Hi all! I recently had the opportunity to speak with Alex Myers, a teacher, writer, and gender inclusivity education consultant, after his talk at my school. Alex was kind enough to answer a few questions for me on his reading and writing, and I hope you'll pick up his books! Alex MyersAlex Myers is a writer, teacher, and speaker. Born and raised in Paris, Maine, Alex was raised as a girl (Alice) and left Maine to attend boarding school at Phillips Exeter Academy. At Exeter, Alex came out as transgender, returning his senior year as a man after attending for three years as a woman, and was the first transgender student in that Academy’s history. After Exeter, Alex earned his bachelor’s at Harvard University, studying Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Alex was also the first openly transgender student at Harvard and worked to change the University’s nondiscrimination clause to include gender identity. Subsequent to earning a master’s degree in religion at Brown, Alex has pursued a career in teaching English at secondary schools. He completed his Master’s of Fine Arts in fiction writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he began his work on Revolutionary. He currently lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two cats. (https://alexmyerswriting.com/about/) Continental DivideGo West, Young Man. Isn't that the advice every east coast boy has considered at least once in his life? At nineteen, almost twenty, Ron Bancroft thinks those words sound pretty good. Newly out as transgender, Ron finds himself adrift: kicked out by his family, jilted by his girlfriend, unable to afford to return to college in the fall. So he heads out to Wyoming for a new start, a chance to prove that—even though he was raised as a girl, even though everyone in Boston thinks of him as transgender—he can live as a man. A real man. In Wyoming, he finds what he was looking for: rugged terrain, wranglers, a clean slate. He also stumbles into a world more dangerous than he imagined, one of bigotry and violence. And he falls for an intriguing young woman, who seems as interested in him as he is in her. Thus begins Ron’s true adventure, a search not for the right place in America, but the right place within himself to find truth, happiness, and a sense of belonging. InterviewShreya P: Hi Alex! Thank you so much for joining me! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Alex Myers: I’m a high school English teacher – something I’ve been doing for the last fifteen years. I was born and raised in rural Maine and consider myself a Northern New Englander at heart, though I’ve lived in Florida, DC, and some other places away from NE. I’m also a transgender person, and I came out 25 years ago; thinking about gender, teaching about gender, and working for civil rights for transgender people has been a big part of my life. SP: ... and how about your books? AM: I write short nonfiction – essays. And I write novels. My first, Revolutionary, came out from Simon & Schuster in 2014. It tells the story of my ancestor, Deborah Sampson, who ran away from home, disguised herself as a man, and fought in the American Revolutionary War. My second, Continental Divide, came out in November 2019 from Univ. of New Orleans Press. It tells the story of a transgender guy who is wondering how to live as a man, so he goes out to Wyoming to explore himself and American Masculinity. My third is The Story of Silence, coming out in July 2020 from HarperCollins. It is a reimagining of a 13th century French poem that tells about a girl whose parents raise her as a boy… and she loves being a boy. He comes a really good knight, is conflicted about his Nature as opposed to his Nurture, and Merlin gets involved. It’s a good time. SP: Thank you! Let’s dig in: Do you have a research process for your books? If so, what does that look like? AM: I usually research the historical information just enough so that I can write – I won’t make any massive errors that will affect character or plot. Then I go… and look things up as a write and revise. If I don’t get started soon, I will spend forever researching and never write! SP: What do you hope readers will take away from your books? AM: Mostly, I hope they enjoy them. I hope they got lost in the story. After that, I hope there’s some moment that makes them reread, reconsider, and think about something that hadn’t occurred to them before… if it’s around gender, that’s even better. SP: How has your journey been influenced by reading and writing? AM: I love reading. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it. Books provide escape and entertainment and encouragement… a sense of joy and wonder… a chance to expand. I could go on. I like writing, too. It’s allowed me to indulge in imagination as an adult in a way that felt natural as a child but that I lost hold of somewhere in college. SP: What advice do you have for young people trying to become their fullest selves in today’s world? AM: Be around good people. Don’t engage with trolls. Seek out challenges, talk to as many different people as you can. But don’t hang around those who want to harm you – even if they say it’s a joke. It’s important to be kind and to be around those who are kind to you AND it’s important not to be in an echo chamber – to know and respect and like those with whom you really disagree. SP: What have you learned about yourself through writing? AM: That I can be patient. It just takes a lot of effort. SP: In writing Continental Divide, is there an element that changed significantly between your first draft and the published novel? AM: Yes. As usual for me, the beginning – where the novel starts – changed a ton. SP: Lastly, what is your favorite under-read book of all time? AM: Under-read! I love it… The Dyke and the Dybbuk (very under read, but lovely). Thank you to Alex for sharing, and readers, check out the GoodReads links I've added above for more information about his novels!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
Categories
All
Archives
June 2023
|