In Conversation With Micah Dawanyi
Interviewed by Sheena, external communications for The Literature Garden.
S: To start off, please could you introduce yourself to the literature garden audience?
M: Absolutely! So my name is Micah Dawanyi, and I’m a novelist/illustrator based in Miami, USA. I grew up playing sports primarily but had to quit at 15 due to life-threatening heart complications. It’s interesting to look back now because my incredibly tragic ending to the sports world is what opened up the pathway to get into the arts. I started taking creative writing electives in school and joined the journalism club, and then I branched out with my own debut publication in 2020, and that’s what really started everything!
S: Wow, you’ve certainly been through a lot, and it’s so great to hear how you’ve navigated that. How much of your own experience goes into what you’ve written, and to what extent is your aim to explore a perspective completely different from your own?
M: Thank you! It’s definitely been a journey but one that I am grateful for. To answer your question, in my stories, there is room for both. I use my experiences to understand the emotional/thematic core of my stories, but the actual tangible plot points don’t have to be pulled from my life. I also think, naturally, you should have different characters with different perspectives in your stories to create dynamism. So I’m very curious in coming outside of myself to explore other perspectives that can be reflected in certain parts of each story. Even if I want to touch on one idea, I can have different characters with different perspectives reacting to that same idea.
S: So where is it that you start from when you want to create a character, and do you have a process to build their inner world, whilst also keeping in mind that overall message that you want to convey?
M: In the past I would start from a personal place of reflection. It was more about understanding my own inner world, in terms of themes, and then amplifying certain elements to create a lead character. For example, my novel When the Record Stops Spinning deals with themes like escapism and the dangers of romanticizing nostalgia. You see these themes being wrestled with as the lead characters embark on their journeys in the story. The plot has nothing to do with my actual life, but I was reflecting on my experience leaving behind the version of myself that existed in the sports world… specifically the grief that came with that
But with my latest novel, SHILOH, something really interesting happened. I drew the lead character’s face on the cover first, and I just let that image inspire me to create his personality, circumstances, and inner world.
S: I was going to mention, the art for the cover is breathtaking! Do you think that you write because you feel compelled to in order to process experiences or explore characters, or do you have further goals in mind that you aim to achieve or communicate to a reader?
M: Thank you! It was one of the rare cases where I was able to finish a drawing in under two days. Inspiration really just took over, before I even understood the world that I would go on to build.
I definitely write to understand my own humanity. Writing to me feels like going to war with yourself, but in the most beautiful way possible. I’m moreso considering the audience in the execution of my ideas, and in terms of thematic relevance. If I can educate, enlighten, and empower with my work, that’s what I’ll aim to do. But it’s a very interior process, at least initially.
S: That’s beautiful. What genres and literary techniques do you enjoy and feel comfortable using the most, and what literary spheres do you want to explore that you have yet to?
M: I definitely prefer first-person, past tense, and I like to use a contemporary, conversational style for my prose. In terms of genres, I’ve been writing speculative fiction as of late, and that’s been really fun. I love a good “what-if” premise even in other books and movies, so coming up with my own ideas has been exciting.
In terms of the future, I think it’d be criminal if, considering my background, I never wrote a sports drama. But I’m also very interested in romance!
S: Haha of course, I love that variety! What is it about speculative fiction that’s so compelling to you to both write in and consume as a reader?
M: I think speculative fiction just occupies an interesting space. Sci-fi and fantasy elements are combined with grounded, humanistic themes. So it gives your imagination that dopamine rush but also allows you to reflect on profound ideas at the same time!
S: Do you have any favourite creative works within that space, as well as overall across genres, that have stuck with you and why?
M: In speculative fiction, Dune and Avatar: The Last Airbender come to mind. These probably lean heavier into sci-fi and fantasy but still feel very grounded. I love stories that connect our individual journeys to broader sociopolitical issues, and both creative works do that. They offer incredible commentary on destiny, love, and ethics, but also speak broadly to themes like imperialism. And on a simplistic level, they’re just really cool, lol!
S: I totally agree! Looking broader, what would you say that art, music and literature mean to you as creative forms?
M: They mean the world to me. They’re beautiful tools for understanding ourselves, and they also connect us to other people. I also think they have the capacity to transcend time and revolutionize societies, which is incredible to think about.
S: What would be the societal changes that you’d like to see enacted through your work?
M: Most of my work sits at the intersection of mental health and social justice, so I’d love to see more empathy and consideration for the lived experiences of others. These things are the foundation for policy and structural change, so I think we have to start there.
S: I couldn’t agree more. Thank you so much for taking the time for an interview, it’s been an honour to get more insight!!
