Amber McBride: 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Winner

Amber McBride

Amber McBride is a professor of English at the University of Virginia and holds an MFA in poetry from Emerson College. Her debut novel, Me (Moth) (Feiwel and Friends), is the 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner. Me (Moth) was also a finalist for the William C. Morris Award and the National Book Award in Young People's Literature.

Congratulations! How does it feel to have your debut receive so much love?

Thank you so much! It's all (still) very surreal, when I read the list of awards and honors above, I think, "Wait this must be dream, that's all for my little Hoodoo book, Me (Moth)?" Ultimately though, awards mean buzz, and buzz means that my book has a better chance of finding its way into the hands of young adult readers, which is all I ever want. When I was young, books were my refuge, so I feel humbled and honored that Me (Moth) has received so much recognition.

Me (Moth) was the only book that made me cry this year. I was truly unprepared for the depth of emotion in this title. Where did this idea come from?

First, all the hugs to anyone who wept at any point while reading Me (Moth)! So many people have told me that they cried while reading, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this book explores grief, healing and history. I started writing this novel after my grandfather passed away in 2019 as a way to work through my own grief. I wanted to write something that got at something true about ancestry and love: the ones we love deeply are always with us in some capacity. I also wanted to write a book with two marginalized people finding comfort in one another. 

The book is plotted so meticulously, worded so precisely. Did you know from the beginning the format this book would take?

Thank you! Yes, I knew the novel would be in verse, that the main character was named Moth and she would (metaphorically) go through the life cycle of a moth: egg (trapped), caterpillar (road trip/growth), cocoon (safe haven/Navajo Nation) and moth (self-discovery). That idea was very clear before I wrote the first poem.

Did you need to do much research into the spiritual beliefs of the two protagonists?

I had to do research for Sani's character, but I had a wonderful resource in my aunt, who is Navajo, and in our sensitivity reader. Getting the Navajo creation stories as authentic as possible was very important to me. For Moth it was less research and more remembering, I practice Hoodoo and many people in my family practice too, so it was a lot of exchanging ideas. Hoodoo, which is an African American spiritual practice, differs from region to region so I spent time researching the differences and similarities in different areas of the United States. The spiritual beliefs of Sani and Moth are steeped in the oral tradition, most of these stories and beliefs are not written down anywhere--I had to go straight to the source and have a long talk.

What are you hoping readers will take away from Me (Moth)?

It's hard to articulate, I hope readers get a feeling, that goosebumps-might-cry feeling, but not because something is simply hard, sad or difficult, but because it represents life, which is complicated, vast and filled with possibility. I hope readers finish Me (Moth) and remember that love (in all of its forms) is endless and vast.

Do you have work in progress?

Yes! I have another novel in verse coming out in January 2023 called We Are All So Good at Smiling. The novel investigates clinical depression though the lens of a haunted garden. I also have a middle-grade novel (a bit more vague on this one) coming out in fall 2023 and an adult poetry collection in 2024.

I am also writing a Hoodoo fantasy series which I am very excited about!

Is there anything else you'd like to tell Shelf Awareness readers?

I always end up quoting Moth on questions like this, but thank you for reading this interview. I offer you a gift, an iron to smooth the creases that wrinkle up your spirit. Please know that I am always wishing you wellness and joy. --Siân Gaetano, children's/YA editor, Shelf Awareness

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