J. Maria Merrills
AUTHOR

J. Maria Merrills

Literature & Fiction
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My idea of a good time is being somewhere laughing. As a wife, mother, educator, writer, and filmmaker, I can find humor in just about anything. My inspiration, August Wilson, said "All you need in the world is love and laughter." I would like to add one other thing -- cash. I like to swim, watch foreign films, and travel. In fact, it was travel that inspired the book Seeing Faith: When Life Throws You Curves. I was on a beach in Jamaica, minding my own business, when an islander approached me and told me straight out that he, "liked my fat." After getting over the initial shock of what I initially took as a rude compliment, I became aware of how place and space can really frame one's esteem and how one is viewed. Though American society had always taught me that fat was ugly, in Jamaica women of size were cherished. How many lives of plus-size women would be changed if they knew that fat was considered beautiful somewhere? How many voluptuous women would love to see themselves as a heroine in a book and a film? How many women are tired of seeing overweight women portrayed as the jokester or desexualized best friend? How many Black women want to see themselves in a real love scene? These questions pushed me to write the book and moved me to produce the film. I was fed up with all the tired media images. I knew that I could not wait on Hollywood or Harlequin, so I wrote it myself. Is it perfect? No. Full-Figured women, will it inspire and encourage you? Yes. My favorite parts are seeing Faith's self-discovery and of course the love scene. The book just does not do it justice. You have to watch it in the film. This project had me seeing faith, too. I am amazed at how God can make a way out of no way. I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to hear from you. A Date with Destiny was actually written over 12-years-ago after I had my first child. Unlike Seeing Faith, I do not really know where Destiny came from. All I do know is that one night I had a very vivid dream that I was to write. Being obedient, I picked up a composition book and started to record what I was seeing and hearing. A few months later, Date with Destiny was complete. Two years after that, it was mounted in Greensboro, N.C. at the Broach theater to a packed house. The live recording of this performance will be available on Amazon in May, 2016. Audiences really responded well to the performance and were touched by it. A Date with Destiny tell a wonderful story about family secrets and family dynamics between married couples, parents and children, and dating. Getting the story on stage was really a blessing. It amazing how great the set looked considering we had a $0.00 budget. Major furniture houses in the area were very gracious about allowing us to use their very expensive furniture. We also had an awesome interior decorator and set designer who volunteered her services. It was a blessed production. One that went on to tour on university campuses in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, N.C. and Tallahassee, Florida. Please feel free to share your stories with me at J. Mariamerrills@gmail.com. A bit of background: I have a B.A.in English from UNC- Chapel Hill; M.A. in African-American Literature from North Carolina Agricultural and State University; a PhD from UNC-Greensboro in Educational Studies. I currently teach courses about popular culture and focus my research about depictions of Black women and women of size.
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