In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Toni Ann Johnson's But Where’s Home?, a collection of linked short stories exploring the sometimes painful and often humorous experiences of an upper-middle-class Black family in a predominantly white, working-class community.

Here's how the book came together:

Toni Ann Johnson

Author

“The book was inspired by my family’s experience. My eccentric father was a Black psychoanalyst who moved my mother to a predominantly white town in the early 1960s. After initial racist protests, the attractive pair charmed their way to social status. They enjoyed an upper-middle-class lifestyle, but the marriage faltered as my father pursued affairs with local white wives and my mother’s mental health unraveled. Racism continually swirled around our family, and both parents were too self-involved to be attuned to it when it landed on me.”

Danielle Chiotti

Agent, Upstart Crow Literary

“One of my favorite literary forms is the novel in stories. And in reading But Where’s Home?, I was taken by the picture of family that Toni Ann created for the reader. It’s an important viewpoint, and one that needs more representation in the marketplace.”

Crystal Wilkinson

Editor, Screen Door Press

“It was immediately clear that Toni Ann’s book stood out among those I was reading for the launch of Screen Door Press. I knew her previous work and knew that But Where’s Home? was her best to date. She’s a writer who not only pays attention to the page but is really good at the business of writing: promotion, networking, and boy can she give a reading!”

Dominique Jones

Cover Designer

“When searching for the right image, I wanted something that spoke to the meaning of home and showcased different perspectives. The cover reflects a moment of transition, like an hourglass, where time continues and never ends, just as the stories take you through a time and place. The colors feel warm, and they give a sense of home.”