Njera Perkins Shares her Origins In Journalism.

Njera Perkins Shares her Origins In Journalism, Finding Her Tribe Amongst Fellow Black Writers, Balancing Doing PR and Writing, and Why She has a strong Claim to Quarantine MVP.

It’s an honor to be back posting for The Lifestyle NYC and kicking off our Women’s History Month celebration, following up an amazing slew of creators highlighted during Black History Month. Naturally, word to Dr. Umar, I needed to talk to a Black queen whom I admire within the field of journalism. If you want to talk consistency and elevation all while maintaining a fun, down-to-earth spirit, look no further than Njera Perkins.

Writing wasn’t her initial plan, but given how great she is at it, you would have never known that. Life is queer with its twists and turns, but through those changes, you can discover what your calling is. Once she realized she had a knack for it, she went into it full force. Today, she proudly wears that title, having been named a Senior Writer for AfroTech and delivering insightful content pertaining to music, pop culture, tech, and business with a special emphasis on Black people—the standard bearers in culture. Njera has spoken to the likes of Victor Oladipo, Jay Ellis, and the never-aging Phylicia Rashad, among many other incredible Black talents. She also has words in Okayplayer, Shadow and Act, The Gumbo, Daily Rap Facts, and more. What else, you ask? Njera is an Editor-in-Chief for The 4th Quarter, a Baltimore-based media outlet providing a platform for local artists and content surrounding the very things she loves.

2020 was a tumultuous year for many, and the hangover still has people reeling. Njera opted to use it as an opportunity to push her pen further, and when you survey the landscape of writers, you have to include her name in the Quarantine MVP conversation. Njera says, “I know there's a lot of candidates out there. but I was working. So, I might not be the quarantine MVP, but I was at least one of them because I was going nonstop, and I still haven't stopped. So, that's all I have to say about that title. But no, I think over the last year, I've had some amazing opportunities and a lot of it has been due to networking. People I connect with, actually lookout. Putting in the work does pay off because and I don't get the whole notion of people are like, ‘Oh, why do you retweet your stuff? Like why do you reshare the stuff?’ It's like, that is what gets you opportunities because we know how algorithms work. If you put something out on Twitter at a certain time, nine times out of ten, a lot of people are not gonna see it the first time like you do that, especially in our line of work. A lot of people depend on that visibility.”

Her confidence is beaming, and her work ethic is inspiring. Read the conversation below to get a full gauge of her journey up until now, as well as what is to come in the future.

1. I like to start my interviews with a general, basic check-in. So, how are you doing?

I'm good, I'm good. Well, we got snow today in New York, which is no good. Otherwise, I’m good.

2. I’m glad to hear it, echoing the snow sentiment. It’s been ruthless to my car. So, in my doing my research on you, specifically your Twitter bio, I see that it says both Baltimore and NYC. I have my assumptions on that, but how about you clarify what that means and just share you background and upbringing?

I grew up in Baltimore, borned and raised there. I grew up in the county for anybody who's familiar. No, I'm not from the city; I know sometimes I don't sound like it. I don't think I have the accent, but it's there. Grew up in Baltimore. I went off to college at Temple University, so I spent four years in Philly and then moved back home for a little bit before officially moving out to New York. I moved out here and interned for a PR agency before I got my first big girl job last year, so I've been grinding for the last year.

3. That’s awesome. I’m always interested in people’s paths to choosing writing, especially because mine was unconventional; I kind of just stumbled on it and ran with it when I realized I loved it. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer and what was your first byline?

So actually interesting story, because the it's the same thing with me. I didn't plan to be a writer or journalist as my career. When I first went off to college, I was actually a Kinesiology major. If anybody doesn't know what that is, I was gonna go off and be a sports doctor. Halfway through, around my sophomore year, I was like, "This is not fun." I wasn't passing my classes. I was like, "I don't think I can stay in this major.". So I just so happened to come across this, I think it was a tweet from this outlet called Black Affiliated and they were looking for writers. I was like, "Well, I can write pretty decently, so let's just try it." The founder Diamond really gave me my start and Iet me write. She gave me a chance. She was like, "Hey, we'll start you out as a writer. You just pick something you want to write about." So Black Affiliated was my very first byline.

I wrote my first story on my friend who's a rapper, or rather, was because he stopped rapping. He was my very first story. I picked music to write about because that's what I'm passionate about, and then I just kind of ran with it from there. So that's where all this writing stuff started. And even when I started with that, I still treated it like a hobby, just something I did for fun. I think like a couple months into it, from just getting feedback from people like, "Yo, I read your story" or "Yo, aren't you that girl that like writes like Black Affiliated," and I'm like "Y'all read my stuff?" It just kind of changed everything for me. I was like, "Maybe I can do this work well," so I took it seriously after that.

I started off as a Staff Writer for Black Affiliated and then I became Music and Entertainment Section Editor. Then, for a couple of weeks or so, I was a standing Editor-in-Chief, so I had a wild ride for a year and a half with them. That was the greatest time ever. I was working with people that I went to school with, we were all the same age, and everybody was like-minded and had the same goals. It was super fun, and after that, that's when I was like, "Yeah, I kind of I want to stick with this for however long I can."

4. And look at you know, everyone’s favorite writer. One thing I admire about you is how often you’re putting stuff out. Not just any content, but impressive writing. Can you break down your writing process?

So it's funny you say that, because when I first started off writing, I didn't have like a structured. It was just we were all young, we're all working for free, nobody's paying us to do this. It was just us being passionate about it. So when I worked for Black Affilaited, I would just write stories whenever I could. I would sit in class, in the back on purpose, and I would write stories during lectures. I would get out of class and go straight back to my apartment and write more stories, whether it was a new story, profiling artists or whatever. It was just whenever I had the time. And then once I started working for AfroTech, that's what I finally had an actual structure. I got that training like, "Okay, I've been writing stories for X amount of time, but now I have a routine I stick to. Writing every day is like riding a bike. Like, once you do it, you know how to do it, but if you want to get better at something, you have to keep doing it consistently.

I think working at AfroTech really gave me that chance to be consistent with it, because before then, after I started writing for Black Affiliated, I wrote for other publications, but I wasn't consistent. I would have a two-month streak where I was putting out stories every single week, and then I would lose inspiration. I didn't have the will to write anything, so I would just like stop for a couple months and then come back to it. It remained like that periodically, just up and down. Like, "Okay, I'll put a story out now, or "Now I don't have time for it, " but just being able to write every day, to have an opportunity to like be in a Staff Writer position, really teaches you discipline. Once you have that, it's hard to let it go. Now that I'm in this role, I don't want to ever be without structure when it comes my writing.

5. How did you work yourself out of these creative slumps? I feel a lot of writers, much like yourself, feel like they’re on fire for a while but, naturally, everyone can burn out. Sometimes we can wonder if we’ll ever get out of those lows, and it’s especially tough because we are so tied to our work due to the passion, so how do you go about rising up again?

I was just talking about this the other day. Back then, I think was just a matter of knowing I didn't have it in me. So I was like, "I'm just gonna take a break," but I really think everyone can agree there is no one solution to writer's block. My biggest piece of advice when you get it is just to go live life. I get my best ideas at the most random times, whether it's taking an hour to sleep or being out and about. It's just about living life and going through your day to day; that's where you find inspiration and ideas. I watch a lot of TV and movies, and of course, listen to a lot of music. There's no exact process I go through. I just let the ideas hit me.

6. Speaking of music, you very clearly love R&B. You're very outspoken about it on the timeline. I feel like you have a different tweet about someone, especially the Black women in R&B. Is that something that that was like big in your household? Were you brought up in like an R&B house or did you kind of develop that love on your own?

I want to say I grew up in an R&B house because my mom, she raised me, it was just me and her for like the longest and she would tell me that she would play R&B when I was still in her stomach. She told me the story one time, I don't even think I was a year old yet, like I just like broke down next to the stereo in our house and I think I was thinking a Debra Cox song. For whatever reason. She's like, "Why does this little girl know all the words this song? What am I doing my child?"

I grew up around a lot of R&B. She would play a lot of Mary J. Blige, Floetry and India Arie. My mom was really big into music. She would play music around the house and dance around house, so we would have a good old time. That's where I get like my R&B spirit and why I'm so passionate about that.

7. So I have to ask, because there’s this notion today that “R&B is dead.” What are your thoughts on the field of R&B artists and who are some of your favorite acts?

I think R&B is good right now. I feel I don't know where people get the argument that "R&B is dead, it's not the same anymore." because like, that's kind of the purpose of a lot of things. Things are supposed to change. The same argument with Hip Hop, like, "Oh, it's not the same." Of course not We don't have the same things to talk about, as we did back then. So I think now R&B is great and everybody is doing their thing. I love H.E.R. I love her whole journey, like she she did a whole transformation from Gabi Wilson to H.E.R with the glasses and on. She and her team did a great job of doing that. So I love H.E.R, Lucky Daye, Pink Sweat$, Luke James, all of them. Jazmine Sullivan, of course.

I feel like all these people are doing so many amazing things, and I think it's because they're very invested in the essence of R&B and the art of it. They're not just putting out music just to do it or to stream. R&B is in a great place and I think it's going to stay that way as long as artists keep doing what they're doing now; staying true to the genre and the culture and not putting out stuff to appease fans' attention spans, so to speak.

8. I remember several months back, someone Tweeted asking who the best album reviewers are and Ahmad Davis, shoutout to him, tagged both of us. I think that’s how we got connected. I’ve read several of your album reviews, like the recent one on Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales, but also seen your profiles on artists, actresses, athletes, etc. You put out a diverse set of content, but what is your favorite type of writing to do?

I think it's a mixed routine. I like doing album reviews. I don't do them as often but I used to do them a lot back in the day, but I just kind of got tired. It can feel like such a chore like, "Okay, I have to listen to that and then put it out at this time." Now I just do it when I feel compelled, when something really strikes me I'm like, "Okay, I can I can write a review about this because I have so many thoughts about it". I think it's a mix of interviews and profiles because getting to talk to people and hear their story, that's what I do. Like, above everyday being a journalist and being a publicist, I am a storyteller.

I love to tell other people's stories and them using me as a vehicle. My words telling their story is super dope. Getting to do interviews with some of my favorite people, people I've looked up to for so long, and just to have those kinds of opportunities is my favorite part. I'd say album reviews just because I can get as in depth as I want and I can go as long as I want, and then interviews just because I like hearing other people's stories.

9. Great transition. You have the unique experience of being both a publicist and journalist. A lot of people stick to one because some say it is taboo to do both. Talk a bit more about your background as a publicist, specifically a highlight in your time doing it, but also address the idea that people can’t be both.

So first off, you can. I am a testament. You can be a publicist and journalist, and it is all about the way you move. So, technically speaking, I have been a publicist for about a year because I didn't get my first official job in PR until the, Fall of 2019. I was interning back then. So for the past year, it's been interesting to work as a publicist, and then also be like a full-time Staff Writer/ I think it works best for me because the two don't always collide. Like, what I write about is different than the kind of PR I do, so it doesn't feel like it conflicts with anything, I think that's why I'm able to do it that way. I've spoken to different people, different publicists and they're like 'Yo, it's dope that you can do that." Some of them like highly encouraged you to, if you can, do it as long as possible. As long as you can juggle both, do it just because it gives you a lot of insight on both sides.

You can put yourself in writers' shoes, and you can put yourself in the publicists' shoes. That's why I'm very understanding on both ends, just because I know the struggles of both. I get when someone is like "I have a story for you." I'm like, "I understand, you need a story for your client. I get it." And then on my side, I'm like, "I understand." Like, I know, I try to be more savvy with the way media just because I know what they're going through. So yeah, I mean, there's pros and cons to but there are a lot of pros to it. So I highly encourage whoever is able to juggle it, and has the time to do it. I think it's a rewarding experience.

Honestly, a big win for me that I just remember off top, I got my client in a Fortune story. That was when I was still starting out. I was probably just a couple months into doing PR and I got them an interview. It was great to see how it works and the whole process, and then to see final product. I think that's the best part of being a publicist; you do all of this work and then you see the finished product. It's like "Wow, this is what it means to be publicists."

10. We saw, during the pandemic, a lot of writers, specifically Black writers, really making a name for themselves. It wasn’t an easy time with people losing jobs, dealing with mental health issues, and a lot of uncertainty. Along with people really showing what they can do, we all genuinely like each other and support each other. It’s something I personally didn’t feel when I first got started. You were a major part of that, so how does it feel to be amongst what I call the “renaissance of young writers?”

I think it's been so dope because it's just like, I found my tribe. Finally. Because for so long when I was writing, I didn't really network, I didn't talk to other journalists. I would just do my stories. I was still a regular college student, so I wasn't deep into it the way I am now. I think considering that I started work for AfroTech, and then quarantine, I just had a little bit more time to be active on social media and just connect with people, I think that's when I kind of found this whole community. I was like, "Wow, everyone knows each other, everyone's cool, and everyone roots for each other. This is fire."

I got it started with just a couple of people before growing into this nice, close-knit community online. You see other people's work, you cheer them on, you get happy when they get a new byline or cover story. I think it's cool that I kind of found it and it seemingly found me too because you just don't see that all across like all industry. So I think it's dope the black journalists, all of us can, like come together. We see each other's work, read it, share it, like it, and support it genuinely.

11. I think one thing that we all might run into sometimes is, which is natural in our competitive industry, is that being a creator requires you to really push and promote yourself shamelessly. Like, you know, you're, you're not constantly talking about yourself, but rather the work you d. To some people, it may come off as cocky or arrogant but it's really about the exposure. I remember one Tweet, you put out where you were like, "I'm in the running for quarantine MVP, " and looking at the work you were doing, it's like "Yeah, she is in the running for quarantine MVP." I wanted to give you the platform to just state your claim, give us your campaign pitch as to why you know you were in the running, if not the 2020 quarantine MVP, in terms of the writing community.

Listen, I know there's a lot of candidates out there. but I was working. So, I might not be the quarantine MVP, but I was at least one of them because I was going nonstop, and I still haven't stopped. So, that's all I have to say about that title. But no, I think over the last year, I've had some amazing opportunities and a lot of it has been due to networking. People I connect with, actually lookout. Putting in the work does pay off because and I don't get the whole notion of people are like, "Oh, why do you retweet your stuff? Like why do you reshare the stuff?" It's like that is what gets you opportunities because we know how algorithms work. If you put something out on Twitter at a certain time, nine times out of ten, a lot of people are not gonna see it the first time like you do that, especially in our line of work. A lot of people depend on that visibility.

I commend full-fledged freelancers because that is a scary job to be in where you just don't know where your next check will come from, so sharing my work, that's when you see opportunities. That gets you noticed. You don't know who's passing your work along and you don't know who's gonna see it. So I do it shamelessly, don't feel bad about it. I had to get over that, too. I'm just like, "Am I gonna annoy people? Is anybody gonna care?" The people that want to read are gonna read it. People who are genuinely interested are gonna look out for it even if they missed the first time, so resharing, there's no shame in that.

To my point, I worked nonstop over the last year and I think that's the reason I have the opportunities I have today. The reason I'm so well-connected, you wouldn't imagine the kind of people who have reached out to me over the last year, and I never thought I'd be in this position. When I graduated college, I was like, "Alright, I'll get a regular job. Probably in the next five or so years, I can actually do this whole writing thing full-time, really support myself and be consumed with that," but when it's your time, it's your time. I've been making the most of this last year, and I have no plans to stop.

12. Not only are you a part of the aforementioned supportive communities of young writers, but you are a Black woman who writes. I’ve loved how vocal Black women have been and it seems like you all’s voices are only getting louder. People can’t ignore the work you do. How does it feel to be part of that subset of writers who are really kicking the door down?

I'm honored to be part of this community, and I think the world might be waking up to Black women having a voice. Black women do journalism, and they do it very well. I'm honored to be a part of this community, because a lot of Black women, as I mentioned before, have been integral in helping me get my start, find my footing, and given me opportunities I didn't think I would see. A Black woman was the first one to pay me for a piece. I didn't think that was gonna happen. Like, I think the majority of my writing career, and I'm been privileged to say this, Black women have been the people I report to. They're my editors, they're the people that support me, so I think to be a part of this community, I don't take it lightly. I wake up every day a Black woman, but to be a Black woman journalists a part of this amazing community of women who are you rising up, have a voice, and putting out all this amazing work for the world to see, I think it's amazing.

You can follow Njera Perkins at @iamnjera on Twitter and Instagram to see all she is doing. Happy Women’s History Month, let’s continue to celebrate our queens, starting with the 2020 quarantine MVP.