Interview: Jessixa Bagley
SARAH STEINBACHER: Named a Best Graphic Middle Grade Book of 2025, DEAR JACKIE, is “a funny, heartfelt look at growing up and pushing back against narrow expectations” (Kirkus). How is the coming-of-age experience that today’s kids face similar to previous generations and how is it different? And how do those things show up in your books?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: I think that kids still struggle with the universal challenges of maintaining relationships, identity, and staying true to who you are. After writing five middle grade graphic novels I see that these themes always resonate with young readers because kids will always go through the same those developmental stages. The specifics of language or how we communicate might change, but it’s all the same feels. I tend to have complicated relationships arise in friendships and family that characters have to navigate. Often around the main character making bad choices they need to unpack and figure out how to move forward from. I like to see that side of a character because I think its relatable. What kid hasn’t said something mean to a friend or sibling? I like showing that my characters aren’t always right or doing the right thing. Ultimately, I think kids need to see that even when they make mistakes or are unkind, they are still worthy of love.
SARAH STEINBACHER: “Highly recommended” (School Library Journal), DEAR JACKIE “deftly depicts the roller coaster of emotions that come with middle school, focusing on a girl negotiating her desire to fit in while remaining true to who she knows she is” (The Bulletin). What advice would you give gender non-conforming kids navigating changing relationships and societal expectations?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: It’s such a tough age! You are trying to make sense of friendships and where you stand in your family, all while being on this precipice of trying to figure out who you are-- and then add into that equation of not feeling like you are who the world expects you to be gender wise… it’s incredibly difficult. It’s like you are trying to listen to the voice inside, all the while it’s being sort of stamped down by social expectations to fit in. While I have always felt aligned with my gender as a female, as a kid my gender expression was outside of what I feel like I was expected to be as a girl at the time. I wasn’t into super girlie things. I preferred what we’d now consider more gender-neutral clothing. Now as an adult, I love expressing myself however I feel! I don’t feel like I have to concede any part of myself in how I show up. So, I guess my advice to my younger self or other kids that are gender non-conforming would be to just trust in who you are as best you can and know that your impulses to be a certain way aren’t wrong just because they are different. It might take practice and building up courage and resilience, but I would just try to listen to that voice as much as possible and give it space to come out as much as you can. Visualize your future self. They know who they are and they are waiting there just as you want them to be. Tap into them when you need that boost of courage to hold firm to who you are.
SARAH STEINBACHER: Your debut graphic novel, DUEL, is “a down-to-earth and emotional family story” (Horn Book) about “sisterly rivalry that’s also an earnest love letter to fencing” (Publisher’s Weekly). Kirkuscalled it “intense and complex, exploring siblings’ grief, love, and forgiveness.” Do you fence or play any other sports?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: I used to fence in college. That is where I got the inspiration for Duel. I never considered myself much of an athlete, but fencing helped me find a connection to sports. It’s like physical chess so the very nature of its strategy and attack/react compliments the fighting between the sisters in the book.
SARAH STEINBACHER: “Whimsy abounds” (Publishers Weekly) in your series-opening middle grade graphic novel, JAZZY THE WITCH IN BROOM DOOM, “a comical, witchy, and sweetly affirming read” (Kirkus). Horn Bookadded, “Amid the magic, this is a community-expectations-versus-individual-interests tale told with nuance, much of which Jazzy discovers along with readers.” Its sequel, JAZZY THE WITCH IN FRIEND FIASCO, releases on 7/14/26. If you were magical, what kind of witch would you be?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: One that could draw graphic novels faster! Seriously though (as serious as I can be about this) is that I’d want to have a strong connection with nature and know how to harness the magic in plants for spells. Flying on a broom would be cool too!
SARAH STEINBACHER: Set in Paris, your musical picture book, MAURICE, is a “sweet, quiet, contemplative story about the joys of sharing love” (Kirkus) that “charms, with…clarity about simple pleasures” (School Library Journal). Which of life’s simple pleasures do you enjoy most?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: Hanging out at the coffee shop with my family is one of my favorite things. We have a hot beverage and a treat while we talk and play Uno and draw. That’s a perfect morning to me.
SARAH STEINBACHER: School Library Journalcalledyour picture book, HENRY AND BEA, “a gentle story with a lesson about what true friends are made of” and Kirkussaid it’s a “simple, elegantly told tale…an excellent choice for themes of friendship and trust.” It’s “affirming in its acknowledgement that even the closest friendships go through ups and downs” (Horn Book). What qualities do you value most in a friend?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: The qualities I look for in a friend are someone who is thoughtful to the people around them, not just me. Making space for others, asking questions, and remembering the details in my life are so huge. I truly appreciate a friend who can empathize with me and offer support when I’m going through something. I’m naturally a fixer, but I learned from my own close relationships and from the character of Bea in the book that not everyone needs to have you fix their problems. Most of the time it’s just about being there to witness them and love them. And of course, the best kinds of friends are the ones who can make you laugh!
SARAH STEINBACHER: “Reassuring, consoling, and lovely,” (Booklist), your debut picture book, BOATS FOR PAPA, is “heartbreaking and hopeful, innocent and wise, a gentle story about healing and finding connection—both in the past and present” (Kirkus). Publishers Weeklycalled it “a deeply empathetic story” and School Library Journalsaid, “the only thing better than this title for anyone who has experience loss is the redemptive nature of time.” Why do children need books about ‘serious’ topics like loss and grief?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: Because we all experience loss and grief. Kids need safe places to explore those feelings attached to absence and to learn that they are part of life. The bundle or emotions (sadness, fear, confusion, anger, etc.) that come with loss and grief are hard feelings to have but seeing them in a book can show kids those complex feelings are normal. By seeing characters navigating grief and loss, a child can see themselves in those shared experiences and feel less alone—which is sometimes the only thing that helps when experiencing a loss. Kids can also learn how to express empathy for friends or family experiencing grief when they see those themes in books. It’s vital for them to look through life through a more complete lens so they are better equipped when they are faced with those situations in life.
SARAH STEINBACHER: As an author-illustrator, how does the writing process differ when you’re illustrating your own book versus when you partner with an outside illustrator?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: When I’m both writing and illustrating, I get the benefit of describing and showing what I see in my head. It makes it easier to know what to leave out in the writing and what to leave space for the art to tell. For picture books, I will write and sketch simultaneously—the art often informing what I need to edit in the words. Graphic novels I will write all the way through, but edit as I go while sketching because so much is happening in the art. But it’s different when I’m not illustrating for myself. When I work with an outside illustrator I can only go so far with the images in my head because I have to leave room for them to fill in those gaps with their own talents and instincts. I’ve only ever had my husband Aaron illustrate my writing, so I know what to expect from him. I completely trust his choices, and I let him bring the story into view. His taste and skill make it a safe and exciting process because I know he’ll bring so much to the page—more than just is there in the text. He brings the story to life. That’s why I enjoy illustrating for other writers. It’s a chance to envision a world, solve problems, and enhance what they have written.
SARAH STEINBACHER: What’s one writing tip you swear by?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: The best tip which is the hardest is to just put it on the page first and then edit it later. Self-editing in those first drafts especially is a creative killer and slows down the process. This is also a VERY hard tip to follow! I am still trying not to do it so much—even in this interview!
SARAH STEINBACHER: Do you have any other projects you’d like to share?
JESSIXA BAGLEY: My upcoming picture book The Back of The Universe comes out on September 8th! It’s a cozy bedtime book that is kind of like Powers of Ten meets a guided meditation for kids. It’s inspired by a nighttime ritual I would do with my son to help to get him to sleep when he was little.
Follow Jessixa through her website, Substack, and Instagram.
*****Pre-order Jessixa’s next graphic novel, JAZZY THE WITCH IN FRIEND FIASCO, available 7/14/26.*****
*****Pre-order Jessixa’s next picture book, THE BACK OF THE UNIVERSE, available 9/8/26.*****
