A Chat with A.S. King; Coming Face-to-Face with Those Who Judged

Today I am releasing a conversation that I had recently with Amy King - Grace's mom. Amy also happens to be an incredible writer and award-winning YA author (psst... see down below) But the role she cherishes most in life, is being a mom to her two kiddos... she now bothers, like many of us, from both sides of 'the veil'. Gracie died by suicide in 2018.

Amy's "other" episode _ Season 4 Ep. 3 "Suicide is Normal AND Tragic"

 And today, just a few things we chat about are: 

• First, she talks about her loss survivor group & how it has influenced her
• Coming face-to-face with a mom who had previously) judged her family - and how hearing her say it out loud - impacted her. 
• The myths and realities of 'prevention' & stigma & shame...
• Meaningful conversations everywhere - incl. LGBTQA+ spaces...
• Living in a community where she is still 'targeted' and yet, her resolve is stronger than ever! 
• Judgement, safe spaces, Gracie's House, soup and more ...

Speaking our truth, judgement, creating safe spaces & having meaningful dialogue with teens (& others in our community) are key takeaways here. Take good care good you, my friend!

"A.S. King has been called “One of the best Y.A. writers working today” by the New York Times Book Review. King is the author of highly-acclaimed novels including 2021's SW/TCH, 2020 Michael L. Printz Award winner and LA Times Book Prize finalist DIG, 2016's Still Life with Tornado, 2015’s surrealist I Crawl Through It, Glory O'Brien's History of the Future, Reality Boy, the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner, Ask the Passengers, Everybody Sees the Ants, 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz among others. She also writes Middle Grade fiction as Amy Sarig King, including Attack of the Black Rectangles. She has edited an anthology of weird stories, The Collectors, which won the Michael L. Printz award in 2024, and will release a new YA novel, Pick the Lock, in fall 2024. In 2022, King received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. In 2023, she accepted the ALAN Award from The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE for her "artistry, courage, and outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature."  She is a former faculty member of the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spends many months of the year traveling the country speaking to high school and university students, educators, and huma