Librarian Natalie McCall knew she wanted to chat with Randy Ribay after reading his novel After the Shot Drops, her favorite book about school and basketball since Hoop Dreams. His latest book, Patron Saints of Nothing, is a National Book Award finalist. It’s a gripping coming-of-age story about a teenager who travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth about his cousin’s life and murder.

Randy’s eight books ranged from children’s fantasy to b-boy poetry to short stories. The two James Baldwin fans talked about everything from writing as an instrument for justice to trying to understand your 8 year old mind to the life changing magic of seeing yourself in a book.

Randy’s Eight