Exclusive Interview with Author Antwan Eady

Antwan Eady’s debut picture book, Nigel and the Moon, illustrated by Gracey Zhang, was selected as Jumpstart Read for the Record in 2022 and is being celebrated again this February as part of the program’s 20th anniversary. The lyrical story follows a boy with big dreams who hesitates to share them, especially with his class during Career Week. Nigel and the Moon struck a meaningful chord with First Book members and their students, resonating deeply with young readers navigating confidence, ambition, and self-expression.

First Book: You describe your childhood in South Carolina as being very outdoors-focused – lots of fishing and four-wheeling. Were you always a writer, too?

Antwan: Yes, I have always been a writer. When I was in the second grade, visiting family, my cousin playfully recited Dr. Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise” one day. I didn’t know what to call that style and rhythm of writing at the time, but whatever it was, I knew I wanted to do it.

First Book: What is it that appeals to you about writing for children?

Antwan: Imagination. Possibility. The idea of dreaming and thinking outside of boxes. The idea of limitlessness. All of it appeals to me. As adults, we’re all aware of how (and maybe even when) we lose all the above. Writing for young dreamers is my way of ensuring that they never lose it, while simultaneously reconnecting with it myself.

Writing for young dreamers is my way of ensuring that they never lose it, while simultaneously reconnecting with it myself.

First Book: In both of your other picture books, The Last Stand and The Gathering Table, food is what brings folks together. Even in Nigel, family breakfast has a brief but prominent spotlight. What is it that draws you to food?

Antwan: Absolutely! What a beautiful connection you’ve drawn here. Food connects families and communities in ways I’ve always appreciated as a son of the South…as someone of Gullah Geechee descent. When there’s food on a table, there’s an opportunity for traditions and customs to be passed on, there’s an opportunity for bridges to be built and rebuilt across generations, and, of course, there’s laughter too. Food does that as much as it tells the story of our culture, and what a joy it is to share our culture with others in ways that nourish our minds as much as our bodies.

First Book: You are the first in your family to graduate college. What can you tell us about that, and about your decision to pursue writing and poetry. A lot of students, perhaps especially first-generation college students, pursue professions with more financial security.

Antwan: I didn’t study writing and poetry. My background is in animal medicine, but as a first-generation college student, I’d switch majors a few times – all of which dealt with the sciences. You’re correct in stating that most pursue professions with financial security because that’s exactly what I thought I should do. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I was brave enough to share my dream of becoming an author. By then, it was time to graduate, so that’s what I did. I found my way to this industry many years later. But there are moments when I wonder, “What if?” What if I had been brave enough to speak aloud what I wanted to become early on? What if I had majored in English or Creative Writing? But here I am! haha.

It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I was brave enough to share my dream of becoming an author.

First Book: Lastly, what did you like to read as a kid? And are there any teachers or librarians from your childhood that you’d like to shout out?

Antwan: One of the issues that I’m vocal about, especially as a published author, is that I didn’t have access to a lot of literature. Growing up, the closest library was 10 miles away from our home. The nearest bookstore was almost 2 hours away. And my school, as economically disadvantaged as they were, didn’t have libraries that were current/updated. But when I was younger, my mom worked as a housekeeper on Hilton Head Island for a few years. When found picture books went unclaimed, she’d bring those books home to me. I read those. I loved those! My parents also kept, what I call, the Black Encyclopedia. There were volumes and volumes of information on Black history and people who’ve shaped so many industries and our world. I remember reading those in the fourth grade and beyond. I read whatever I could get my hands on, honestly. From the Scholastic Book Fair to Jet and Ebony Magazines in the barbershop, as I waited to get my hair cut. But as much as I may not have had a physical book to read, I was surrounded by amazing storytellers in my family and community. In our home and in our church. So, in many ways, I was rich! I’m grateful for all my teachers, especially every English teacher I’ve ever had.

We hope you and your students are inspired by the big dreams of both Antwan Eady and Nigel. From imagination and courage to culture and community, Antwan’s reflections offer powerful entry points for classroom conversation.

Get your copy of Nigel and the Moon (Jumpstart Read for the Record Edition) today on the First Book Marketplace, and invite your students to dream big and share their own aspirations.

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