O’labumi Brown is a retired teacher turned memoirist who is committed to writing with joy and honesty. Her debut memoir, Hairalujah (June 2025), uses a “unique blend of poetic prose and unflinching honesty” to explore “generational wounds, queer identity, recovery, and redemption. It’s a story about the messy, beautiful process of healing—and the courage it takes to reclaim your own narrative.” You’ll find O’labumi on her website Olabumi.com and her Amazon author page. Hairalujah is also available at the independent bookstores Page 1 Books and Organic Books in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Why did you write Hairalujah and who did you write it for? When readers turn the last page of the book what do you hope they’ll take away from it?
Hairalujah (without my realizing it) started as a grad school assignment when the professor asked the class to tell a personal story about ourselves. So, the first pages were for school. My hope is that readers will walk away holding my testimony of transformation and know that even the most broken pieces in a person’s life can be forged into something divine.
What prompted the push to begin the project that became your memoir?
My life was in a shambles. I was suffering emotionally. My mother was dying, my sister was in a wheelchair and awaiting a double hip replacement, and I was going through divorce. I was desperate to find a healing comfort I could trust. One evening amid sobs, I felt myself returning to that school‑day when I felt a spark and my words caught fire as I began to write about me. Rejoicing in this memory I pulled up a chair and started to write.
Did you ever feel you were revealing too much about yourself while you were writing Hairalujah?
No. Before I started writing Hairalujah I promised myself to tell it like it was or not at all.
What did your mature self-bring to the writing table that your younger self never could have?
Living long enough to have passed through the fire and emerge whole, still glowing, and ready to reveal how I found myself on the other side of the flames.
Tell us how you decided on the book’s structure as well as how to end it. Who designed the book cover?
Honestly, when I started this literary journey, there wasn’t a structure. I picked up a pen and just started writing. Later I joined writing workshops and started learning about the cycle of shaping, reshaping, and being reshaped by this work. After my mother passed my sister found a letter she’d written to me and never mailed. As soon as it landed in my hands, I knew it was the book’s finial note. My vision for the cover design emerged as I collaborated with my good friend Lee Stringer. The self-taught graphic designer finalized the book cover.
How did you choose the title of the book?
Since the memoir dances metaphorically using images of black hair culture, I wanted the title to reflect that. In the initial stages the title kept combing through itself, shedding strands until “Hairalujah” finally let go of its split ends.
What was an unexpected benefit of writing Hairalujah?
When my short story from the memoir, “Romance on the Ironhorse,” was published in Between the Covers: An Adult Romance Anthology.
What was the most difficult aspect of publishing your memoir?
The most traumatic and unexpected thing that happened at the time of Hairalujah’s publishing was my sister’s death. So instead of celebrating, I mourned.
Do you have other creative outlets outside of writing?
I adore narratives of psychological suspense, thrillers, historical fiction, dark fantasy, traveling, meeting cool new people and losing myself in the thump and swirl of house music.
What is the best encouragement or advice you’ve received in your writing journey?
Early on, dyslexia froze my passion for writing. I was, and still am, a horrible speller and I used that as proof that I wasn’t meant to write. Until another writer gently reminded me, that a writer doesn’t have to be everything.
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
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