National Book Critics Circle Nominee Writes of Experience in Morocco
Washington, DC–Poet, fiction writer, essayist, and book reviewer Chantal James has been signed by Willow Books for her novella Fes is a Mirror. James received a Fulbright fellowship in creative writing that allowed her to live in Morocco researching and writing this work. James learned the local Arabic dialect to conduct interviews from eyewitnesses to its political events for the book.
In Fes is a Mirror, Sheep, abandoned in the wild as an infant and left to live her formative years among animals, was taken in by Aziz’s family in the south of Morocco, growing more and more a part of the human community as time passes but never developing the capacity for speech. When Aziz flees to the city of Fes, he takes Sheep with him, and the two forge a life together there. Aziz finds himself imprisoned and sends a student he meets in jail, Rachid, to see about Sheep upon his release. Fascinated by her and seeking a way in, Rachid introduces Sheep to his Brooklyn-bred cousin Aisha, who teaches her to spin American hip-hop records. Sheep’s rising skill as a DJ provides refuge to the people of Fes as the historic bread riots of December 1990 rage against the Moroccan monarchy’s violent suppression. In alternating voices Aziz, Rachid, and Aisha spin the voiceless Sheep’s story, and none of them can help projecting their personal needs onto her. Can Sheep escape what others claim for her, even what they call love, to determine herself? Or will she be reclaimed by the wilderness?
James is returning to Willow Books for this project. Her novel excerpt, Upon Alleyways, was featured in Black Fire This Time, Vol 2, she described as “an incredible experience for me to have my work alongside such phenomenal Black writers.” Her debut novel NONE BUT THE RIGHTEOUS was chosen as one of Kirkus’ 10 most anticipated fiction books of the year and was one of Library Journal‘s top winter debuts. James has been published across genres—as a poet, fiction writer, essayist, and book reviewer—in such venues as The New Republic, Catapult, Paste Magazine, Harvard’s Transition Magazine (where an excerpt of Fes is a Mirror appeared), The Bitter Southerner and more.
James’ honors include a Fulbright, a finalist position for the Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction prize from the North Carolina Literary Review for 2019, and a fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center.
Advance Reader Copies are available. James is available for interviews.
Willow Books 
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