THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 7
LOCAL LITERARY HIGHLIGHTS
bendbulletin.com/goread
Roundabout presents ‘Bravey’ author Pappas
BY DAVID JASPER • The Bulletin
M
any people would be perfectly happy with a single talent that makes them stand out: With the publication of her debut memoir, “Bravey,” Olympic
runner Alexi Pappas, who has also written and starred in films including 2017’s “Tracktown” and 2019’s “Olympic Dreams,” has proven herself a
multiple threat.
But it hasn’t been an easy path for Pap-
pas, 30, who was just 4 when her mother,
who suffered from depression, committed
suicide. In “Bravey” (a word she first coined
in a short poem) she discusses frankly her
search for female role models, be it the
mother of a friend or a teacher, as well as her
own battle with depression.
At 6 p.m. on March 11, Roundabout
Books will host a Zoom event featuring
Pappas in conversation with shop owner
Cassie Clemans. Tickets for the event
and a copy of
“Bravey” are $30.
Formerly a res-
ident of Eugene,
Pappas now lives
in Los Angeles with
husband and film
collaborator Jer-
emy Teicher. With
the many demands
on her time, Pap-
pas took part in an
email Q&A with GO!
Magazine. For tickets
and more information
about Pappas and her
Roundabout event, visit
roundaboutbooks.com/
events
How did you come
up with the word
‘bravey,’ and can you ex-
plain what it means to you?
I actually answer this very question in
the introduction to my book! Without
giving away too much, the word “bravey”
came from a poem I wrote and shared on so-
cial media back when I was running for the
University of Oregon: “run like a bravey /
sleep like a baby / dream like a crazy / replace
can’t with maybe.” The word “bravey” became
the label of a mini-movement, a self-identifier
for those who make the choice to replace can’t
with maybe and pursue their dreams. It’s a
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A:
switch we can flip in our mind.
What kinds of early reactions are you
hearing from readers of “Bravey”?
I have been absolutely loving the pho-
tos I’ve been seeing on social media of
people around the world with their hardcover
copies of “Bravey,” along with their often ex-
tremely thoughtful captions about what parts
of the book have spoken to most to them.
Whether the book is joining you in the sun by
the pool, on the subway to work, or under a
blanket by the fire, I get so happy
seeing “Bravey” find its way in
the world.
What was the most dif-
ficult part of writing the
book for you?
I found the process of
organizing all of my sto-
ries, lessons, and experiences
into a single cohesive order
to be the most challenging
part of the writing process.
“Bravey” spans so many dif-
ferent parts of my life, from
losing my mother to suicide
to growing up and look-
ing for female mentors, to
making movies and com-
peting in the Olympics, to
my own experience with
post-Olympic depression
— it took lots of time and
editing to make sure everything built on each
other in a synergistic way.
How did writing “Bravey” compare
to other work you’ve done, such as
writing the films “Tracktown” or “Olympic
Dreams”? Do you prefer one kind of writing
over another?
Writing movies and writing a book are
two tremendously different undertak-
ings! Both are collaborative in their own way,
with the biggest difference being that book
writing builds towards a final document that
is set in stone, while a script builds towards ul-
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timately handing the reins over to your actors.
Each is magical in its own way.
Between your film work with the likes
of Nick Kroll, reading Maya Rudolph’s
introduction and seeing that you’ll be in con-
versation with Bill Hader at SXSW, it’s gotten
me wondering about what similarities and
differences you see between athletes and co-
medians/actors. Two highly different species,
or is there quite a bit of overlap in terms of
Q:
personalities, perseverance, work ethic? Are
you more comfortable in one world than the
other?
I believe that art, just like athletics, is a
discipline that we can explore and im-
prove through practice and hard work. Talent
matters, but hard work matters more. Arts
and sports have more in common than people
think!
A:
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