S4 E7 - Trapping Ayana Gray: Cheese, a loaf of bread, and a ticket to a wildlife trust in Kenya.

Some books reclaim the stories we thought we already knew. This week, I’m joined by Ayana Gray, author of Beasts of Prey and her latest, I, Medusa, for a conversation that begins with origin stories and winds its way through the very particular internet experiences of a millennial upbringing—back when blogs were everything and a place called Twitter still existed. We talk about learning what was “allowed” on the page, and the quiet realization that there was never a rulebook to begin with. Ayana shares how her early hesitation gave way, over time, to curiosity and experimentation, and how each new project helped her step a little further outside the boundaries she once believed in. We also get into the shift from writing YA to adult, and how those spaces ask for different kinds of storytelling, different freedoms, and different risks. Links: Follow No Write Way on Instagram V.E. Schwab’s Website Ayana Gray’s Website Credits: Host: V.E. Schwab Producer/Editor/Mixer: Jenna Maurice