Bertrand Cooper is one of my favorite thinkers and writers for The Atlantic, Current Affairs and elsewhere; here on Launching Deeply he reveals the reality of being a working writer who comes from poverty and his concern that a true “poor Black experience” can’t actually penetrate Hollywood because so few figureheads actually hail from poor Black backgrounds like his. Cooper’s writing on the subject has gone viral in recent years, and he is one of the sharpest observers to pay attention to.

We discuss class and the reality of publishing, navigating creative industries, the journey from magazines and online writing to authoring books, being vulnerable in public, and more.

Yours deeply,

Jenara

jenara.substack.com

Author, Divergent Mind

Get full access to Permission to Change at jenara.substack.com/subscribe