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Uncovering a Legacy:
Interview with Lisa K. Winkler
By Carin Chea
“...Anne’s heart beat so loudly she was sure the others could hear it. Her hands were clammy, her throat dry, her stomach gurgled, and her dress clung to her skin. This is my moment.”
She was about to sing the reprise of “Summertime” in the third act of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.
“She began fresh and forceful, yet slow and steady, as if this was the first and last time singing the song. Before she even finished, the audience exploded in such applause she felt the stage reverberate through her shoes.”
While much is known about Porgy and Bess, there is a relative dearth of information on the life and accomplishments of its maiden soprano, Anne Brown.
Thankfully, Lisa K. Winkler, a prolific writer and an accomplished educator, has unearthed a fascinating historical novel dramatizing Brown’s path toward stardom.
In Gershwin’s Bess, Winkler takes readers on an imaginative journey chronicling Brown’s life.
Set in the roaring twenties and onward, Brown faced unbelievable adversity in the time of segregation and tense race relations, even after originating the role of Bess.
It’s so great that you wrote about such a pivotal, yet under-appreciated, figure in history. Would you say you’re a writer who leans towards historical dramas with a focus on the under-represented?
This is my second book focused on an underrepresented individual. The other book was based on my experiences teaching in Newark as a literacy consultant under a federal program created through the No Child Left Behind legislation.
I followed classes from year to year, from 6th to 8th grade, and got to know the faculty as well. The first book [On the Trail of the Ancestors: A Black Cowboy Rides Across America] was about a teacher I met who rode his horse across the country.
When did you start becoming interested in Anne Brown?
I was looking for a play topic. I had written two plays and was looking for my third topic. I stumbled across this website called 365 Women A Year, founded by two women college professors.
The goal was for people to write plays about women – alive or dead, famous or not. They have a database of topics about women who had not yet been written about. And it’s alphabetical by first names.
I got to Anne Brown and was fascinated by this young woman who left her home at the age of 16 to enroll at Juilliard, one of the most famous music conservatories, to pursue a career in opera, knowing the traditional opera stages were closed to her because of her race.
I read about her and how she heard about George Gershwin’s plans to write an opera featuring an all-Black cast. My book focuses on her childhood, early life, studies, and (because it’s fiction) there are a couple of romances.
After she auditions for Gershwin she becomes a muse, singing the songs as he writes them. Reading about Gershwin was fascinating. I really enjoyed the research and creating this woman’s story and how she fit into the creation of this opera.
I chose to write the story as historical fiction because there was just not enough about her to hang an entire biography on.
In every book about George Gershwin, there was a mention of Anne and the first cast that he selected himself. He drew people from the worlds of opera, Broadway, gospel, and jazz. He had a vision for what he wanted to do.
Gershwin and Porgy and Bess are so popular. I’m really surprised there’s so little information on Anne Brown.
Most of the information about her was based on her post-Porgy and Bess career. Other primary sources were from Juilliard.
The librarians gave me access to her files there that include her concert programs and some news clippings.
Tell us about Gershwin’s Bess. How would you describe your novel?
In essence, it is a story about a young woman trying to achieve a dream and facing obstacles along the way. There are family issues, school issues, and concerns about employment.
She always worried that if she didn’t get a part, she’d have to move back home.
Her father was not in favor of her moving to New York to pursue singing. He wanted her to pursue a more traditional path like becoming a nurse, teacher, or secretary.
In any case, you don’t have to like opera to relate to the book.
Gershwin’s Bess will appeal to readers of historical fiction, African American history, Gershwin lovers, jazz and opera buffs, and any woman who has or had a dream and the unstoppable passion to pursue it.
What imparting message or sentiment do you want your readers to take away from your book?
I liked the idea of creating an awareness of who else was behind this amazing opera, and the impact of Anne Brown getting this role had on other singers coming after her.
She essentially opened the door for other Black opera singers, and not just for Porgy and Bess.
My book focuses on her childhood, moving to New York, the production and rehearsal process, ending on opening night.
The Afterword tells what happened to the opera, Gershwin and all the other real characters in the book.
What’s also fascinating is when people find different things in the book that interest them.
A colleague of my husband’s is from Taiwan, and he said, “Lisa, when I read your book, I realized how my parents must’ve felt when I left Taiwan. I never thought about them; I only thought about my own journey.”
Other people have picked up various bits of history that were relevant to them.
I can’t believe a 16-year-old moved away from home knowing all the obstacles that lay before her. Anne Brown really was exceptional.
Part of me wonders: Was she moving away to move away? Particularly from her strict father. Or, was she following a dream?
Did you know that when she was in high school, a teacher said to her parents that she should apply to The Peabody Institute because she recognized in Anne a quality and talent she didn’t see in other students.
She auditions at The Peabody, sings beautifully, and then her parents get a letter saying they can’t accept her because of her skin color.
And that part is completely true, right? Is it not fiction?
That is absolutely true.
If Anne Brown’s biopic were made into a 6-part streaming mini-series, who could you imagine playing her?
There are thousands of talented African American sopranos who would love this part. I’m not a casting director. They look for specific qualities for each role. Way above my pay grade.
Are there any upcoming projects you’d like us to know about?
I’m not closing the idea of another novel if another idea comes along.
This book was a labor of love done mostly during COVID. I was part of a writing group which helped me with deadlines. Until I joined the writing group, I didn’t know where I was going.
The message is like everything else – if you get an idea you’re passionate about, continue. Don’t give up.
For more information, please visit www.LisaKWinkler.com.
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