Another Tuesday, another book date—this time with Alex Williams, who I previously interviewed about the bag she carries her books in. Her taste is impeccable and every time I see her I have to stop myself from inquiring about her skin care routine (or outright touching her face). In addition to being fly, Alex is a brilliant poet. Every once in a while she’ll bless us with a piece on Instagram, an event I always look forward to. She has a way of getting to the heart of life’s truths via everyday observations and I always find myself so affected by her work. Needless to say I was thrilled when she said yes to a book date. Alex picked McNally Jackson in Williamsburg for our hang, a bookstore I’ll always love because it’s where I got engaged. Sentimental value aside, it’s a great bookstore. The staff is lovely, the selection is great, and the stationery section is dangerous. We spent our date giggling in the YA section, commiserating about being Jamaican, and shopping for gay books. Read about it below!
Please state your name for the record.
What do you do?
I go for long walks in the park. I get coffee in the morning. I’m a creative director at TikTok. I do ceramics. Part time because I’ve been traveling a lot for work.
Where are you from?
Long Island. Baldwin, so south shore by Long Beach.
How has it shaped you?
It was interesting. I always went to school with a lot of characters. I always tell people it was like Degrassi. The shit y’all watched on TV, that’s what I was living through. Maybe that’s why I’m not constantly surprised by things, because I experienced a lot of characters. My mom was also very curious so she sent me to Japan when I was 15 for school for four months. So then there were more characters.
How did you get into reading?
I talked a lot as a kid and I didn’t like to sleep, so when I slept over my cousin’s house or if my mom wanted me to sleep she’d give me books to read. Before I could actually read I would just pick up books and make up stories in my head. I had this thick red book, with all the Disney stories, Walt Disney's Treasury of Children's Classics, and I would read it to anyone who slept over. The stories I came up with were actually entertaining and it would put me and whoever was listening to sleep. When I got to the Harry Potter stage I would have to do good in school to get a book. When other people got video games, I got books. I still have all the books my mom gave me and her notes in them. My mom is a woman of few emotional words so it’s cute.
Did you read a lot as a teenager?
I did. I was by myself a lot. A lot of in between moments. My mom would leave me at the library with change and when I was done I would call her on the payphone or I would go to one of the librarians and they would call. That was how I passed time, so when I wasn’t at a library I would just pick up a book. I was a very curious kid so any question that I had, my mom would provide answers through books. When I was 14, my cousin and her sister were talking about losing their virginity and I went home and asked my mom. At the time, she worked as a sex educator in schools and the most embarrassing thing about asking your mom about sex as as sex educator is that she had all the materials. So it wasn’t just conversations, it was books. At school it was my secret pastime. I would read in the bathroom because I didn’t want to read in the common areas. I enjoyed it but I didn’t think it was cool.
What books did you love as a teenager?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I remember the first time I wanted to read Harry Potter and my mom was like, witchcraft, and I was like it’s my witchcraft. If I have to read ‘The Color Purple’ I’m also reading Harry Potter. I also read a lot of biographies. I remember the first time I read Jackie Robinson’s biography. And then for a few years that’s who I wanted to be. Clearly gay. After that I kept asking for bios. I also read The Coldest Winter Ever. There was a girl who lived down the block from me named Winter and I was like, Is this about you?
How many books did you read last year?
I didn’t count.
Okay, any notable ones?
The one that stands out the most is The Power of Now. Someone told me to read it. If someone tells me to read something I’m going to read it and try to finish it. I liked it because I didn’t enjoy all of it. It challenged me to think about a lot of ways I exist. It’s really hard to tell me if I’m doing something right or wrong. I like existing in my own truth. If I think this is right, I’ve worked a really long time to make sure I feel good in that being right. It’s the same in reverse. While reading that book I was like, hmm, do I really believe this is right? Or is this my standard of existing? Annoying author but challenging book in the way that I had good conversations with myself.
First book you read last year?
I reread All About Love. I wrote all throughout it. I had it everywhere with me, like a Bible. When I first read bell hooks, especially All About Love I thought it was the answer. I put her on a pedestal. I wanted her to give me a new perspective and a new answer so I was yes-manning her. Reading it again I realize I actually don’t agree with everything, but not in a bad way. I’ve established my own views on love based on what I’ve learned. When I first read it, I didn’t have much of a foundation of what I believed in.
Describe your reading taste.
I’ll read it all, but the end of my twenties, early thirties, it was a bit serious. Historical, educational, self-help. But then I started mixing. Before that I loved novels, sci-fi, and YA. Now I want to go back to that. I’m always trying to make sure I’m keeping up with the times and challenging myself but I do want to go back to the enjoyment of reading for entertainment.
Onto the books we bought!
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