 Bet. Swear this word is gon get us killed, yo. This is the opening line of Alicia D. Williams’ latest middle grade novel-in-verse, Mid-Air. The novel is a warm, voice-driven story of an 8th grader, Isaiah, who is navigating life’s many twists and turns. Feeling the weight of extreme guilt after his friend Darius is killed in a hit and run accident under his watch, Isaiah seeks forgiveness from their friend Drew. In the wake of such tragedy, Isaiah fights to keep their friendship alive and discovers so much about himself along the way. Kidlitincolor’s Tonya Abari sat down with award-winning author, Alicia D. Williams, to discuss the significance of this work–and the importance of championing middle grade stories, even when industry “trends” say otherwise. Let’s get into it! Tonya: The themes and characters in Mid Air are timeless and universal. What do you hope children and adults will gain from reading this book? ADW: Ahh, thank you. In all of my work, my message rings the same. I want my readers to be courageous and bold enough to be their true authentic selves, to define themselves for themselves. This daring act is scary because as any seventh and eighth grader will explain, “they don’t want to be alone or different.” It takes work and my stories offer characters who learn to be brave and step into their truths. Tonya: Why did you choose to tell this story [Mid-Air] as a novel-in-verse? ADW: I didn’t choose this form, not at all. I don’t have a history of writing poetry, so I would not have willingly chosen this form. Yet, verse was the only way to tell this story because the voice dictated it be so. After the first two drafts, I switched from computer writing to a simple notebook and pencil. There, I discovered Isaiah’s voice. After a tragic event—the death of his best friend Darius—Isaiah closed up and didn’t talk much. But when he did, what came out was staccato and rhythmic. Quiet and introspective. Animated and structured. Right from the pencil, his voice flowed. Tonya: Industry reports have suggested a downward trend in middle grade stories. There are several reasons why, but can you share why it's important for authors to still write for this age range? ADW: We are indeed in tough times with book banning, censorship, low sales, and recouping readers who fell off since the pandemic. But the books have to be available. There are readers who are still needing these stories…A note about industry trends. I don’t subscribe to them. Trends are as fickle as our taste in fashion and we see how fast those trends change. Plus, it is entirely impossible to chase a trend. Publishing is a slow process. From the time you sell a story and finally get it published, the trends have changed. I write way too slow and it’s too demanding to keep up. What I subscribe to is writing the story that comes to me and writing it in the best possible way that I can. A good story has the potential to break through trends. Tonya: We see Isaiah break down toxic masculinity as a 13 year old. Especially for the Black community and society at large, how does this character’s internal work serve a greater purpose of divesting from one’s idea of what it means to be a man? ADW: Isaiah challenges and expands the definition of manhood, but he was not purposely pushing back on patriarchy or toxic masculinity. He was simply curious about the different ways he could express himself through accessories. Accessories which would get him teased and of course, attacked for not being tough and manly. Accessories and a sensitive disposition that could risk his sexual identity be questioned. So, while Isaiah wasn’t wrestling with this major argument or even thinking of the impact within the Black community, his internal work was about himself and how he could navigate within his immediate community. Tonya: Tell us a little bit about how you conceptualized this book. In your research (and as a former teacher), what were some of the topics that you wanted to see come alive on the page? ADW: I have to admit that this story rolled out of me from grief. I didn’t sit down and dream of what to write or subjects to cover. It began as a truth to prove to myself that I could write another novel. After the success of my debut, Genesis Begins Again, I struggled with fear of being a one-hit wonder. During NanoWriMo, my only intention was to write unedited. Initially, the subject matter was the tragic death of Elijah McClain. I recall reading his last words and couldn’t comprehend how he was not seen as a kid, that no one listened to his words and said, “Whoa, this kid isn’t a criminal. Let’s take a step back.” I grieved for him. I couldn’t get why Black boys were seen as threats before humans. After the NanoWriMo challenge ended, I realized that I made too many assumptions about this person. I didn’t want to traumatize his family or any reader that was affected by the event. That’s when I pulled back and looked deeper at what I wanted to explore. And yes, grief was a big part of this, but examining why boys, especially Black boys, had to straddle the world of tough masculinity without being allowed to have emotions or be gentle became a core theme. Tonya: We all know that publishing is very top secret, but can you give us the scoop – or at least a subtle hint – on what you’re working on next? ADW: Another middle-grade novel! I really want to give space to not get caught up on what I’m working on. Sustaining excitement for a project is internal for me because publishing takes soooo long. And with the question, my spirit gets a bit rushed when I know the timeline is not in my control.  Alicia D. Williams is the award-winning author of Genesis Begins Again, which received the Newbery and Kirkus Prize honors, a William C. Morris finalist, and won the Coretta Scott King--John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Alicia D also debuted a picture book biography, Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston and followed up with Jane Addams Peace Award winning Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress. Her latest picture book, The Talk, won both Coretta Scott King and Golden Kite Honors. Alicia now celebrates her new novel-in-verse, Mid-Air.
Website: https://www.aliciadwilliams.com Instagram: @authoraliciadwilliams Comments are closed.
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