Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.
Recently, we talked to Stevland Martin Malcolm Polite about his writing and his recently published memoir, Named After Legends, that takes readers on a profound and introspective journey, delving into themes of resilience, identity, and empowerment. (Read the review here).
Stevland Polite is a technologist, business person, and world traveler. He was born and raised in East Harlem, New York, by his loving parents before embarking on a journey across more than twenty countries. He currently serves as a Vice President of Technology at one of the most prestigious investment banks in the world. He loves music, books, and theater. Today, Stevland lives in Central Harlem, New York, and remains adamant about preserving the culture of Black people in his hometown. He’s also an advocate for the wellness of Black people across the diaspora.
When did you know it was time to write your life story and experiences into a collected work, and publish Named After Legends?
When I first started writing I had no intention of publishing a book. It was a therapeutic practice for me. My therapist would ask me questions and I’d spend about a week thinking about the answers and writing them down to discuss with him later. And then writing started to flow more naturally. It wasn’t until I had a lot words written down already that I realized I could actually create something. This realization came during the pandemic. I wasn’t working and I had the time and I had something to say, so I began piecing together the stories I’d written about in book form.
What has been the most rewarding experience of publishing Named After Legends?
It’s been a very scary experience, putting my life out there in such a vulnerable way. But every time fear comes over me I’m reminded why I did this by a positive review or someone telling me that I inspire them. And that was the goal, to impact just one person if I could. That’s the most rewarding feeling to me.
Did you learn anything about yourself through the process of writing?
I learned a lot about myself through this process. The entire journey was an experience in learning for me. The good and the bad. But the biggest thing I’ve learned is that I really can get through anything if I put my mind to it.
If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
The one thing I would tell my younger self is to become financially literate as early as possible.
Who (or what) are your writing inspirations?
I have a few writing inspirations. The first I would say is Roxanne Gay. When I read An Untamed State it was one of the first books I’d read where the pace and vividness kept me intrigued from start to finish. I knew that if I was going to write a book I wanted to have that style of writing. James Baldwin’s storytelling was an inspiration to me as well. I got the idea of letter writing from him. And when I read Michelle Obama’s Becoming and she told us that we should all write our stories and that it mattered, I knew I had to write mine. I’m also going to give Ta-Nehisi Coates a shout out as well, because after reading Between the World and Me and seeing its success I knew that there was power in telling the stories of people who look like me who may not necessarily be famous.
What’s next for you?
Right now I’m continuing to focus on my career and starting a family. I have ideas for other books and other projects, but for now that’s my focus
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BookView Review 