Interview with Prolific Nonfiction Writer and World Traveler, Iman M'Fah-Traoré
Iman M'Fah-Traoré is a French-Afro-Brazilian New Yorker who currently resides in Portugal. Iman’s stories surround culture, family, friendships, tragedies and many scopes of human introspection. Iman takes pride in their identity, building a community with the words she effortlessly weaves and constructs. Her work can be seen in NeverApart, Insider, Babe by Hatch, and Papers. Iman’s published creative nonfiction title, First Chair, First Row still leaves our team breathless through their intricate and insightful prose.
Papers: You recently informed us of your sudden move to Portugal. Have you always been someone who loved to travel, and how have the places you've lived in shaped you into the writer you are today?
Iman: Traveling has always felt like an inherited part of my life. My mother traveled a lot for work, so did my father. The first time I took a plane, I was 4 months old, according to them. I went to Brazil to visit my mother’s family, put my toes in sand and let ice cream melt down my chubby limbs. I’ve always loved to travel, yes. Travelling meant seeing the people I love. Recently, I’ve been wanting to travel more for self, travel to new countries, countries that aren’t tied to people.
I was born in Paris and raised in New York, sounds pretentious, I realize, I didn’t pick them but I do adore them. New York has shaped me the most in terms of place. I’ve always loved being a French New Yorker as though it gave me an edge. More than places, I see my various blending cultures as the ones that shaped me most. I haven’t lived in Rio, nor have I lived in Abidjan, but these places have always interacted with my sense of place. The confusing feeling of otherness paired with one of belonging in each of these places is one of the reasons I write. They give me something to write about, and New York, ah, New York, well she told me I can.
Papers: We would have to disagree with you there—in no way is your culture or upbringing pretentious! It’s amazing that your parents embedded that same travel gene that they have in you. Speaking of your mom, she was the main point of focus in your nonfiction submission, First Chair, First Row, you speak candidly about the influence she had on your life and upbringing. Did your mom also play a big role in you moving into your writer voice and becoming a creative? Were there any special pieces of yours that you shared with her that really resonate with you?
Iman: My mother’s mother was my writing soulmate. She taught me my love for the written word. She wrote me poems and comptines, we’d co-write silly plays, she created my book collection. She only had one rule, “you can do anything you like as long as you don’t hurt yourself.” So I’d paint plates, glue dominos, bike inside, sit on top of the table, and write and write.
As soon as I learned how, I started gifting words along with drawings to my loved ones. Unfortunately, my mother never got to see me published, but she read everything I handed her when she was alive. For a school project when I was around 10, we had to write about a woman ancestor in relation to suffrage. Delighted, I chose my great-grand-mother, and rushed home to ask my mother all about her. The final products hung in the school’s glass hall as invited parents wandered through. My mother loved the piece for the same reasons I was nervous she’d dislike it, because I had embellished it slightly. She laughed, filling the space with her bright echo.
I often wonder what my mother would say, think, about my writing. I’d love her to see how I sketch her on the page, using syllables for eyelashes and commas for lip curls.
Papers: That is such a fond and beautiful memory. We’re really big fans of how you express yourself, through both your writing and culture—as well as your relationship to yourself. How have you grown to be so confident in your self expression, and how would you encourage other people to live in that confidence as well?
Iman: I appreciate that. I wouldn’t say that I am completely confident in my self expression, but I’m glad to know it may come off that way. Considering the multi-racial, multi-cultural context I grew up and live in, there are certain things I still struggle to write about because I am unsure if I can fully claim them as mine. I’m currently working on my first book, a memoir, and at times I find it hard to write the nasty qualities of those I love. We all have them, the bright parts and the concaved ones. I worry about when they’ll read it, when other family members will read it, how words can shift existing perceptions.
I’m working on being more confident, owning each of the slices that make me a whole, and anchoring myself in “I do not write for them, I write for me and for writing itself.” I’d recommend we all do the same, give ourselves the right to own what is ours and the detachment to create from our perceived realities with less attention to how those who are part of our stories will react. Care is always required, however, there is care in telling the truth as we’ve sensed it, writing the nuances of the people we know and love.
I believe it’s important to support yourself, to say, “I am talented, I am dedicated, I am to succeed.” Doubt is natural, but gently pushing it aside to make room for possibility can be a powerful aid to creating.
Papers: That’s a supportive mantra to live by, and one that others can definitely resonate with. You also recently shared with us that you created a writer's group! Congratulations! Do you mind sharing a bit more information about that upcoming project and what you are looking to achieve by bringing more writers in the community together?
Iman: Yes, I recently created a writer’s group with fellow writers from Study Hall (an online resource and community for writers). It started as someone asking for writing classes recommendations in an email thread, and we started discussing what we miss and need, from feedback to accountability. I took the reins in terms of organizing the meetings and setting up the shared drive. It’s still new and we seem to be keeping up the cadence. Ultimately, I’d love to create more groups. Writing shouldn’t happen in a vacuum; it’s too easy to lose yourself in the maze of your own mind. I’d love to help fellow writers lean on one another to grow, expand, and push the boundaries of themselves, the written word, and each other.
Papers: Those kinds of spaces are so crucial to the writing community! We love to see your growth and all of the realms you’re getting into. How do you see yourself continuing to grow in your writing career? How do you see your next chapter evolving while you're in a new country?
Iman: One of the reasons I moved to Portugal was for time to write. All I want is to write more. I am working on pitching more, submitting short pieces, and writing my memoir. I see myself growing by doing. Building routine, consistency. When I look at the big picture, I can easily think, “I’m not a published author yet,” or “I don’t have enough pieces out online.” I’m trying to focus on the smaller, more tangible tells, the “I’m writing every day,” the “I got a response on a pitch, even if it’s a no, I got a response,” and one day, the “I’m a published author.”
The beginning can be at any point. I’m removing the idea that “I am behind” from my mind, replacing it with, “I’m right on time.”
@imanmft