Amber McBride has always lived in the space where stories, family history, and everyday magic overlap. A poet, novelist, National Book Award finalist, and proud folklorist, she grew up surrounded by books, oral tradition, and relatives who encouraged her to speak up and create.
Born into a military family and raised across several states before settling in Northern Virginia and ultimately near Charlottesville, McBride spent summers in Keswick with her grandmother, with days without internet or distraction, just plenty of room to imagine.
That mix of movement, rootedness, and tradition shapes everything she writes. Whether she’s working in verse or prose, Amber McBride follows her characters first, letting their inner worlds guide the story. Her work often weaves in elements of hoodoo, ghost lore, and the beliefs she was raised with—not as fantasy, but as part of real life and identity. In conversation, she’s thoughtful, direct, and refreshingly open about how family, community, and creativity continue to anchor her.
CharlottesvilleFamily talked with the local Charlottesville author and poet to learn about her influences, creative process, and what she hopes readers will take away from her work.
Folklore, Identity, and Childhood Summers in Charlottesville
CF: You describe yourself as a “folklorist,” which is such a rich image. What first drew you toward storytelling, and at what age did you know writing would become a major part of your life?
AM: I think that I was always a bit of a storyteller—I loved making up stories. There was something in me creating characters.
As I got into grade school, I realized I was good at writing. You weren’t taught that you could make a career out of being a writer in school. I didn’t take it seriously until college. I loved reading, loved writing, loved creating, and had a special interest in poetry. As a junior in college, I was like, wait, could I make a career out of this.
CF: Can you tell us about the place where you grew up? How did that environment influence your earliest memories and your sense of story?
AM: I’m from a military family, so we jumped around a lot. Born in Germany, lived in Boston, North Carolina, California, then finally landed in Northern Virginia. My dad is from Alexandria, and Mom is from Charlottesville.
I spent most of my time in Northern Virginia in Loudoun County. I lived in a house where there’s all of these books. If you wanted books, there was no question. I’d get a stack of books to read. One huge part of that is that my mom is from Charlottesville. In the summers, my mom would send me to Keswick to my grandmother’s. There was no cell service, no internet — just running around, enjoying life.
Being in white schools in Northern Virginia played into my identity of myself. Being with my family helped make me strong. I lived a childhood that I felt very lucky to have, and had parents that were very supportive all the time.
A Family of Storytellers and Magic
CF: Was there a particular person in your childhood or family who encouraged your creative side—reading, writing, telling tales—and what role did they play in the early stages of your becoming a writer?
AM: I come from a family of storytellers, in general… the oral tradition in general. I think that I am just in a place where people have always encouraged that in me. It took a long time for me to speak, but when I did, I had lots to say.
I was always encouraged to be creative—I was always encouraged to write. When I wrote a poem, everyone would gather around to listen. And they were proud of everything I do, and I have always felt really supported in that field.
CF: Growing up, were there specific folktales, family legends, cultural stories, or “magical” beliefs passed down that stayed with you and later appeared (explicitly or implicitly) in your work?
AM: I think that. So I practice hoodoo, an African American tradition that is ancestral and focused on herbalism and has a magical aspect. It’s really prevalent in my life, and it shows up in my books in some way, subtly or otherwise .My grandmother’s side of the family is very religious, so I grew up in that too. I grew up in a rich environment of religion, ghost stories, folklore, and then my own practices of hoodoo. I live in a whimsical kind of world. I don’t feel like I have a huge commitment to understand the things that I don’t understand.
My grandmother grew up in a haunted house—that’s a huge part that gets into my writing. Hoodoo is a huge part of everything that I do.
CF: You’ve spoken about belief in magick, ghosts, the unseen—how do those beliefs manifest in your creative process? Do you set out to write something “magical,” or do the unexpected elements arrive organically?
AM: I think unexpected elements arrive organically. It’s so much a part of who I am. I think that often what I write is called fantasy or magic realism, which I think is interesting because for a lot of people, it’s not fantasy, it’s a belief system. It’s just what I believe and what I’ve experienced. I’ve been taught throughout my life to believe these things, and any time I’ve questioned it, something happens to come back and say it’s something to believe in.
Family, Friendship, and Community
CF: Family and community are such central themes in your work. What does the idea of “family” mean to you today, and how does that definition show up in your stories?
AM: I think family is everything. Not just biological—found family and anything like that. I have chosen to live in a multi-generational household. To have so much wisdom, knowledge, and time that I know I’ll appreciate in the future… It’s an open friendship in that you don’t have to worry that they’re not wanting the best for you. As a person who has depression, it has been huge in my recovery.
I think that everyone… We have a lot more in common than we have differences. Look at how we deal with pain and grief—we can see that.
There’s also a central theme of friendship, family, you don’t have to do this thing on your own. There’s this person who wants the best for you as well. Young people need to hear that sometimes: that there’s someone outside of your family that wants the best for you.
Writing Both Poetry and Prose
CF: You’re both a novelist and a poet. How do you navigate the shift in mindset between writing prose and writing poetry? Do you approach them differently, and what do you gain from working in both forms?
AM: I don’t approach them differently. That’s why I use the term of being a folklorist. It’s about a character and what is happening. It’s more about understanding the character for me than a difference in writing.
The difference is in word count… You have a lot more space in prose, whereas in verse, you have to be much more aware of your word choice and what you’re saying because you only get so many characters in that space. The approach is pretty much the same, except more words sometimes.
CF: Are there new forms or genres you’re eager to explore next (for example, more children’s picture books, adult fiction, poetry, or something entirely different)? What role do you envision “family” playing in your future work?
AM: Yes. I am moving out of YA and more firmly into adult. A lot of my novels and verse are for young people. When adults are feeling stressed and want to read, there aren’t a lot of shorter options out there.
I’m looking at novel in verse for adults and adult Southern Gothic. This is fun to tinker with. And I have more brain space now that I’m full-time
A lot of my work has a lot of connection to ancestry, history, folklore, and the stories we create to explain what we can’t understand. One that I’m working on is what happens when we don’t take accountability for what happens in history.
Family and friendship are always going to come up in my work. It’s fun to do it in an adult space where there’s less restriction of what you can talk about
Family History and the Stories of Charlottesville
CF: Your debut novel, “Me(Moth)”, and your middle-grade novel, “Gone Wolf”, both garnered major acclaim. In hindsight, is there one scene or one character in either book that you feel most closely reflects your own family history or your own voice?
There’s something in each book. In “Moth,” the main character is a Black girl who lives in Northern Virginia—a lot of the creation of the story and the hoodoo is that. It felt good to write about things like places and hoodoo that are important to me. It’s also about how children sometimes tell stories to cope with things that are difficult.
Also, Charlottesville, Carter’s Mountain, and my church, are in the book; it’s really wonderful to write those aspects of the story and things that are so important to me.
CF: In your adult poetry collection, “Thick with Trouble”, the exploration of identity and womanhood within community is striking. How much of that collection was drawn from your own family story, and how much is imagined or adopted?
AM: Eighty percent is drawn from my own family story, personal poems from prominent Black women in my life. Very organic, very gritty stories I heard in Charlottesville growing up, steeped in this powerful storytelling from women.
On the Writing Process
CF: When you begin a new novel or poetry collection, what is your typical first step? Do you start with image, character, a mood, a folklore thread, or something else entirely?
AM: When I start a new book, I generally have a process of meditating and going on a walk. I never start without a name for a character, but they’re always unusual. Names that metaphorically make sense for the story. It can be weeks before I actually want to write something down on the page. A lot of walks with my character, a lot of imagination, kind of developing that character in a full sense before I put things down on the page. What story does that character want to tell? I don’t always know where it’s going. It’s organic and very character-driven.
CF: Many writers carry a “writing day ritual” or a way to trigger their creative mindset. Do you have a ritual, or a special space, that you return to when you’re entering the world of a new project?
My ritual is that I write every day. I think that sitting down and writing every day is what creates creativity. Also, I’m an avid reader, so that helps. Because I travel so much, I don’t try to get too connected to one spot. I usually drink tea, and I always have music on. I create a playlist for every book.
Just like a runner has to run every day, I have to write every day, or I feel like that muscle gets a little weak. If I’m writing every day I feel like I’m doing my best work.
CF: You’ve worked in academia (as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia and James Madison University) and now you write full-time. How has your role as an educator influenced the way you think about family, teaching storytelling, or community building?
AM: I think that I have a huge respect for all educators, it’s a lot of work at all levels. Being an assistant professor during a tumultuous time taught me a lot. I adore teaching and learned that when high school students become college students, they require a lot of love and a lot of grace. You need to help them to build and be able to go out into the world.
When I’m writing, I’m trying to write authentically and not be afraid of critiques, book bans, and write the story. Teaching made me a braver writer because I realized the audience that I’m writing to is really accepting and they believe in you. That reminder when you get to be about young people so much is really wonderful.
CF: How do you balance the demands of writing (which often require solitude) with the realities of family life, relationships, and community involvement?
I think I usually put my writing above all else. I’m still learning how to balance that excitement of creativity while understanding that rest, family, and community are part of that. But I do hope to get better at it.
CF: For aspiring writers who are also managing family commitments (children, caregiving, jobs), what advice would you give them about nurturing creativity while staying rooted in their lived lives and relationships?
AM: Creating spaces that make you feel creative is the best advice I have. The world is busy, but if you create your life around the importance of creativity and creating, that’s where it comes from, even when you’re busy
Connecting with Readers
CF: What do you hope readers take away from your writing? Is there a message or feeling you hope stays with them?
AM: I just hope that what most writers hope: that your books have characters that have you interested in some of their experiences, but that they’re universal and that people can relate. Also, the idea that we all do have a lot in common, and I hope that comes through.
I think that anybody who is a reader or a writer—for writers, all of your stories are important. For a reader, you don’t have to stick to the classics; you can find your new favorite book by exploring all of the genres.
Explore the Work of Amber McBride, Local Charlottesville Author and Poet
Amber McBride’s myriad books include The Leaving Room, Gone Wolf, and Magic Hoodoo Child. Her work continues to reach readers who connect with her honesty, sense of place, and deep attention to community. McBride’s books invite readers in with characters who feel real, stories that encourage reflection, and an ever-present sense of wonder.
Whether you are exploring her writing for the first time or returning to it, Amber McBride’s books offer a steady reminder that experiences, families, and the stories we share all hold power. Her voice will resonate with readers who value connection, curiosity, and the many ways we all find meaning in the world around us.
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JENNIFER WALDERA is an award-winning freelance writer published in numerous print and digital publications. When she’s not crafting creative content, Jennifer can be found exploring new spots, indulging in some quality time with a new novel or magazine, or streaming shows about food, drinks, and travel.