We sat down with Avery Cunningham to discuss her debut novel, The Mayor of Maxwell Street. We discussed the wealthy's pastime in horse racing, the seedy underbelly of organized crime, and the lesson Avery took from writing this story.

After the unexpected death of her only brother, Nelly becomes the premier debutante overnight, but Nelly has aspirations beyond society influence and marriage. For the past year, she has worked undercover as an investigative journalist, sharing the achievements and tribulations of everyday Black people living in the shadow of Jim Crow. Her latest assignment thrusts her into the den of a dangerous vice lord: the Mayor of Maxwell Street.

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Avery Cunningham on the melting pot of 1920s Chicago.