This photograph of my grandma and her father has shaped the way I write the characters of Maxine and Daddy more than anything else. Notice the rough work gloves compared to the tenderness of the way he’s holding her. I tried to capture this contrast in the way these two relate to one another.
And what about my great-grandma ("Momma" in the stories)? What compelled her to hand the baby to her husband, who is clearly in the middle of work, and take a picture at this particular time? After all, it wasn’t as simple as pulling an iPhone out of her back pocket. What might have been happening just before and just after the picture was taken?