Chattin' With Author DuVay Knox
Season 2, #1: When Stargazing goes Nightwalking, it sometimes ends up Daytalking
SINCE LAUNCHING StoryShed here on Substack back in late July 2021, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting new artists, filmmakers, storytellers, poets, and writers. What’s amazing about Substack is how the platform has attracted so many diverse people and creative approaches to engaging hungry readers and inspiring new creators.
And probably nobody moreso than author DuVay Knox.
After we had a couple exchanges on Notes, I was itching to learn more about him since he’s an intriguing mix of mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, kindness, street wisdom, and take-no-bullshit TO THE MAX. It was immediately clear to me this guy has a vision and the determination to follow through on it.
I mean, the fuck? How is this possible in 2023? Is he for real?
Well, hell yeah!
So we did a combo of things to bring that to StoryShed subscribers and wider Substack readers. I reached out for a chat. He was kind enough to say, “Yeah let’s do this.”
You see, back in 2015 I hosted a short-lived podcast called “Just Five Questions.” I was dinking around with media and podcasting when it was younger then than it is now. So I did a similar thing as the old podcast and sprung six questions on DuVay via email. We followed up with a Zoom chat this past week.
I’ll be popping for a copy of his latest book The Pussy Detective and passing it along to other readers, but you can purchase your copy here.
Our email interview remains unedited—with the exception of one transition after the fourth question, which we cleared up in our Zoom chat—and is published just as it should be read.
Enjoy!
Michael Maupin: How long have you been writing? What led you into it?
DuVay Knox: All mah Life. But only wrote n had mah 2nd novel, PUSSY DETECTIVE, published by CLASH BOOKS last year. Also mah 1st book SOUL COLLECTOR was published by CREATIVE ONION in October 2021.
MM: What support do you have? Family? Friends? An agent? A publisher? How have they helped you?
DK: TABITHA BLAIR is mah Co-Potna in crime. We started BLACK PULP FICTION PUBLISHING HOUSE together in 2021 with the Publication of mah 1st Book SOUL COLLECTOR. Other than that, I don’t depend on traditional publishing. I prefer using email lists I have compiled over the years to reach folks I want to read mah books. Both CLASH n CREATIVE ONION are INDIE PUBLISHERS.
MM: What do you care about? What do you not give a shit about? What do you do when you realize what you care about you actually don’t, or what you don’t you actually do?
DK: Simple Living. Doing GOOD in the world. Surrounding mahself with GOOD PEEPLES. Being a FUNNY MUTHAFUCKA (not mah werds its how most folks who know me say bout me). Other than that Ion do a lotta Navel Gazing shit, mayne.
MM: How did The Pussy Detective happen?
DK: Inspired by mah EX-PIMP/ESCORT Days.
MM: Sooooooo, I should just read the book…
DK: Read da BOOK.
MM: Which writers do you read? Why do you like them? Any Substacks you follow?
DK: No certain order=NATHAN HEARD, ICEBERG SLIM, ROBERT H DeCOY, CHESTER HIMES, GAYL JONES, GLORIA NAYLOR, JAMAICA KINCAID, FRANCIS BACON, GIACOMO CASANOVA, CLARICE LISPECTOR, LAO TZU, CONFUCIUS, JAMES ELLROY…They are all STYLISTS. And I like STILE over SUBSTANCE…..The main Substacks I follow: are TABITHA BLAIR, CINTRA WILSON. Overall, I follow about 28. Cut down frum 45. I don’t have time to read a lotta Substacks. Mainly, because they are TOO LONG. I tap out between 2-4 mins. If a Substack post is longer than that THEN I gotta THINK about Reading it. And usually I don’t. So its way too many peeps on Da Stack who write these LONG-ass posts, mayne. I aint got time to read em. I wood rather read ya NOTES. So even tho I don’t SUBSCRIBE to peeps for their POSTS, I will FOLLOW em for their NOTES. Gimme dat shawt shit. It’s the way I write and its WHAT I like to read as a rule: SHORT SHIT (novels, books of quotes or aphorisms). Like most of the writers I listed wrote SHORT novels that I liked. Ellroy wrote a behemoth butt that’s mostly cuz of they way he writes wit a lotta white space.
MM: What do you need? (Besides money and man, don’t we all? At least to some extent.) How can I (and others reading this) help you succeed in what you want to do?
DK: All forms of WEALTH are WELCUM in da HOUSE of DuVAY KNOX. Main way to help me is just SHARE mah SHIT wit otha Muthafuckaz U think wood APPRECIATE IT.
MM: Thank you, DuVay!
And thank y’all for following StoryShed’s Substack.
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Dope interview! It was a pleasure to meet you as well.
Nice to get this look inside DuVay’s mind!