Becky and the Author’s Agenda: An Interview with Author Becky Albertalli, by Alec Frazier and Autistic Reality

Alec Frazier with Becky Albertalli
Becky is holding a copy of Alec’s book, Veni! Vidi! Autism! which he signed for her.

We met with young adult author Becky Albertalli as she was on tour to promote her new book, Yes No Maybe So. She agreed to an interview with us, which follows. Enjoy!

1.                  How did you get involved with writing? When you were in middle school, high school, college, did you picture yourself having the life and career you do today?

I’ve always loved stories, and I’ve been writing my own since I was very young. I had a few original characters I kept returning to in elementary school – rereading those stories now, I was clearly very influenced by the Baby-Sitters Club series. In middle school, a lot of my writing was done in collaboration with my friends. My best friend and I created a whole universe of interconnected characters, and we’d write stories for each other about them. By high school, I was beginning to write fanfiction and publish it online. It’s funny – I think I have almost the exact career my elementary school self would have imagined, but I think I stopped believing writing was a viable career path for me around middle school. I didn’t try to write professionally until I was thirty years old (which is when I wrote Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda).     

2.                  You live in Georgia, and many of your stories are set there. There is a common stereotype that just about anywhere in the South is grossly intolerant of diversity, including racial diversity, sexual orientation, and disability. Is that true, or is it a misconception, and how does it impact your stories?

That’s such a good and complicated question, and there’s no simple answer. There are many communities down here where you see a lot of blatant intolerance and discrimination. But Georgia has a lot of rich cultural diversity, and Atlanta in particular is known for being progressive. I come from the affluent, historically conservative northern suburbs of Atlanta, which is currently a very “purple” area – our congressional seat flipped from red to blue in 2018 for the first time in decades. My feeling is that the demographic and political complexity here mirrors many other parts of the country. The South has a really troubling history when it comes to its treatment of marginalized groups, and those dynamics are unfortunately very much alive right now. But these problems exist in other regions, too, even regions considered to be progressive hotspots.

Truthfully, this can be a challenging dynamic to tackle in stories. Some non-Southern readers will always be inclined to question portrayals of the South that don’t match their preconceptions (for example, because Simon’s from Georgia, many readers are skeptical that his family would accept his sexuality. But that skepticism is based on a very broad stereotype – Simon’s family experience tracks closely with many families in my personal community). But I try to tune that out as I’m writing. My job as a writer isn’t necessarily to engage with readers’ perceptions of the South. It’s to remain true to the characters and families I’m writing about, imbedded within the community in which I’ve lived my whole life.

Alec Frazier’s Copy of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

3.                  Your book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, has been made into a hit film that has struck a chord with the entire LGBTQ community, and the world at large. That film is even being spun off into a series on Disney+. Thanks to you, Oreos are now recognized as a gay relationship symbol. Is it surreal seeing your work being so broadly accepted by the gay community? What is your advice for people in the LGBTQ community who are losing hope?

I’ve taken so long to respond to this interview that we’ve since had a platform update for the series: Love, Victor will be on Hulu instead of Disney +.

This is such lovely feedback. I truly hope my work resonates! Writing is so complicated, because no story will ever land perfectly with every member of a community. But I value the LGBTQIAP+ community’s feedback so deeply, and I’m grateful that so many readers have reached out to let me know how much they enjoy my work.

I think it’s an especially challenging moment for LGBTQ young people right now, though that challenge may look a little different from previous years. In particular, as we grapple with the necessary restrictions imposed by the coronavirus and quarantine, I know that isolation might be hitting especially hard for LGBTQ teens. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to know that your online friendships are real and valid (be cautious about revealing personal information, and follow best practices for online safety, but don’t feel strange if your greatest support system is entirely virtual). Resources like Trevor Project are absolutely critical – research their mission, and don’t hesitate to utilize their resources and reach out to them in moments of crisis. And, in general, know that you’re loved.

4.                  Your newest book, Yes No Maybe So, is about two friends who develop a relationship over a political campaign. What is your point of view on political dialogue in fiction? Does it have its place? Is there a line that should not be crossed?

I think fiction is a really powerful venue for political dialogue, both implicitly and explicitly. I consider all of my books to be very political (for one thing, they feature characters from marginalized communities). After Trump was elected in 2016, I do think a lot of YA authors felt this sense of urgency to make those political conversations more explicit in our work. I do think I perceived an unspoken taboo around directly naming political parties and calling out particular politicians in my work. I’ve pushed past that, because it feels important not to equivocate in this moment. There are definitely readers who push back against the idea of authors and other public artists expressing political opinions (“I follow you for your books, not your politics!”). But again, art has always been political – it feels strange to draw a line against being more direct about those conversations.

5.                  There are many, many creators with disabilities, however, they have trouble breaking into the creative workforce. Do you believe that those with disabilities, the largest minority on the planet, have valuable things to contribute as writers and in other creative positions? If so, do you have any thoughts on how people with disabilities can be hired in the arts and pop culture?

There’s no question that creators with disabilities are underrepresented in the arts – it’s even more clear that we desperately need these voices. I’m glad to see more discussion over the last few years around the importance of “ownvoices” stories – i.e. stories where marginalized authors are writing characters who belong to their own communities. This hashtag is used broadly in creative discourse, but it’s important to note that the it was created by autistic author Corinne Duyvis, and its first application pertained to autistic representation in Corinne’s (fantastic) second novel, On the Edge of Gone. Disabled readers and critics have spoken extensively about the value of ownvoices representation, as well as the importance of ownvoices pop culture critique. For narratives pertaining to disability, it’s so important to have input from disabled creatives at every stage of the process.

It’s also important to note that disabled voices are also critically important in narratives that don’t specifically pertain to disability. Marginalized creatives often approach art and storytelling with particular nuances and insights drawn from our own experiences, and this certainly applies to disabled creators. I don’t have the expertise to know how to solve hiring problems in this space, unfortunately, but I know there are many brilliant disabled activists having those discussions daily.  I think abled creatives need to be more mindful about making space for that conversation, and supporting inclusivity initiatives proposed by disabled voices.

Thank you for joining us on this wonderful journey through one author’s viewpoints on young adult fiction, society, and the power of hope!