Photo by Fabiana Echeverria Rios
Meet Rebekah Scarborough! Rebekah is a senior writing, literature, and publishing major at Emerson College about to publish her book, Here, There, & Everywhere. The book will be published through the Wilde Press branch of Emerson’s Pub Club! Here’s what Rebekah had to say about her book:
What inspired you to write Here, There, & Everywhere?
The book is grounded in a sense of place. I spent most of the book trying to define Home and figure out if that is a place or a feeling. I was also trying to do my and my mother’s story justice and convey our relationship. We are best friends as well as mother and daughter.
You decided to donate all proceeds to 826 Boston. What was your motivation behind choosing them to receive your donations?
I’ve worked with 826 Boston in the past. The organization is something I wish my school had when I was growing up. 826 is dedicated to uplifting traditionally underserved kids through the power of storytelling, and this entire book is me trying to figure out how to best tell my story. It just seemed fitting.
What was the biggest challenge in writing Here, There, & Everywhere?
I had to confront some hard topics while writing. I revisited some memories of sexual assault that I typically make a concerted effort to not think about. I also write about mental health and darker family secrets. So I was constantly having to bang out pages then take long breaks to keep myself from going too far down the rabbit hole of bad memories.
The biggest success?
I made myself laugh. I’m not a funny person by any means, but there was a line in “I’m Not Nineteen Anymore” where I laughed out loud when I was editing. I was a little proud of that.
Is this the first time you have been published? If so, how does it feel?
It isn’t actually, but it’s the first time I’ve published something of this length. It’s a bigger triumph than just publishing a single essay.
Is there anything you wish you could change?
I wish I could spend more time unpacking “The Men in My Life.” There are some moments where I’m pretty brutal to the men who have made an appearance in my life. I wish I took a little more time to unpack their psychology.
What is one thing you want everyone to know/keep in mind about your book?
That it’s not for everyone. I don’t think many men will find my work accessible, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for them to learn. I wrote this for the strong women in my life. All the women who appear, mainly my mother, are brazen and dynamic.
I’d like to offer a quick congratulations to Rebekah and all the hard work she put into writing Here, There, & Everywhere! It couldn’t have been easy! As a member of Pub Club myself, I had the opportunity to work closely with Rebekah’s book, and I’ve got to say, it’s a must-read! Make sure to stop by Pub Club’s book launch to purchase your copy of Here, There, & Everywhere for only $8.00! And, in addition, remember that all the proceeds from Rebekah’s book will go to benefiting 826 Boston! For more information about Pub Club’s book launch event, check out our article!