Reagan Jackson Unveils 'Still True, The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist’ on The Day With Trae
Photos by Susan Fried
Recently, author Reagan Jackson joined Trae Holiday on the Day With Trae to to discuss her newly published book, Still True, The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist. An author of numerous self-published works, this is Jackson's debut publication under Hinton Publishing, a publishing house Marcus Harrison Green established in August of last year.
"This is book number seven. But this is my first book with a traditional publisher, so it feels like a first book," Jackson said. "Somebody just said a thing about, oh, you can only be a debut author once, and I'm like, "No, it's happening again."
Still True: The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist is an anthology of essays that traces Jackson's journey into journalism—spotlighting themes like art, feminism, social justice, Black reparations, health, and education. The collection builds upon her previous work, Still Here, A South End Mixtape from an Unexpected Journalist, published in 2021.
"The other book was kind of the preliminary, the first draft of this book. It came out during the pandemic, and we just did not have the momentum to really put it out there," Jackson said. "So when Marcus approached me about the opportunity to do a second edition to really like jeuje it all up, to add all the stuff that wasn't in the first one, I thought, yeah, I want a second chance."
Having previously only self-published, Jackson emphasized the significance of being supported by a team like Hinton Publishing on this endeavor.
"Just to have that support, to have people who believe in my work and are like, 'you've got this,' Jackson said. "They really push me out into the world, but who are also people who will tell me the truth and be like, 'Oh, we need to edit a little more, or no, you cannot add any more essays. The time for that is over; that's the next book."
Jackson's literary journey, having begun at the age of eight during a transformative class assignment where students were tasked with crafting their own books, never anticipated her initial foray into writing would eventually lead her to journalism, a pivotal element of her latest book.
"That was an unexpected part of my journey. Definitely yes to poetry, yes to fiction, yes to all those other things, but when I thought about journalism, I thought, it's kind of boring. It's kind of dry. I don't like the way that journalists cover the stories in my community," Jackson said. "It doesn't resonate [with] me, and if that's what journalism is, I don't see myself in it."
With various autobiographical segments littered throughout, Jackson narrates her journey into journalism, offering insights into her experiences as a community reporter in Seattle and her ventures as a correspondent in South America.
"I think that this book is a time capsule. It's part memoir, but it's also mostly articles and essays. We talk about community. I talk about gentrification [and] what it's been like to live in Rainier Beach and see my neighbors getting pushed out," Jackson said. "I talk about having the opportunity to be a correspondent and go to Honduras and cover news there and what [it] felt like to actually bring an international perspective to my community."
Still True, The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist, is available for purchase here!
"Throughout the whole process of this book, I've been in conversation with the community, and I want the book to be read in that way. I want people to read the stories, see themselves in [them], and have that conversation with your neighbor like, 'Make this your book club's book.' That's my hope. That people come together and really think deeply about this work and about their lives."
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