Not just for the rebels

“The Poet X draws on some of the emotional truths of my childhood" says Elizabeth Acevedo, winner of the 2019 Carnegie Medal, when asked if her book was autobiographical, "but the plot does not follow the same trajectory of my life. Mining a story to find the parts of it that feel truthful and fresh, and to render that in ways that resonate is difficult. It’s hard not to fall into emotional clichés and to maintain the integrity of character and plot as well as the themes that begin emerging. I had to keep asking myself 'Would she say this? Would a teen say this? Does this feel right in regards to how I might have felt at this age?'"

No model

Poetry and slam poetry provide a lifeline and self awareness to the book's heroine, Xiomara. Elizabeth says she encountered performed poetry very early in life: “It’s almost like I grew into, or grew up knowing, that poetry could be embodied.” Asked which written words moved her first, she says: “I remember being sixteen and reading Lucille Clifton’s poem Won’t you celebrate with me and getting choked up. She has these lines:

...I had no model.
born in Babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did I see to be except myself?

"And, wow. For a kid like me who wanted a clear blueprint on how to be the woman I imagined... Clifton just blew the lid off of that expectation.”

Mother of strife

She says: “I felt no anger when writing The Poet X. It was delightful to be imaginative about this cast of characters and it was challenging to ensure that each character wasn’t one-sided. I think most readers are most angered by the mother character. And I had to work really hard to ensure her story arc was nuanced, and complicated. I feel immense empathy for her character who is so afraid of what the world could do to her child if she takes up too much space. It is a feeling I saw often in the women in my community: they wanted their children to soar, but they were also afraid if their child rose too high someone would try to shoot them down—and in thinking that way, those women became that someone. "

Dragon slayers

Xiomara navigates a complex and intimidating web of religion, family and relationships but remains uplifting. “I don't know if I have the capacity to write bleakness. Or rather, I know I have the capacity, but I don’t have the desire. I write about children of colour. I write for children of colour. There is enough hopelessness in the stories these young people see about themselves every single day. I want to write stories where black and brown children slay the dragon...or at least take off a few of its scales....or perhaps, even become it – fire-breathing and all."

Not just rebels

Xiomara is strong and rebellious but the story isn’t just for the rebels. “I hope the novel depicts a lot of different kinds of characters who need very different things. The status quo can work for lots of young people; there is comfort in structure and clear expectations. For some other young people that kind of environment where the lines are clearly drawn makes them feel stifled. But I also think young people can fall into both categories depending on the circumstances. For example, as much as Xiomara is rebel and a rule breaker, the rules for poetry slams help her work towards becoming a better performer and poet and she finds them fruitful. Caridad, her best friend (and intense rule follower), is willing to bend her strict code of behavior when her friend is in need. Isn’t that human? This need to move fluidly between what works for us and what doesn’t? We contain multitudes.”

Reader's eye view

Asked what would you most like to know about your reader's experience of the book she says: “Oh, to be a fly on the wall while someone is reading X! I think I would want to know the moments that made a reader feel brave, or bigger. Where maybe a small shout began growing in their mouths. And I would want to know if they plan on setting that little shout free.”

Photo credit: Stephanie Ifendu