Author Jennifer Latham speaks to freshman class. Photo courtesy of Christine Pankratz-West

Author Jennifer Latham spoke to freshman English students about the making of her novel “Dreamland Burning,” a historical fiction novel about the Tulsa Race Massacre. 

Latham’s interest in the Tulsa Race Massacre began in 2014 when she began researching the 1921 events of Greenwood. While working as a middle school teacher, she went on a field trip with seventh and eighth grade students to the Greenwood Cultural Center. Latham knew from then on that she had to retell the story. 

Latham began by showing the students an image of a hole in her apartment floor, which she called her “lightning bolt moment” in writing the novel. When she was renovating her apartment, the hole inspired the mystery of the story: one of the protagonists finds a skeleton in a hole in her guest house she is renovating. 

In preparation to write the novel, Latham spoke to witnesses of the event. Venise Dunn was a junior in high school the year the Tulsa Race Massacre happened, and her prom dress was destroyed by looters. Dunn inspired Latham to listen to more witnesses and know what specific events to include in the novel, such as the Booker T. Washington High School prom not taking place due to the massacre. 

Latham described history as something that can “get lost along the way,” much like a game of telephone. During her lecture in the auditorium, she asked five volunteers from the audience to demonstrate how the exact date, name and location changed in her sentence. They played a game of telephone to show how much even one sentence could change after passing through only five people. 

Abby Williamson, a freshman English teacher who taught “Dreamland Burning,” was present for Latham’s visits, and said she found the visit beneficial for students, showing them what it takes to be an author.

“We often don’t consider the work it takes to write a novel, but Ms. Latham shared both her research and how her personal life influenced the writing of the novel,” Williamson said. “Students were able to connect that writing doesn’t just come from the ether but takes thinking, drafting, researching, etc., all skills we try to teach at McGuinness.” 

“Dreamland Burning” is a novel with a mystery aspect and important messages shown throughout the book. Estey Edwards, a 9th grade student, was one of many that enjoyed reading the novel. 

“I think that the novel did a really good job touching on a range of issues that are relevant to today’s society such as poverty, racism, and hypocrisy,” Edwards said. “I also liked how the novel was set up as a mystery which made me more eager to read it.” 

Edwards had the opportunity to meet Latham.

“I really enjoyed meeting Jennifer Latham, because it made the book more meaningful to hear the stories behind it and helped me realize how much research and dedication was put into the novel.” 

In writing the novel, Latham’s goal was to show how fiction could make people aware of the issues within society. Her approach encouraged readers to think critically about history and how it is told, and the perspectives that they hear.