Camryn Garrett: An Author Reminding Us That We Have More Power in Our Voices Than We Might Think
Camryn Garrett has always been an avid reader. When she was a little girl, her dad used to take her to the bookstore and let her get any two books she wanted. She recalls her love for the Percy Jackson series, the American Girl books, Pam Muñoz Ryan’s novels, and specific titles including Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Ella Enchanted, and The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester. Through her adoration of reading, she quickly became interested in writing. She cites writing fanfiction as the first experience she had writing “actual prose.” It was not until she heard Twilight author Stephanie Meyer urge young writers to write their own original stories rather than build on existing literary universes that Camryn thought to herself, “Maybe I can do this too.”
PHOTO by LOUISA WELLS
Camryn’s first novel, Full Disclosure, came out in 2019 when she was only 19 years old. The book received praise across the board, with Shondaland calling the book its “YA novel of the year” and Teen Vogue spotlighting her and Full Disclosure in their annual 21 under 21 list. Her second novel, Off the Record, recently released on May 18th. Off the Record follows the story of Josie Wright, a 17-year-old writer who gets her big break writing a celebrity profile on Marius Canet for a magazine. Throughout the novel Josie wrestles with her growing feelings for Marius, a terrible secret the actress has shared with her, and the stresses of an industry she is new to. Faced with the opportunity to report on a story about sexual assault, Josie is forced to ask herself whether she is willing to expose the man responsible. This novel is not only a moving testament to the #MeToo movement but also a show of women supporting one another in the most difficult of times.
Off the Record touches on issues from fat acceptance to problematic idols, but what the book seems to really spotlight is the issue of sexual harassment, specifically sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. Featuring a Black queer journalist who not only has survived sexual assault but also assumes the responsibility of reporting on abuse after she uncovers some disturbing things about the industry she is operating within, Off the Record took on new weights and meanings amidst growing awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual assault. When Camryn wrote the first draft of the novel, the subject of #MeToo was incredibly present both online and off, and she was spending a lot of time thinking about how that impacted her. As someone who uses writing as a way to process her feelings, she says, “I wanted to explore the idea of having more power than you initially think you do as well as the idea that Black women will save the world. I do agree that Black women are awesome and can do anything, but I wanted to show that we can also be vulnerable and have anxiety disorders and just generally be insecure. At the same time, though, I wanted to show a Black teen girl doing something amazing because it happens all the time in real life.”
Knowing that she was writing about a difficult subject, Camryn took the time to speak with journalists who were experienced in reporting about sexual assault. While she was writing the book, Camryn was already aware of the #MeToo allegations and cases. “I think a lot of the research came after I’d written a draft. I talked to women about their experiences with sexual assault and read more about journalists who broke the stories, like Meg Twomey and Jodi Kantor, to see what the process was like,” Camryn recalls.
PHOTO by CAMRYN GARRETT
Camryn faces an additional set of challenges and pressures as a young Black writer. With a presence in the young adult genre, a space generally dominated by white authors, Camryn describes feeling a tremendous amount of pressure for her to be writing specific stories, “I think lots of Black authors are writing stories about Black kids having ‘normal’ experiences, ones that white kids get stories about, but they don’t get promoted the way they should. It seems like the industry and non-Black readers are only interested in Black stories when they’re explicitly about racism or police brutality, which I think can be frustrating for all of us.” She continues, “I want to see more stories like The Meet Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson or Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant get the promotion and attention they deserve.” But Camryn remains hopeful given the growing number of Black writers and knowing that there are individuals that she can reach out to if she ever needs someone to lean on: “I think it’s great that there are more of us so we can talk about our struggles and experiences together.”
“I wanted to explore the idea of having more power than you initially think you do as well as the idea that Black women will save the world. I do agree that Black women are awesome and can do anything, but I wanted to show that we can also be vulnerable and have anxiety disorders and just generally be insecure. At the same time, though, I wanted to show a Black teen girl doing something amazing because it happens all the time in real life.”
Beyond writing novels, Camryn also studies film at NYU Tisch. While balancing a college career and a full-time author gig can be difficult, Camryn has found ways that work for her to keep her balance. “It’s hard,” she says, “I think it was easier in high school, honestly, which I wasn’t expecting. I put everything on my calendar and have tons of lists. Sometimes, though, I get overwhelmed and just have to spend a day watching TV and eating ice cream.”
Camryn has managed to do what a lot of us dream about doing in our spare time or in our bedrooms at 3 AM mid-Wattpad story: she has created her own literary universe. She plans to continue telling these kinds of stories as she gets older. Finally, I had an inkling that Camryn might have some fabulous recommendations for books to look forward to this year, and she did. So, here they are:
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan
Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson
Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
STORY SOPHIE MONTALBAN