SOURCE: An interview in Essence, Vol. 17, No. 8, December, 1986, p. 34.

In the following interview, Williams discusses various topics, including theme and characterization in Dessa Rose.

Sherley Anne Williams's gentle yet intense manner and quiet, dry sense of humor give only a hint of the compelling power of her writing. Until recently that included two books of poetry, Some One Sweet Angel Chile and The Peacock Poems, a book of literary criticism, Give Birth to Brightness, stories and a play. Her first novel, Dessa Rose, published this year to critical acclaim, is one of those books that opens a window onto our souls, changing the way we see ourselves and our possibilities. It is about power and freedom and how one woman achieves them. Set in the antebellum South, the story was suggested to Williams by two historical incidents—one involving a pregnant Black woman who helps lead an uprising...