Chalk + Ink: Season 2; Episode 36

​Interview with Debut Author and High School ELA Teacher,

Michael Leali

The warm and inclusive, Michael Leali, talks about the danger of gendering books, how we miss out on the now when we try to “make up” for lost learning time due to the pandemic, and how readers rise to challenges.

As Michael says in the soundbite above, "We gotta get beyond the binary... This idea that because you identify as a certain gender you won't connect with a book because it wasn't 'written for you or with you in mind,' is bananas to me." Less than a minute later he states, "Use books to feel safe and feel seen. But also to grow and to challenge what we know. And when we gender books, we place our readers in boxes. And we limit what is possible. And the beautiful thing about storytelling is that anything is possible."

Is anyone else covered in goosebumps?

We also talk about the pressure to "make up" for lost learning due to the pandemic. This idea that time can somehow be made up is putting unnecessary pressure on students and on teachers. In so doing, we're missing out on the now, the opportunity to learn and grow from where we actually are instead of some nebulous idea of where we should be. 

Finally, we talk about the amazing structure in Michael's book, The Civil War of Amos Abernathy. Half of the book takes place within one day while the other half of the book takes place over the course of a year. The book alternates back and forth between the different timelines. The storyline that takes place over the course of a year is epistolary while the storyline that takes place over the course of the day is first person present. Michael loves novels that play with structure and believes readers will rise to whatever challenges authors present to them.

We talk about a ton of different books during the podcast. Michael knew he wanted to be an author in elementary school when Debbie Dadey, the author of The Bailey School Kids, visited his school. Her title Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots inspired him to start writing.

We also talk about how we're filled with joy when our kids get excited about books in the classroom. I reminisced about a student getting excited about a book by Blue Balliet, but I blanked on the title, which is Out of the Wild Night, meanwhile his student fell in love with Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land and asked for other novels in verse. Michael passed on Poet X, also by Acevedo, Kwame Alexander's titles as well as Ellen Hopkins' work. 

Michael teaches ninth and tenth graders and he thinks that their needs are very similar to upper middle graders. So, he recommends the following titles for middle and high schoolers:

Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman

Michael calls this title a gorgeous, middle grade, contemporary novel. The book explores a friendship between two girls, one an Arab American and one a first-generation Israeli American. I definitely want to buy this book for my classroom, and it seems like it would pair well with A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan.

The Real Riley Mayes by Rachel Elliott

Michael calls this book an incredible, joyous, queer graphic novel.

All That's Left in the World by  Erik J. Brown

This is a post-apocalyptic male-on-male slow burn romance.

Revolution in our Time by Kekla Magoon

​This is a nonfiction title about the Black Panther Party. His students used it to understand the historical context of novels they were reading.

​Kiss and Tell by Adib Khorram

I have not read this title but Michael and I gushed about one of Adib's previous titles, Darius the Great Is Not Okay.

Want to prep for our next episode? The versatile and curious, Kate Messner, will be joining us on our next episode. Kate’s written so many wonderful books, it’s impossible to think about assigning only one. But, if you’re only going to read one title, the book that’s most fitting for this podcast is 59 Reasons to Write: Mini-Lessons, Prompts, and Inspiration for Teachers.

Thanks so much for reading. If you would like to be entered to win a signed copy of Michael's The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, please leave a comment below and fill out this form.