Meet Andra Watkins | NYT bestselling author and speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andra Watkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andra, what do you attribute your success to?
I don’t listen to those who tell me to know my place; I make my place.

At my lowest point, I told my husband I wouldn’t finish the book I was writing because nobody would read it. And he said, “If you don’t write it, they won’t.”

I never give up. I’ve lost track of how many times my work has been rejected, sometimes heartbreakingly. It is hard to hear one is gifted but “too niche.” One has pedigree but not the right pedigree. One has sold enough books to be on the NYT bestseller list with a former First Lady but still not enough books. And still, I don’t give up on myself or my work.

If no one values my work but me, my work matters. My words matter. I will always, always make my place.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am the NYT bestselling author of the memoir Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace. At the time, I was the only living person to walk the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway as the pioneers did: 15 mile increments; on a rural highway; 34 days.

I was an idiot with a dream. At 44, I was not athletic, nor did I properly train for this slog of endurance. My 80-year-old father was the only person who could spend five weeks with me, and he was THAT PERSON, the one we all have who drives us absolutely insane.

I undertook the walk as a marketing stunt to launch a memoir. Over the course of the month, I finally found my dad. We connected for the first time.

I didn’t write my memoir to tell a story about me. That’s boring. Thousands and thousands of people have read my memoir. Some of them have made memories with people who matter, memories they never would’ve been inspired to make without my story.

We tell our stories to inspire others to turn them into their own stories. My memoir is an accidental gift to humanity.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I divide my time between Charleston, South Carolina and San Sebastián, Spain. I’ll focus on Charleston here.

If it isn’t too hot, I’d put together a picnic from Goat Sheep Cow North and I’d take them to Magnolia Cemetery. Magnolia is a Victorian-era graveyard at the edge of Charleston Harbor. I love the solitude, the views, and the stories carved in stone.

I’d take them for a walk down Stoll’s Alley, a remnant from a time when enslaved peoples lived in the center of downtown Charleston blocks and served the mansions fronting the streets. When we pop onto Church Street, I’d show them Cabbage Row, where DuBose Heyward wrote what became Porgy & Bess.

We’d go for oysters and dinner at NICO Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant. I’d also make time for The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivans Island.

Whenever guests visit, I show them the parking lot behind the Old Slave Mart Museum. The parking lot is where enslaved people were actually auctioned once they reached Charleston. The site contains no marker, but I want people to remember what happened there.

I also take visitors to the old Garden Theater on King Street, now Urban Outfitters. The Blacks Only door to the balcony still exists from segregation. I believe it is important to point out these reminders of overt racism and prejudice.

One night, we’d stay in and order sushi and sashimi from Hokkaido at West Edge. Their custom sushi boats are gorgeous, generous and tasty.

Not much is left of Fort Sumter, but the boat ride is a joy, and the rangers are attentive and hilarious.

The Aiken Rhett House is my favorite downtown museum house. It’s rougher than the others, not spit-shined.

We’d also go to City Hall to see John Turnbull’s painting of George Washington. The city rejected the artist’s first work and refused to pay him until he painted something to their liking. Let’s say he added some details before he shipped the final portrait. I always love the moment viewers recognize exactly what Washington’s horse is doing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband is my biggest fan, my muse. I never would’ve written a word without his support, eyeballs, feedback and encouragement. I’m grateful for this opportunity to give him public credit, because he has always discouraged me from mentioning him. He believes our society diminishes female accomplishment and never wants anyone to say, “Andra Watkins is a success because of a man.”

When I started writing, I didn’t believe in myself or value myself. But no matter what happened, my husband always believed in me. He valued me. I finally saw myself through his eyes. With his help, I became the writer, the friend, the human I was meant to be.

Website: https://andrawatkins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrawatkins/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrawatkins

Other: Substack: https://substack.com/@andrawatkins