Ayana Gray is a New York Times bestselling author. Hailing from the peach state, Gray loves all things monsters, mythos, and melanin magic.
She is the brilliant mind behind the critically acclaimed Beasts of Prey trilogy, whose work reaches readers across the globe. Her stories have been translated into ten languages across five continents.
I got the chance to talk to Gray about the story that has the literary streets buzzing, I, Medusa. It’s a retelling of one of the most popular villains in Greek mythology– Medusa.
Gray didn’t just retell the story; she gave Medusa, aka Meddy, an identity outside the monster we have all come to know her as.
In this story, we meet Meddy, a young Black girl with long luscious locs, a big imagination, and an urge to find out what’s beyond the waters that surround the place she calls home.
When Meddy gets a chance to leave home, she takes it, but what she doesn’t know is that not everything that glitters is gold. She is wrongfully accused of a crime that she didn’t commit.
Her punishment? Her long locs are turned into snakes, and any man who looks at her turns to stone. But her story doesn’t end there. Meddy learns to use her newfound powers and finds her voice, which gives her life new meaning.
In this episode, I asked Gray what it was like writing a story that has been told so many times. How readers felt when they learned in this retelling that Medusa is a Black girl with locs, and the many themes and layers that she covered in her writing, I, Medusa.
Listen to the full episode below. Don’t forget to like, comment, and share!
