Some of us may have fond memories of the good old days of middle school. For all those who were less than happy to be labeled a nerd, or worse, middle school was a battleground of indignity and hurt, where the fear of the unknown intertwined with the fear that one might come home intact together. Because even in middle school when we’re supposed to be enjoying the peaceful transition into adolescence, many of us can’t forget that this is Tony Weaver Jr. and wack Hope it can improve.
Weaver, who heads a nonprofit that advocates for better mental health and learning self-acceptance, wrote this vivid memoir to show how he overcame bullying and embraced his inner weirdness as a teenager. Weird People doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations; instead, Weaver uses his childhood experiences to convey the importance of addressing what some consider the emotional dissonance caused by middle school orgies. He explores mental health issues with gentle humor and is a worthwhile read for parents.
beat spoke with Weaver about Weirdo, his work with Weird Enough Productions and his journey towards self-acceptance and self-love.
Nancy Powell: What is wack All about?
Tony Weaver Jr.: This is a guidebook for self-love and confidence for nerdy kids. This is a middle grade graphic novel that chronicles my personal journey of overcoming depression, anxiety, and suicide, and learning how to love myself in the process. Many kids these days are struggling with mental health, stories saved me when my mental health was at risk, so I created a story to help save kids who are dealing with the same issues. The concepts we’re talking about can be pretty heavy, but it’s ultimately a positive and happy story filled with plenty of anime and video game references that help people feel seen and acknowledged.
Powell: Why did you choose the graphic novel format to tell this story?
Weaver: I’m a huge comic book and comics fan, especially comics! When I was younger, comic book stories were the stories that really impacted me, and my first priority when creating this book was to make sure it appealed to young people and was something they could immediately engage with. Additionally, when you look at current market trends regarding children’s interest in comics and graphic novels, it makes sense for the book to be in this format. Also, I think illustrations and images can express things in ways that words can’t, and the illustrators I worked with on this book, Jes & Cin, did an incredible job of creating these immersive moments that I think These moments drive the story forward.
Powell: Reading your story reminded me of some painful experiences with being “different,” but I think you handled it well. Can you talk about how the story developed?
Weaver: so, wack It’s a memoir, and it’s a very honest memoir. 99.9% of the events in the story are taken directly from my real life, with just a few names and very small details changed, so I didn’t need to “expand” the story too much. If anything, I have to come up with something, and I have to figure out which events make the most sense to best explore. They’re all experiences I’ve overcome, experiences I’ve met as friends, and to me they really embody the spirit of the book.
Powell: How long did it take you to write?
Weaver: I’ve spent a lifetime creating this story. When it came time for me to sit down to write, I spent months outlining in a notebook, not really writing, but identifying what I thought were the most important events and the order in which they should appear in the story. Once I had it all together, I put it down on paper in about a month. This book is very important to me and has been in my heart from the beginning. I also think, as a writer, I move very quickly.
Powell: Growing up, which superheroes did you turn to to blow off steam?
Weaver: I’m more of a comic book fan than a superhero fan. I have a Spider-Man 2099 action figure, which is crazy considering how popular he is right now. I love Miguel O’Hara’s revival, but I spent a lot of time with NarutoMembers of Konoha Village, Rock Lee and Gaara of Hidden Sand Village. I think Naruto It was really that series for me, it definitely gave me a safe place. There is a moment wack We had a lot of reference to Rock Lee’s fight with Gaara during the Chuunin Exams, because Rock Lee’s moment in that fight, he ended up losing, but his sensei was proud of him anyway, which of course means Lots of tomes!
Powell: Your work at Weird Enough Productions has thrust you into the spotlight. What impact does this have on your own mental health?
Weaver: I confess that I think I have to relearn positive mental health habits for myself while running Weird Enough Productions. I started this project when I was a junior in college, especially because I was deeply aware of how the teen mental health crisis affects kids even before COVID-19. In trying to support children with my passion, I ended up exhibiting a series of behaviors that were really harmful to me. I wasn’t getting enough rest, I wasn’t giving my team members the rest they needed, and I was constantly in “forward” mode. Ultimately, this is unsustainable. My heart was in the right place because I was so passionate about helping kids that I was willing to sacrifice a little bit of myself to make sure it happened.
What I learned is that if I really love the work I’m doing and I really want to create impact, I have to love it enough to learn how to do it sustainably. Part of the reason is wack It came about because I was traveling across the country to two or three cities a week trying to run workshops for kids, and there was only so much I could do as a human being, but a book could live in something I couldn’t place. A book can be in every classroom, every locker, every backpack and every bookshelf, and a commitment to sustainably working for positive mental health is where it comes from.
Powell: Today’s kids face unenviable pressure to succeed and adapt in today’s world, and that pressure doesn’t seem to be going away. What practical steps do you think society and parents can take to advocate for these mental health issues?
Weaver: I think a lot of the pressure that kids face comes from the private sector. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the public education system has become a training ground for the future needs of the private sector, and I just don’t think that’s the way it should be. I believe the public education system should be a place focused on allowing students to develop their intelligence and agency so that they can live the lives they want. As long as we let our national curriculum change according to the demands of whatever random negative externalities the private sector is dealing with, there will always be this obvious pressure on children.
I think it starts with the entire public education system. This kind of systemic change will take some time. So while we wait, I think parents just need to make it clear to their children that their love for them and the fact that their support is unconditional. I think a lot of kids don’t hear that openly from their parents, that they know, “Hey, I love you as an individual, not just for what you accomplished academically.” I think from those conversations It can help kids walk into these rooms with less stress at first, but eventually, we have to completely change the entire system.
Powell: I also think parents have a blind spot when it comes to success, and many high-achieving parents forget how they were treated when they were young. How can parents educate themselves on how to manage the stress their children face?
Weaver: I think the meaningful but also somewhat cliche answer here is that you have to build a relationship with your child. The reason many young people struggle with mental health is because their parents struggled with mental health, their parents were children whose mental health was not supported, and now they have grown up and their children are not supported for their mental health. . To support today’s youth, a level of intergenerational healing is needed.
When my mom put me in therapy, it was a big deal because my mom wasn’t in therapy, my dad wasn’t in therapy, and they were both definitely in a place where they could benefit from it, but their mental health didn’t improve. Things that come to mind. Especially in the black community, a lot of us are in survival mode and really focused on “go, go, go, survive, survive, survive,” and when you go through life like that, and then you bring kids into that life, it can be a little difficult for you to look at your children and try to prioritize their agency and freedom when you can’t simultaneously prioritize those things in your own personal life. I think parents put pressure on their children and they have to do personal work to remove that pressure first.
Powell: If you could give your younger self some advice, knowing what you know now, what would it be?
Weaver: I would say play more video games with your friends! As an adult, one of the things I miss the most is being able to hop on MapleStory or Halo 3 and see a 16-person lobby inside where I could play the game with my friends. These were all relationships, many of which I still have today, but which I wish I had spent more time cultivating. Even when I was in college and I was building Weird Enough, I kept myself locked in my room and didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to really build social community and connections. This is the advice I would give to my younger self: You don’t have to do it all alone. If you can get over some of your worries about facing and dealing with people, there are some really amazing people waiting to live with you.
Powell: Is there anything you want to say about this new graphic novel? Will this be an ongoing series?
Weaver: My goal is to have many series take place in wack! They may not be as biographical as the first book, but if anyone is curious about this book or is really on the fence, I want you to know that this is a positive story. Some people tend to avoid talking about mental health issues, but these are not things we cannot avoid. You either have the conversation when you want to or you have to have the conversation, but the conversation will happen.
My real goal in writing this book is to provide a resource for kids and every adult, whether it’s a parent, teacher, or librarian, who has a young person in their life that they care about who can help them through their mental health journey . It’s a journey that we all have to go on, I think wack It’s just a great way to prepare them for it. This is not just a book; I call it a sword. This is a sword forged from a lifetime of experience, and I hope readers will be able to use it to slay any dragon that stands in the way of them and their personal goals!
Now, an exclusive preview of Weaver’s new graphic memoir wackwill be available in bookstores on September 17, 2024:
