This week on The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with Abi Maxwell, author of the memoir, One Day I’ll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Mother’s Story (Alfred A. Knopf), now available in paperback with the sub-title “A Story of Motherhood and Transgender Rights in Rural America” (pictured below).
Abi was born and raised in rural New Hampshire, in a small mill town where her family lived for generations. As an adult, Abi and her family move into the ranch house that once belonged to her grandparents. But when their six-year-old, known to the world as a boy, wears pink sneakers, grows her hair long, and announces that she is a girl, the community turns their back on her, attempting to ban the young child from their bathrooms, their books, their sports teams. Her memoir combines the story of her own childhood with the story of her fight against the school board, state lawmakers, and her neighbors.
This conversation was recorded in Missoula, Montana, in June 2025, when Abi visited as a guest of the Missoula Public Library. It has been edited for time.
About Abi:
Abi Maxwell is the author of the novels Lake People and The Den. After graduating from the writing program at the University of Montana, she spent many years working in public libraries, and she now works as a high school librarian. She is a dedicated advocate for the rights of transgender youth in her state and frequently testifies in front of the legislature on their behalf.
Abi Maxwell recommends:
It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn, illustrated by Noah Grigni (Henry Holt and Co.)
I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas (Dial Books)
Stonewall by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jamey Christoph (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki (First Second)
The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag (Graphix; from the Witch Boy trilogy, book one)
Lumberjanes series by Grace Ellis by Shannon Watters, ND Stevenson, and Grace Ellis; illustrated by Gus Allen and Casey Nowak (BOOM!Box)
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (Oni Press)
Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt (Penguin Random House)
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Riverhead Books)
Orlando by Virginia Woolf (Mariner Books Classics)
Lauren Korn recommends:
One Day I’ll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Mother’s Story (Alfred A. Knopf) and Lake People (Vintage Books) by Abi Maxwell
Little Fish by Casey Plett (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Time is the Thing a Body Moves Through by T. Fleischmann (Coffee House Press)
Stag Dance and Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (One World; Penguin Random House)
Woodworking by Emily St. James (Crooked Media Reads)
Transgenesis by Ava Nathaniel Winter (Milkweed Editions)
We Want it All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics edited by Andrea Abi-Karam and Kay Gabriel (Nightboat Books); listen to Lauren’s conversation with Andrea and Kay here!
Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics edited by TC Tolbert and Trace Peterson (Nightboat Books)
Transitory by Subhaga Crystal Bacon (BOA Editions)
None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza (Feminist Press)
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The Write Question team for this episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, co-producer, editor, and sound engineer. This episode is supported by Bookworks of Whitefish, offering new books of all genres, stationery, and puzzles. Open 11AM to 6PM Monday through Saturday. Located in downtown Whitefish, Montana, in the Third & Spokane Building.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
