Surreal Talk: A.S. King on Validating Teen Trauma

The Reading Culture

“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

The older we get, the more we understand that life is impossible to actually understand. Things are not often straightforward, and the more we do discover, the more we realize there is to discover. But when we read, we want to relate, to see the words on a page and have them reflect the world back at us in a way that makes it feel more digestible. A.S. (Amy Sarig) King has found that the only way to really do that is to make the mirror as absurd as the real thing. In today’s American political realm, the word weird is taking on a new layer of meaning. But for Amy, weirdness has always been a lifeline. For her and her characters.

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.

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 the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Edgar Award, and the Printz Honor—twice. 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.

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Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter.

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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.

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This episode’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Alana Graves, a Librarian and Summer Experience Coordinator at Austin Public Library. She recounts an adorable mermaid story from one of her summer programs.

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)

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
  
  

Host: Jordan Lloyd Bookey

Producers: Jackie Lamport and Lower Street Media

Script Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Jackie Lamport, Jordan Lloyd Bookey