MAB: How do you prepare to portray a historical figure?
JB: My process is two-fold because I have to prepare the character as a writer and actor. The research process is always rigorous. On the one hand, I study the historical facts with scrutiny to make sure my work is accurate. To do this, I make a point of consulting with the right historians and with descendants of the character, if there are any.
Then, there's the work of finding the character, or the individual voice of the historical figure. That part of the process is where the fiction in "historical fiction" comes in.
MAB: What is your favorite thing you learned about my great-great-grandmother, Catherine?
The author's ancestors: Hezekiah Harris, seated; with Catherine Griffin Harris, and son, likely Ira Hezekiah.
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler) Details DMCA
JB: I would say my favorite thing was finding her voice. Like most women of the nineteenth century and before, not much is known about Catherine directly. There are no letters by her, and a lot of what we know is attached to what we know about Hezekiah, her husband.
I asked myself while writing: who was Catherine to herself, outside of her marriage and her children? Who was she after her husband's death beyond a widow? It is hard to know, but one can imagine, and imagining is a way of giving a voice to women like Catherine who couldn't fully use their voices in their times.
MAB: I love that! Anything else you'd like to add?
JB: Just that I am very excited to get this project on its feet. I am excited for people to know the story of Catherine Griffin, and I feel honored to give her a voice. Thank you so much for speaking with me today.
MAB: Thanks, Jessica, I'm looking forward to seeing your performance!
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