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American writer Dr Jewell Parker Rhodes talks to poet and writer Jem Poster about her historical novels and the themes of history, African American spirituality, race and gender. Rhodes writes for both adults and children. The devastation caused in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina forms the backdrop to Rhodes’ multi-award-winning children’s novel Ninth Ward, her most recent work. Rhodes writes of Katrina’s impact on Ninth Ward, a poor community in New Orleans. She weaves African-American spirituality and magical realism into suspenseful drama and social critique. Voodoo Dreams was Rhodes’ highly acclaimed first novel. It is the story of the 19th-century New Orleans Voodoo queen Marie Laveau who had a great influence over her followers, both black and white.

Rhodes’ books have won awards such as the American Book Award and the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence. She is Piper Endowed Chair of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University.