About this episode
A.S. King is a prolific, unique writer best known for "Dig," "Ask the Passengers," "Please Ignore Vera Dietz," and "The Collectors." She has received twice the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Edgar Award, and the Printz Honor. Her work often combines surrealism with raw emotional depth, offering a fresh perspective on the human experience.
In this episode, she critiques pointless teen shaming by adults, discusses why surrealism resonates with young readers, and shares her advocacy for LGBTQ+ youth through Gracie's House, a nonprofit named after her late daughter.
She also reveals how her cheese tattoo led to an insight into humaneness.
“I see my job as trying to soothe the trauma that teenagers don't know they have yet because everybody's so busy telling them that they don't.” - A.S. King
She draws on weirdness and absurdity to tap deeper into the trauma her characters face. From anger to misplaced guilt, sadness to grief, and a general sense of overwhelming anxiety, teens have so much to process. And nothing peeves Amy like adults’ dismissal of these experiences, of this trauma, for teens. She is passionate about challenging that norm, validating teens, and offering a surreal mirror to help them understand the world as it truly is: weird.
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Keeping it on brand and consistent, Amy offers us a truly unique reading challenge with a bizarrely loveable title. Weird stuff that's totally readable, may be old, but it's really good. Hear me out. That’s Amy’s pitch and title for her reading challenge. It’s a good one! Find out more for yourself at thereadingculturepod.com/as-king.
Whatever you do, keep reading!
Contents
- Chapter 1 - Sci-Fives and Reading (Pennsylvania)
- Chapter 2 - Embracing the Strange
- Chapter 3 - The Job of Validation
- Chapter 4 - Gracie’s House, Gracie’s Hands
- Chapter 5 - Surrealism, For Real
- Chapter 6 - Pick The Lock
- Chapter 7 - Weird stuff that's totally readable, may be old, but it's really good. Hear me out.
- Chapter 8 - Beanstack Featured Librarian - Alana Graves (Austin Public Library)
Author Reading Challenge
Download the free reading challenge worksheet, or view the challenge materials on our helpdesk.
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Links:
- The Reading Culture
- The Reading Culture Newsletter Signup
- A.S. King
- Gracie’s House
- Home | Kurt Vonnegut
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. | Goodreads
- Follow The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)
- Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading culture
- Jordan Lloyd Bookey