I’m so happy to welcome Piper Huguley to Tea and Infamy. I’ve known Piper for a few years now, and she is insightful as well as a delight to talk to. Her first historical fiction novel, By Her Own Design: A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register, was one of my favorite reads in 2022. By Her Own Design: A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register (William Morrow Publishing), tells the inspiring story of the Black fashion designer of Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress. By Her Own Design was a Booklist top 100 Editor’s Choice selection for 2022 and was named one of the top 100 books of 2022 in Canada by the Globe and Mail newspaper.
She is also the author of Sweet Tea by Hallmark Publishing and the author of two historical romance series: “Migrations of the Heart,” about the Great Migration, and “Home to Milford College.” Her current historical fiction book, American Daughters (2024), is the story of the decades-long interracial friendship between Alice Roosevelt and Portia Washington, the rebel teenage daughters of President Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington, respectively. She is a literature professor at Clark-Atlanta University and blogs about the history behind her novels at http://piperhuguley.com. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and son.
American Daughters had me riveted on my train ride to and from JFK for my Global Entry interview. What inspired you to write about the friendship between Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt Longworth?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Well, for a very long time I had been researching interracial friendship. I was always intrigued with why more white authors wrote about the subject than Black authors. As I had been doing a great deal of research on the Washington family, I came across Guest of Honor by Deborah Davis about the famous dinner between Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington. Then, wondering what they might have discussed, I was intrigued to read some of Alice Longworth’s biographies, and the most comprehensive one confirmed what I had seen in Portia Pittman’s obituary and in her biographies, that they had a long-standing friendship that had lasted many decades. Once I realized what they had in common: statesmen fathers, deceased young mothers, resentful stepmothers, pressure-filled marriages and the rest, it made complete sense that they were friends. Then the next question for me was why hadn’t anyone written about these obvious connections and ties between these two American women? I guessed that was work for me to do in the way that I know how.
Both Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt Longworth are significant figures with rich personal histories. Was it daunting? How did you balance historical accuracy with fictional elements in their character development? Alice Roosevelt is also a dynamic character; how hard was it to keep her from stealing the show?
In all the other works about Alice Roosevelt Longworth, biographies and historical fiction alike, I noticed that authors were more obsessed with her propensity to “show out” and “steal the show” instead of examining the factors that allowed her to become that way. That was my entry point. I became less daunted by writing about the connections between these women when I used a psychological assessment of Alice and Portia called the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience). Yes, it is a late 20th-century tool, but the fact that both of these privileged young women scored so high on the assessment gave me more room to consider how they developed as women at a time when their choices were so narrowed. Also, whenever the phrase “historical accuracy” enters the conversation, I always ask about whose accuracy is being served at that moment? It’s usually not the accuracy of the lives of marginalized people, no matter how much privilege they may seem to have. So, thinking about how these women had important similarities with one another allowed me to consider what parts of their stories had not been addressed, told, or talked about. Of course, I’m writing a fictitious narrative, but I strongly feel that directing attention to these silent spaces can contribute to a stronger sense of a complete and total historical narrative that is more inclusive.
Tell me about the research process. Were there any fascinating tidbits about either Alice or Portia that you uncovered that you were dying to use but didn’t make it into the book?
Well, the book ends in 1930, and there are many decades of their friendship that lasted beyond that year. So all of those fascinating tidbits of their lives as older women who witnessed changes in women’s roles in society are not part of the book, which is unfortunate—but the day of 700-page historical fiction novels is in the past. As I said, I’ve been researching the Washingtons for some years, just about a decade. I’ve also had a life-long fascination with the presidency, so there were many aspects of the Roosevelts that I was already familiar with. The research process for me was not arduous, but what was more difficult, of course, was the selection/shaping process of those tidbits to create a narrative that I hoped would engage readers.
What central themes do you hope readers take away from American Daughters? Were there specific messages you aimed to convey through the characters’ interactions and growth?
One of the most important themes of American Daughters is to chase your passion and not let other people stop you from doing what you feel you were called to do. Marriage was an inhibitor for both Portia and Alice in this, but at least Portia was able to channel her energies and efforts toward a career as a music educator and choir director. She even took conducting classes at Columbia University for a time. It has surprised some people when I say this, but in this way, Portia was more privileged than Alice was, whose very public marriage prevented her from using her true talents as a political power in a positive way. Had she been born a few decades later, she might have been a great political operative in some way, but the times she lived in prevented that, and the loss of that talent saddens me.
What novel made you want to write historical fiction? Why that book in particular?
Like a lot of little girls in the 1970’s I grew up reading the Little House on the Prairie series and watched the show. My mother was a big Western fan, and since there was only one TV in the house (back then, anyway), I noticed there weren’t many of them that included someone like me in them. With the Little House show and book series, I was able to connect with a female character who had a somewhat contentious but loving relationship with a sister. So I think that’s why I read those books until they fell apart.
Ann Lowe, the subject of your previous novel, BY HER OWN DESIGNS, was recently the subject of a major exhibition at Winterthur in Wilmington, DE. Were you able to see that exhibition? And what was it like to see Ann so honored?
I saw the exhibition twice and had a signing on one of the wonderful Wednesdays. The gift shop sold through the books they had ordered twice and probably would have sold more if they ordered more. The dedication of By Her Own Design was written just before the announcement of the exhibition was made. In dedicating the book to Margaret Powell (the textile scholar who had been working so hard for an exhibition of Ann Lowe’s work), I wrote of my desire to see the exhibition happen, and I’m so glad that it did, both for Ann Lowe and for Margaret Powell. Wish fulfillment for Black artists is rare in this world so I was so happy that it all came together in the way that it did.
What advice would you give aspiring authors interested in writing historical fiction or exploring real historical figures in their work?
The advice that I would give to any aspiring author is the same: Read. People, including aspiring writers, are not reading enough, are not studying previous works enough, and do not know about competitive titles. It shows in their work too. Writers cannot be too busy to read. It’s part of what we do.
What is up next for Piper Huguley? Having explored these historical figures, are there other historical stories or characters you want to write about in the future?
I’ve long had a list of people I would love to write about, but market forces are prevailing right now. I hope some of these stories will see daylight. If not, I will have to “pivot,” as they say, and write about these stories and people in another, more accessible way.
What books are on your bedside table right now?
I have an ARC of The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany Warren, Do What Godmother Says by L.S. Stratton, The Scandalous Life of Nancy Rudolph by Kate Braithwaite, and Moo by Jane Smiley. I do read more than one book at a time.
Are you a tea drinker? If so, what is your favorite tea?
I am a daily coffee drinker, but, I occasionally drink herbal tea in the evenings. My favorites are the original Good Earth tea, Candy Cane tea from Aldi’s or Wegman’s (I stock up for the year in the after-Christmas sales), or decaf Constant Comment from Bigelow.