We had the pleasure of talking to Alex Wheatle who will be guest at international literature festival berlin (ilb) 2019 reading from his young adult book series set in a fictional neighborhood called Crongton. Alex Wheatle was born in Brixton, first started writing about everyday life in Brixton, then turned to young adult literature. His novel "Liccle Bit" was published in 2015, "Crongton Knights" in 2016 and "Straight Outta Crongton" in 2017. His books have been translated into German, Welsh, French, Italian, and Japanese. Alex Wheatle was awarded the Order of the British Empire for Services to Literature in 2008, among other honours. In addition to his writing activities, he teaches creative writing at schools.
How many ideas for potential works do you have in your head?
At the moment I have two ideas in my head – another Crongton novel and another historical Caribbean tale.
When working on a new project, how do you sift through competing ideas in order to move forward?
I pick the idea where the characters and story have developed more vividly in my mind.
What writing habit do you have that you feel is impossible to shift? (That could be a particular snack, writing hours, location, caffeine consumption etc.)
I always write in the morning after I have a mint tea and Weetabix cereal or toast.
The international literature festival berlin (ilb) has become an essential part of the literary calendar of Berlin. What do you connect with the city?
I connect Berlin with great creativity and writing. I think of the actresses and filmmakers who started their careers there and the great writers. It has a rich history of artistic invention.
