Check out our interviews with Gayle Forman and Tomi Adeyemi, who will be attending the Miami Book Fair this month.
11/23: Forman - noon, The Art Lab
11/24: Adeyemi - 4 p.m., The Art Lab
Gayle Forman
What part of attending the Miami Book Fair are you most excited about?
All of it! I love how the streets are blocked off and so many book-loving people come out. I love being in Miami. I love being in the backyard of Books & Books. I love doing school visits before the event. I love staying with my wonderful friends who live in Surfside. I love seeing authors I know and meeting ones I don’t.
What will your panel cover and what can attendees expect from the presentation?
Middle-grade awesomeness. I’m appearing with Cynthia Leitich Smith, who is a legend, and Ruth Behar who I am so excited to meet. I think all of us write the kinds of books that appeal to young readers and not-so-young readers. They are authors who take their young audience seriously, as do I. I’m excited about our conversation.
Is this the first time being a guest at MBF? If yes, what is something that you wish to take away from the experience this year? If not, how does it feel to finally be a part of this experience?
It is not. I was here at the 2016 fair and I had a terrible cold and honestly, in retrospect, not in the best headspace. And I STILL had a wonderful time. I’m hoping to be cold-free and I’m definitely in a better mental place so one can only imagine how it’s going to be!
Tell us about your most recent novel. What can readers expect from the story?
"Not Nothing" is a story about Alex, a 12-year-old boy who has done something very wrong and is court-ordered to volunteer at an assisted living facility for the summer. There, he meets Josey, a 107-year-old Jewish resident who has lived through 1930s Nazi-occupied Poland, thanks to the heroism of a young woman named Olka. The story takes place in the present day, but we also flashbacks of Josey’s story as a young man in the 1930s and '40s. At its core, "Not Nothing" is a story about rising to the occasion of your own life. Both Josey’s and Alex’s stories illustrate what happens when you are — or are not — given the chance to do this. And in both cases, we see characters who initially don’t behave as their best selves being treated with grace and offered the opportunity to do better, to be better. Readers can expect a fun, funny and at times heartbreaking book that ultimately fills them with hope. And I’ve been told this one really brings the tears.
Why do you think events like MBF are crucial when it comes to connecting readers and authors?
Novels are empathy-delivery devices. They insert you into another person’s experience and make you see the world anew. Events like MBF do something similar by bringing people together, in person, which I think is crucial these days, especially when we have become so siloed in our virtual worlds. I can't think of anything more healing than bringing diverse people together to talk about and celebrate books.
What book are you currently reading and what book have you recently read that you loved?
I’m currently reading "The Rachel Incident" by Caroline O'Donoghue and "Tattoos on the Heart" by Gregory Boyle. I recently have torn through most of the Jonathan Haidt books ("The Anxious Generation," "The Righteous Mind," "The Coddling of the American Mind") and it was such an education. I loved them all.
Tomi Adeyemi
What part of attending the Miami Book Fair are you most excited about?
This year I’m most excited to meet one of my beloved readers! In between events and book tours, the only way I have to reach my readers is through social media. This year one of those readers became a mentee and I got to watch her finish her first draft of her novel and it filled me with so much pride. She’s based in Miami and she actually found out I was coming to the Miami Book Fair before I even posted. I’ve been so giddy! I can’t wait to congratulate her and tell her how proud I am of her in person!
What will your panel cover and what can attendees expect from the presentation?
My panel is titled “Blood, Iron, and Fire: Young Adult Fantasy Authors on Struggle, Secrets, and Family.” It features Romina Garber, one of my longtime loves, and one of my earliest supporters in my publishing career. It also features new rockstars Alex Aster and LaDarrior Williams. I think our readers are in for a fantastic, inspiring, and deep conversation about all our journeys as young writers and dreamers, as well as an honest dialogue about what it feels like to be writing the stories we write in today’s geopolitical environment.
Is this the first time being a guest at MBF? If yes, what is something that you wish to take away from the experience this year? If not, how does it feel to finally be a part of this experience?
This is my first time, and it feels fantastic! I’ve had the delight of doing one event in Miami earlier on in my career (I think for my very first novel in 2018?), and I remember the readers being so beautiful in soul and spirit. Now that readers have had a chance to take in the entire series, I can’t wait to meet with them again and experience their beautiful hearts!
Tell us about your most recent novel. What can readers expect from the story?
My most recent novel is the conclusion of my West African trilogy, the Legacy of Orïsha, which kicked off in 2018 with my debut, #1 New York Times bestseller & Hugo-award winning novel, Children of Blood and Bone. The entire series follows a young girl fighting to bring magic back to her people, and in its conclusion, Children of Anguish of Anarchy, we follow Zélie in her final battle to protect her people and her nation against new, bloodthirsty enemies. Readers can expect heartbreak, triumph, and mindblowing magic.
Why do you think events like MBF are crucial when it comes to connecting readers and authors?
My readers and fans bring me to tears. Whenever I get the chance to connect with them in person–to hear their stories and their dreams–it’s one of the most valuable gifts of my life, let alone my career. Events like the Miami Book Fair are so crucial because it brings the sacred bond between readers and writers to life.
What book are you currently reading and what book have you recently read that you loved?
I’m currently writing my fourth novel, and that means I’m actually watching anime again! (It’s difficult for me to write and read at the same time). But for anime, I’m falling back in love with Attack on Titan and because of my brother, I recently started Jujutsu Kaisen! After that, I’m looking forward to diving back into Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber and Heir by Sabaa Tahir!
