Q&A with Autumn Allen

Photo by Sakeenah Graves

 

 

Autumn Allen is the author of the young adult novel All You Have to Do. She is a senior editor at Barefoot Books, and she lives in Massachusetts.

 

Q: What inspired you to write All You Have to Do, and how did you create your characters Kevin and Gibran?

 

A: My younger brother's difficulty getting through prep school inspired me to write this book. I wanted to know why some Black teens -- boys in particular, in my family -- weren't willing to jump through the hoops necessary to "succeed" on the terms of elite schools, despite the expected result of upward mobility.

 

I created Gibran's character by trying to step into the shoes of my brother, which was harder than one might think!

 

And I created Kevin's character after researching the generation that came of age in the 1960s. I was intrigued by their turn to Black Power in their college years in the late 1960s, and how their experiences with Civil Rights and integration earlier in their lives might have influenced that change. Kevin was inspired by some young men I saw in a documentary about the Black middle class in the 1960s.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “The crisp, succinct prose and fully realized characters make this a shining example of how principled research in lock step with exceptional writing creates an unforgettable reading experience.” What do you think of that description?

A: I adore every part of that description! It felt like a dream come true reading that review, and thankfully it was one of the first I saw after the blurbs from other writers. It felt amazing to know that my hard work on both the research and the prose came through.

 

I have written many reviews, so I know each review is just one informed reader's opinion, but the superlatives made me feel appreciated. 

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and did you learn anything that particularly surprised you?

 

A: I started by interviewing my brother about his childhood and adolescence to understand how his racial identity developed, and how he was feeling in high school. I did some internet research to remember what else was happening in the fall of 1995.

 

For the 1960s story, I read several library books and then I spent a month at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. I immersed myself in the archives, reference materials like newspaper and magazine clippings, photos, documentaries, and recorded sound. It was incredible.

 

What surprised me in my research was how similar the young Black men in the 1960s sounded to my brother in the 1990s. The frustration and the feeling of running out of patience to be treated as fully equal, respected human beings on their own terms--it seemed like the same emotions in completely different eras. 

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope readers who can relate to Gibran and Kevin and their families feel understood and gain more understanding of their own dilemmas, positions, conflicts, and feelings. I hope readers who don't share much in common with Gibran and Kevin gain insight into what others may be going through.

 

The characters don't share their deepest feelings with everyone, and they sometimes seem from the outside to be "acting out." But their internal experiences are deep and they are sensitive people. I want us all to see that there are layers beneath what people present to the world. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have two picture books in progress, at the stage of reviewing sketches by the artists, which is so exciting. I am also revising my next novel, which is set in the same world as All You Have to Do but takes place in 2012-13 and stars Gibran's niece. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I wrote two full novels before writing All You Have to Do. I believe that writing a book from beginning to end teaches you how to write a book, and unpublished books are an important part of the process. So is every draft of a book!

 

I'd also like to share that in my day job, I am an editor, and I am excited about some picture books I've edited that are coming out soon.

 

Ayo's Adventure: Across the African Diaspora from Afro to Zulu by Ain Heath Drew, illustrated by Erin K. Robinson, will be released in September. The trailer is on Youtube. The book is full of Black joy and is nourishing for all ages! 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb