Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
As a young lady, Kincaid moved to NYC because her mother wanted her to work as a nanny and fund her brothers' schooling. Kincaid had no interest in this arrangement, however, and cut off contact with her family soon after she arrived. Whoa, that sounds like the plot to an awesome soap opera. (Source)
Psst… We're going to let you in on a secret: Kincaid was born Elaine Potter Richardson and legally changed her name to Jamaica Kincaid to hide her newfound writing career from her family. But let's just keep that one between us. (Source)
Kincaid has been known to wear tons of flashy rings on her fingers. When asked about this in an interview with Studio 360, she explained that she wears them as a tribute to the highly underappreciated Lil' Kim. Dang—Kincaid knows her hip-hop. (Source)
Kincaid was still unknown when she was hired by The New Yorker, which led to a lot of people wondering how she got such a choice job. Frustrated by these constant questions, Kincaid turned to her editor George Trow for advice. His idea? "Just tell them your father owned the magazine." It worked like a charm. (Source)