STICK
STICK AROUND FOR THAT. YOU GOT TO TUNE IN FRIDAY AT 11:00.
WELL FIRST UP THIS MORNING, THE
YOUNG ADULT FICTION GENRE
OF BOOKS OR WHY A FOUR SHORT
HAS SO MANY WONDERFUL STORIES
THAT TEENS CAN RELATE TO BUT
HISTORICALLY REPRESENTATION
OF THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN
WELL, MINIMAL.
SO WE WANTED TO DELVE INTO THIS
LITTLE BIT DEEPER.
SO I TALKED TO Y A AUTHOR,
ROBBY COUCHE WHO GAVE US A
SNEAK PREVIEW OF HIS DEBUT
NOVEL THE SKY BLUES TO THE SKY
BLUES IS ABOUT SKYE BAKER WHO
IS AN OPENLY GAY SENIOR IN HIGH
SCHOOL AND YOU MEET HIM RIGHT
AT THE TAIL END OF HIS SENIOR
YEAR THE LAST SEMESTER OF HIS
SENIOR YEAR AND HE'S NOT IN THE
BEST PLACE IN SOME REGARDS.
HE'S DEALING WITH SOME
HOMOPHOBIC BULLIES AT SCHOOL.
HE'S DEALING WITH SOME FAMILY
REJECTION ISSUES AT HOME.
BUT THE ONE THING THAT HE
REALLY HAS GOING FOR HIM IS THE
FACT THAT HE IS SUPER EXCITED
TO ASK HIS SUPER BIG CRUSH ALI,
TO PROM SO HE'S VERY, VERY
EXCITED ABOUT IT.
HE'S NOT SURE IF ALI INTO HIM.
HE'S NOT SURE IF ALI IS EVEN
GAY OR BI.
BUT HE'S LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT?
I'M JUST GOING TO GO FOR IT.
THE BAD NEWS IS BEFORE YOU CAN
ACTUALLY DO IT, HIS LIST IS
REALLY LONG LIST OF PRETTY
EMBARRASSING KIND OF OFF THE
WALL PROPOSAL IDEAS GETS LEAKED
TO THE ENTIRE SCHOOL IN A VERY
I KNOW IT'S PRETTY TERRIBLE IN
A HOMOPHOBIC BLAST AND HE'S
DEVASTATED AND KIND
OF TRAUMATIZED BUT HE KIND
OF HAS TO FIGURE OUT A WHO DID
THIS LIKE WHO IS THE ANONYMOUS
HACKER AND CAN GET REVENGE.
WHAT SORT OF REVENGE CAN I GET
?
IT WAS A SUPER FUN BOOK TO
WRITE AND THERE'S A LOT
OF GREAT THEMES ABOUT CHOZEN
FAMILY AND THE POWER
OF FRIENDSHIP.
SO HOPEFULLY IT'LL REALLY
RESONATE WITH YOUNG READERS.
I'M SO READY TO READ IT AND I'M
CERTAINLY NOT YOUNG TYPICALLY
CLEAR NARRATIVES ARE RESTRICTED
TO COMING OUT STORIES.
WE SEE THAT A LOT BUT WERE YOU
INTENSE IN MAKING THIS
SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
YEAH AND I I HAVE NOTHING
AGAINST COMING OUT STORIES I
THINK COMING OUT CAN BE AMAZING
AND SOME OF MY FAVORITE THEME
STORIES ARE THEY DO HAVE A
COMING OUT NARRATIVE INVOLVED
BUT IT WAS PRETTY INTENTIONAL.
I WANTED TO CAPTURE THE MONTHS
AND THE MOMENTS AFTER SKYE
BAKER CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET
BECAUSE I DO THINK SOMETIMES IN
CORPORATE MEDIA IT CAN KIND
OF GET THE COMING OUT SO YOU
CAN KIND OF OVERSATURATED.
SO I WANTED TO KIND OF CAPTURE
THAT AWKWARD, SOMEWHAT
CONTENTIOUS WEIRD SPACE THAT
OFTEN HAPPENS AFTER A PERSON
COMES OUT AND THAT'S WHERE YOU
MEET SKYE BAKER WRITE IN
CHAPTER ONE SO IMPORTANT I
THINK TO WRITE THIS IS ONE
OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS CAME OUT
TO ME WHEN WE WERE IN HIGH
SCHOOL AND BACK IN THE NINETIES
I REALLY WASN'T ANYTHING LIKE
THIS.
NO WHY GENRE BOOKS TO READ SO
NOW THAT'S SEVENTEEN YEARS.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE WHY GENRE
IS DOING WITH REPRESENTATION?
YEAH NO THAT'S A GREAT
QUESTION.
I THINK EVEN IN SO I GRADUATED
HIGH SCHOOL IN SEVEN AND EVEN
IN THE DECADE OR SO SINCE I
GRADUATED THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH
PROGRESS TOWARD STORIES THAT
ARE WAY MORE INCLUSIVE FOR ALL
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE I
THINK ESPECIALLY IN THE PAST
FIVE YEARS OR SO WE'RE SEEING A
LOT MORE MAINSTREAMING OF
STORIES AND STORYLINES WHICH
IS AMAZING BECAUSE I THINK IT'S
SO IMPORTANT THAT EVERY YOUNG
PERSON HAS THIS SORT OF STORY
THAT THEY CAN RESONATE WITH AND
THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO THEM AND
THEIR IDENTITY AND THEIR LIVED
EXPERIENCE.
I THINK WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO.
I THINK SOMETIMES AS I
MENTIONED EARLIER, STORIES CAN
STILL KIND OF PIGEONHOLED OR
THE QUALITY OF THE STORIES CAN
SOMETIMES BE LACKING.
BUT BUT WE'VE MADE REALLY BIG,
BIG STEPS FORWARD SO I'M REALLY
HAPPY TO HOPEFULLY BE A PART
OF THE POSITIVE CHANGE.
ABSOLUTELY.
AND IT'S NOT JUST GOOD FOR
READING ABOUT YOU BUT EVEN
READING ABOUT OTHERS LEARN AND
UNDERSTAND.
SPEAKING OF THAT, WHY DO YOU
THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR
PEOPLE TO BE THE ONES WRITING
THESE STORIES VERSUS PEOPLE WHO
ARE NOT?
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S NOT
ALWAYS THE CASE.
I ACTUALLY RECENTLY JUST READ A
BOOK WRITTEN BY A WOMAN AND IT
WAS A LOVE STORY BETWEEN TWO
MEN AND I WONDER IF YOU THINK
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THESE BOOKS
ARE WRITTEN BY PEOPLE.
RIGHT?
I HESITATE TO SAY THAT A
STRAIGHT PERSON CAN'T WRITE A
GAY HISTORY BECAUSE I THINK
HAVING A HARD AND FAST RULES
AROUND THAT IS A TERRITORY I
KIND OF DON'T WANT TO BE IN.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DO THINK
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WHERE
PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO TELL OUR OWN
STORIES I THINK IT'S MUCH MORE
AUTHENTIC WHEN WE DO SO WHEN
YOU HAVE A GAY WRITER WRITING
ABOUT A GAY NARRATIVE I THINK
IF I CAN WRITE A STORY WHERE I
CAN RELY ON MY OWN LIVED
EXPERIENCE TO INFORM THE SORTS
OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO THE
CHARACTERS THAT WILL MAKE FOR A
BETTER STORY GENERALLY
SPEAKING.
SO I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO
AUTHENTICITY AND SOMETIMES WHEN
YOU HAVE OTHER FOLKS WHO ARE
NOT A PART OF A MARGINALIZED
COMMUNITY WRITING ABOUT
CHARACTERS THAT THEY CAN'T
RELATE TO IN THAT WAY, THAT'S
WHEN YOU SEE SOME HURTFUL
HARMFUL STEREOTYPES OR MAYBE
SOME TROPES THAT AREN'T THE
BEST AND IT'S OFTEN AN
ACCIDENT.
IT'S OFTEN NOT NOT INTENTIONAL
OF COURSE, BUT THAT CAN HAPPEN
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE
PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF THE
COMMUNITIES THAT THEY'RE
WRITING ABOUT.
SO I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
HAVE PEOPLE WRITING STORIES
FOR SURE.
WHAT WOULD IT HAVE MEANT TO YOU
TO HAVE A BOOK LIKE YOURS WHEN
YOU WERE GROWING?
OH MY GOSH IT WOULD HAVE MEANT
EVERYTHING.
THERE WAS THERE WAS A LOT
OF WHITE BOOKS THAT I LOVED
GROWING UP BUT NONE OF THEM HAD
GAY LEADS AND SO YEAH, IT WOULD
HAVE MEANT A LOT TO ME BECAUSE
I THINK AS CLICHE AS IT SOUNDS
NOW REPRESENTATION REALLY DOES
MATTER AND TO HAVE FOLKS WHO
CAN SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND
HAVE FOLKS WHERE YOU SEE A PART
OF YOURSELF IN THEM IN THE
WORLD AROUND YOU IT CAN MEAN SO