div><p data-no-id="3" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">On Sunday, January 3, Dickey, a Memphis native, passed away at the age of 59, leavg the lerary world stunned. Dpe the panmic, the prolific thor — who’d wrten everythg om ntemporary romance to sexy spy thrillers, <a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="and even Marvel ics" class="body-lk css-5z6rvi et3p2gv0">and even Marvel ics</a> — rmed fans he’d penned <a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="two more books" class="body-lk css-5z6rvi et3p2gv0"><u>two more books</u></a> durg the quarante perd. But while most weren’t aware he’d been <a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="battlg ncer for years," class="body-lk css-5z6rvi et3p2gv0"><u>battlg ncer for years,</u></a> news of his untimely ath ed many to remisce about the lerary legacy he left behd.<br /></p><p data-no-id="4" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">Bt-sellg thor Roxane Gay shared her thoughts about Dickey’s ath on Twter. “I am tly sadned to hear about the passg of Eric Jerome Dickey,” <a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="she wrote" class="body-lk css-5z6rvi et3p2gv0"><u>she wrote</u></a>. “His were some of the first novels I ever read about Black people that weren’t about slavery or civil rights. He was a great storyteller.”</p><p data-no-id="5" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">Gaye wasn’t alone. Once the news spread, both fans and fellow thors alike chimed to share what Dickey’s work meant to them. Shondaland reached out to some of the artists, wrers, and creativ who were moved by Dickey’s work and what emerged was a portra of a down-to-earth thor whose novels were a re of passage to many, even if they were too young to be readg them at the time.</p><style data-emotn="css 18pb4rg">{borr:0;borr-bottom:th solid black;marg:1.875rem 0;clear:both;}</style><hr data-no-id="6" class="css-18pb4rg et3p2gv0" /><style data-emotn="css 1736von">{--data-embed-display:flex;-webk-align-ems:center;-webk-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-ems:center;clear:both;display:-webk-box;display:-webk-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;marg-bottom:0.9375rem;marg-left:to;marg-right:to;width:100%;}@media(m-width: 20rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 30rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 40.625rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 73.75rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 75rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 90rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}} a span{right:1rem;} img{width:to;height:85vh;} a{display:-webk-le-box;display:-webk-le-flex;display:-ms-le-flexbox;display:le-flex;posn:var(--posn, relative);} img:not(.ewcw41w1){display:block;width:100%;height:to;-webk-align-self:flex-start;-ms-flex-em-align:flex-start;align-self:flex-start;}</style><div size="medium" data-embed="body-image" data-no-id="7" class="align-center size-medium embed css-1736von e1xqj1sx4"><style data-emotn="css uwraif">{width:100%;display:-webk-le-box;display:-webk-le-flex;display:-ms-le-flexbox;display:le-flex;-webk-flex-directn:lumn;-ms-flex-directn:lumn;flex-directn:lumn;marg-left:to;marg-right:to;-webk-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webk-jtify-ntent:center;jtify-ntent:center;}</style><div class="css-uwraif e1xqj1sx3"><img alt="eric jerome dickey" tle="Rememberg Eric Jerome Dickey’s Lerary Legacy " loadg="lazy" width="2000" height="979" dg="async" data-nimg="1" style="lor: transparent; width: 100%; height: to;" siz="100vw" srcSet=" 640w, 980w, 1120w, 1200w, 1920w" src="" class="css-0 exi4f7p0" /><style data-emotn="css swqnqv">@media(m-width: 20rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 30rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 40.625rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 73.75rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 75rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 90rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}</style><div class="css-swqnqv e1xqj1sx2"><style data-emotn="css 1am3yn9">{paddg-left:0rem;le-height:1;}</style><figptn class="css-1am3yn9 enfs9c50"><span class="css-r1wujd e6iqd2">Dutton</span></figptn></div></div></div><style data-emotn="css 1msc">{font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;marg-bottom:0.625rem;marg-top:0.625rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){{font-size:1.625rem;le-height:1.1;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{font-size:1.5rem;le-height:1.1;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{font-size:1.5rem;le-height:1.1;}} b, strong{font-fay:her;font-weight:bold;} em, i{font-fay:her;font-style:alic;}</style><h2 data-no-id="8" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Br Bent, thor of </strong><strong><em>The Mothers</em></strong><strong> and </strong><strong><em>The Vanishg Half</em></strong> </h2><p data-no-id="9" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“Back the 90s, I was way too young to read Eric Jerome Dickey but I remember stealg his books om my big sister’s room and readg them anyway. The novels were juicy, funny, and y, too grown for me, but I also loved readg the books that took Black relatnships and ntemporary Black life serly. I’m so sorry that we’ve lost Mr. Dickey so soon but I’m grateful for the path he paved for me and all the Black wrers my generatn.”<br /></p><h2 data-no-id="10" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Wley Lowery, </strong><strong>Pulzer Prize-wng journalist and thor of </strong><strong><em>They Can’t Kill Us All</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="11" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“Dickey was one of the thors who created on the page Black characters and Black worlds that reflected realy. His men and women had pth and ntradictn. There n be a sense sometim that ‘Black’ media needs to be solely foced on civil rights or jtice, but what Dickey created were stori that centered the fullns of the Black experience: iendship, relatnships, sex. Growg up, those novels served almost as an unofficial sex tn for so many of , as we passed the same paperbacks back and forth school halls and on the b.”</p><h2 data-no-id="12" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Luvvie Ajayi, bt-sellg thor of </strong><strong><em>I’m Judgg You: The Do-Better Manual</em></strong> </h2><p data-no-id="13" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“Eric Jerome Dickey was a lerary legend. He had a whole generatn readg and g to school the next day like, ‘DID YOU FINISH YET??? We have to talk about when you do!’</p><p data-no-id="14" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">His gift ma way for a lot of who now see our nam on books and we owe him that gratu. May he rt peacefully.”<br /></p><h2 data-no-id="15" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Gee M. Johnson, bt-sellg a</strong><strong><em>uthor of All Boys Aren’t Blue</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="16" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“I share two thgs wh Eric Jerome Dickey: the love of our aterny, Alpha Phi Alpha, and the love of wrg. Seeg his books layg around the hoe as a teen — and sneakg off to read them before I was old enough too — was a pastime. He is one of our wrg giants whose shoulrs we proudly were lifted upon. He, like many other great Black thors, told our story om our lens wh tenacy and boldns. His work will forever be legendary, and the doors he opened for Black storytellg will ntue to lead thors like myself down the road to greatns. He will live on forever through his words.”</p><div supprsHydratnWarng data-no-id="17" data-embed="pullquote" class="embed css-0 e9hzx6g0"><style data-emotn="css 1eiql25">{text-align:center;marg:0rem;paddg-top:0.9375rem;paddg-bottom:0.9375rem;}</style><blockquote class="css-1eiql25 e1pe3zr91"><span aria-hidn="te" class="css-0 eagam8p0"></span><style data-emotn="css 1h5xk02">{font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-weight:bold;le-height:1.2;marg:0rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){{font-size:1.75rem;le-height:1.2;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{font-size:1.875rem;le-height:1.2;}} b, strong{font-fay:her;font-weight:bold;} em, i{font-fay:her;font-style:alic;}</style><blockquote class="css-1h5xk02 e1pe3zr90">Consistently readg his vivid storytellg ma me a better storyteller.</blockquote><span aria-hidn="te" class="css-0 eagam8p1"></span></blockquote></div><style data-emotn="css 1xr0550">{--data-embed-display:flex;-webk-align-ems:center;-webk-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-ems:center;clear:both;display:-webk-box;display:-webk-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;marg-bottom:0.9375rem;marg-left:to;marg-right:to;width:100%;}@media(m-width: 20rem){{marg:to lc(50% - 50vw) 0.9375rem;width:100vw;}}@media(m-width: 30rem){{marg:to lc(50% - 50vw) 0.9375rem;width:100vw;}}@media(m-width: 40.625rem){{marg:to lc(50% - 50vw) 0.9375rem;width:100vw;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{marg:to lc(50% - 50vw) 0.9375rem;width:100vw;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 73.75rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 75rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}}@media(m-width: 90rem){{width:100%;marg:0 to 0.9375rem;}} a span{right:1rem;} img{width:to;height:85vh;} a{display:-webk-le-box;display:-webk-le-flex;display:-ms-le-flexbox;display:le-flex;posn:var(--posn, relative);} img:not(.ewcw41w1){display:block;width:100%;height:to;-webk-align-self:flex-start;-ms-flex-em-align:flex-start;align-self:flex-start;}</style><div size="large" data-embed="body-image" data-no-id="18" class="align-center size-large embed css-1xr0550 e1xqj1sx4"><div class="css-uwraif e1xqj1sx3"><img alt="eric jerome dickey" tle="Rememberg Eric Jerome Dickey’s Lerary Legacy " loadg="lazy" width="3000" height="2378" dg="async" data-nimg="1" style="lor: transparent; width: 100%; height: to;" siz="100vw" srcSet=" 640w, 980w, 1120w, 1200w, 1920w" src="" class="css-0 exi4f7p0" /><style data-emotn="css fw50lw">@media(m-width: 20rem){{paddg-left:1rem;}}@media(m-width: 30rem){{paddg-left:1rem;}}@media(m-width: 40.625rem){{paddg-left:1rem;}}@media(m-width: 48rem){{paddg-left:1rem;}}@media(m-width: 64rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 73.75rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 75rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}@media(m-width: 90rem){{paddg-left:0rem;}}</style><div class="css-fw50lw e1xqj1sx2"><style data-emotn="css 37rghg">{font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:0.875rem;le-height:1.2;m-width:100%;paddg-top:0.625rem;width:0;}@media(m-width: 64rem){{font-size:1rem;le-height:1.2;}} em, i{font-fay:her;font-style:alic;}</style><div class="css-37rghg e1xqj1sx1">Eric Jerome Dickey pos at the 12th Annual L.A. Tim Ftival of Books on the U.C.L.A. mp on April 29, 2007 Los Angel, California.</div><figptn class="css-1am3yn9 enfs9c50"><span class="css-r1wujd e6iqd2">Charley Gallay</span><style data-emotn="css 1tokmt">{paddg:0 0.3rem;paddg-right:0.3125rem;lor:#595959;font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;font-size:0.70003rem;le-height:1;letter-spacg:0.05em;text-transform:upperse;}</style><span class="css-1tokmt e6iqd0">//</span><span class="css-r1wujd e6iqd1">Getty Imag</span></figptn></div></div></div><h2 data-no-id="19" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Shana Hubbard, thor of the forthg book, </strong><strong><em>Mistn: A Woman's Gui to Hip-Hop</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="20" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“Prr to attendg an HBCU I never had a sgle teacher who enuraged me as a wrer or even noticed my potential. In fact, most tim when I produced somethg well-wrten they assumed I cheated. You nnot pour to a stunt you n’t see. Not only did I feel visible the world created by Eric Jerome Dickey, but he poured to me. Consistently readg his vivid storytellg ma me a better storyteller. As a wrer who received no formal trag this field, I will forever value what he ntributed to my reer and life.”</p><h2 data-no-id="21" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Rebec Carroll, host of WNYC’s “</strong><strong>Come Through” and thor of the forthg memoir, </strong><strong><em>Survivg the Whe Gaze</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="22" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“Eric Jerome Dickey opened up a universe of his own makg that felt simultaneoly unique and universal to Black folks. He wanted to she — but he pecially wanted to tly <em>live</em>, and so he wrote that sire, that livelihood, to existence.”</p><h2 data-no-id="23" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Kirk Moore, TV wrer and producer for ABC’s </strong><strong><em>For Life</em></strong><strong>, Amazon’s </strong><strong><em>Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan</em></strong><strong>, and Netflix’s </strong><strong><em>13 Reasons Why</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="24" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">"I read my first Eric Jerome Dickey novel llege. I was searchg for ntemporary prose piec to perform Speech & Debate petns when I found <em>Cheaters</em>. I voured the book, then passed on to my roommate. We were hooked — each of buyg and sharg his books. I went back to read his earlier work — <em>Sister, Sister</em> and <em>Lovers & Friends</em>. Readg his characters — the were people I knew, loved, and si-eyed everyday. He unrstood the way we talk to one another. And his storytellg was fun and rehg. Somethg I also remember when wrg prose: Keep fun. Dickey had an easy-gog, relatable and effortls take on ntemporary Ain Amerin life. I n’t thank him enough.</p><h2 data-no-id="25" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Nile Blas, thor of </strong><strong><em>Have You Met Nora?</em></strong><strong>, </strong><strong><em>The Thunr Beneath Us</em></strong><strong>, and </strong><strong><em>Earth’s Waters</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="26" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“I had the luck and te honor of stg next to Eric Jerome Dickey at an thors’ signg table at a book event three years ago. I tried to play ol, but uld hardly nta my excement. I mean, this was THE Eric Jerome Dickey. The man who wrote <em>Sister, Sister</em>. The man who published thirty books all so dited to tellg real stori about Black love and Black life, pated all s hu, highlightg our ordary and extraordary. His novels were some of the first on I ever read that showed as — our layers and nuance. </p><p data-no-id="27" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">When I met him that day, he was immediately grac, charmg, funny, and so supportive of other wrers at all stag of their reers. We cracked jok and lghed and talked about books as we sat shoulr to shoulr at the signg table. He sisted on buyg a py of my book and mand that I sign , too. We followed each other on social media om that day, and would chat here and there onle about everythg om the cmblg state of Amerin polics to good TV shows to bge. He jt tweeted out ‘Happy Boxg Day’ a send ago, and now this — he's gone. At jt 59 years old. </p><p data-no-id="28" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">He will be missed, but never fotten. I've read that he fought a lengthy illns. I hope now he will fd some peace and ease. Thank you, EJD, for tellg our stori.”</p><div supprsHydratnWarng data-no-id="29" data-embed="pullquote" class="embed css-0 e9hzx6g0"><blockquote class="css-1eiql25 e1pe3zr91"><span aria-hidn="te" class="css-0 eagam8p0"></span><blockquote class="css-1h5xk02 e1pe3zr90">If there are Gods wh the wrg muny then he is tly one of them.</blockquote><span aria-hidn="te" class="css-0 eagam8p1"></span></blockquote></div><div size="medium" data-embed="body-image" data-no-id="30" class="align-center size-medium embed css-1736von e1xqj1sx4"><div class="css-uwraif e1xqj1sx3"><img alt="eric jerome dickey" tle="Rememberg Eric Jerome Dickey’s Lerary Legacy " loadg="lazy" width="1952" height="3000" dg="async" data-nimg="1" style="lor: transparent; width: 100%; height: to;" siz="100vw" srcSet=" 640w, 980w, 1120w, 1200w, 1920w" src="" class="css-0 exi4f7p0" /><div class="css-swqnqv e1xqj1sx2"><div class="css-37rghg e1xqj1sx1">Eric Jerome Dickey attends the 5th Anniversary of the Ain Amerin Lerary Award Show Harlem on September 24, 2009.</div><figptn class="css-1am3yn9 enfs9c50"><span class="css-r1wujd e6iqd2">Jemal Counts</span><span class="css-1tokmt e6iqd0">//</span><span class="css-r1wujd e6iqd1">Getty Imag</span></figptn></div></div></div><h2 data-no-id="31" class="body-h4 css-1msc et3p2gv0"><strong>Brenda L. Thomas, the thor of several bt-sellers, cludg </strong><strong><em>Woman on Top</em></strong><strong> and </strong><strong><em>Layg Down My Burns</em></strong></h2><p data-no-id="32" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">“The earlit Dickey book I rell is <em>Friends & Lovers </em>— and wasn't so much the storyle as was he was a Black man, not only wrg about Black women but wasn't bogged down wh the typil stggl of our liv. It helped me get outsi what I was livg. It was light, was funny, and was more than parable to what I'd had to read over the years om whe wrers.</p><p data-no-id="33" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">I grew up a very whe environment Philly and everythg I read was whe, yet my sire was always to be an thor. It was until I was my late teens that I started to read ntemporary fictn. Until then, I was readg books about slavery and the stggl of Black people. Long story short, I met and married a man who threatened to kill me if I wrote, but my sneakg and readg books led me to the lik of Terry McMillian and Erick Jerome Dickey. When I read about how they overme hurdl to be wrers I knew that, eventually, I uld do . I never believed the msage that Black people didn't read. So once I was divorced and began to wre, I looked up to people like him to keep me om givg up. In 2003, my first book, <em>Threome</em>, where sctn power and basketball lli, was released.</p><p data-no-id="34" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0">Each time I met Eric he was nice to me and knew who I was. If there are Gods wh the wrg muny, then he is tly one of them.”</p><hr data-no-id="35" class="css-18pb4rg et3p2gv0" /><p data-no-id="36" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0"><em>Dickey’s forthg novel,<a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="The Son of Mr. Suleman" class="body-lk css-5z6rvi et3p2gv0">The Son of Mr. Suleman</a>, is slated to be released on April 20, 2021.</em></p><p data-no-id="37" class="css-aeyldl et3p2gv0"><strong><em>Get Shondaland directly your box</em>: </strong><style data-emotn="css 18o6lw4">{-webk-text-ratn:none;text-ratn:none;text-ratn-thickns:0.0625rem;text-ratn-lor:her;text-unrle-offset:0.25rem;lor:#fff;-webk-transn:all 0.3s ease--out;transn:all 0.3s ease--out;display:le-block;font-fay:GTWalsheim,Helveti,sans-serif;text-transform:upperse;width:to;paddg:0.6rem 0.7rem;background-lor:#B20B16;font-size:0.875rem;le-height:1;letter-spacg:0.05em;font-weight:bold;marg:0rem;}{lor:#fff;text-ratn-lor:borr-lk-body-hover;background-lor:#000000;}{outle-lor:body-cta-btn-lk-foc;}</style><a href=" target="_blank" data-vars-ga-outbound-lk=" data-vars-ga-ll-to-actn="SUBSCRIBE TODAY" rel="nofollow" data-href=" data-skimlks-trackg="[utm_source|[utm_mpaign|[utm_medium|[gclid|[msclkid|[fbclid|[refdoma|ntent_id|47dcc176-ac3a-44ea-a337-ecd800fda3ae[ntent_product_id|[product_retailer_id|" data-vars-ga-ux-element="Hyperlk" class="body-btn-lk css-18o6lw4 et3p2gv0"><strong>SUBSCRIBE TODAY</strong></a></p></div></div><style data-emotn="css 6b9rfj">{display:block;-webk-flex-basis:lc((100vw - 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