Artist Ariel Schrag. Photo by Kris Peterson.

Please note: The content of this article and books reviewed may not be appropriate for some readers. Parental guidance is suggested.

High school can “make you” or it can be a battle of biblical proportions. Both are true in Ariel Schrag’s graphic novels Potential and Awkward and Definition, published by Simon & Schuster. The final book in the series, Likewise, chronicling the author’s senior year of high school, is scheduled to be released next spring.

Potential chronicles Schrag’s junior year of high school, including, but not limited to, losing her virginity to a boy, a sexual awakening with her first lesbian lover, the divorce of her parents and smoking massive quantities of pot. The climax of her narrative occurs during the quintessential prom, with various sexual escapades.

Tales of Schrag’s sophomore and freshman years are revealed in Awkward and Definition. Schrag spent every summer writing and illustrating her personal experiences (and I mean very personal), which she would then print and sell to the Berkeley High School population in California.

Her line art is simple yet complex and is a solid fit with the saga it unfolds. However, it seems the characters she visually depicts are lacking in diversity, in that they look too similar to one another. On the other hand, her writing exposes many different layers of the characters’ social and academic lives. So if you’re feeling wild and want a juicy read, take a look at Potential and Awkward and Definition, though parental advisory is suggested.

Ariel Schrag’s fresh-to-death personality, candor and cool vibe were conveyed during a recent interview with JVibe. She talked about everything from sex to the muse for her graphic novels.

I read Potential is being made into a movie. Can you give readers the 411?
Right now we’re in the casting stage. Hopefully, we’ll be moving into production soon. I haven’t decided on a soundtrack yet. It’s kind of a ways off. But eventually, I’d love to use a lot of my friend Toby’s music. He’s in a group called Pale Boy. I think their music is wonderful!

In your graphic novels, you refer to drug usage. Do you think you might be glamorizing drug use?
I think a lot of teens experiment with drugs, and the way in which I experimented was one of the best-case scenarios. I was relatively safe about it and never really had any bad experiences from my experimentation. However, I would never tell any kids that they should use drugs.

What inspired you to chronicle your experiences at Berkeley High School?
My freshman year was just so exciting to me. I came from a small middle school and was really excited about attending such a huge high school with over 4,000 people. I had so many new experiences that I felt inspired to write about them.

What made your first year of high school so exciting?
I went from a small school with only 13 kids in my class to a high school with over 1,000 kids in my class. It was much more diverse. Also, at 14, you start to get interested in stuff like music and dating. Once you’re in high school, you really start to solidify your identity. You’re like: “This is who I am. This is who I’m going to be.” You start identifying with bands and music. Friendships become really intense. All of that happening, and having my first boyfriend, was very exciting, and I just wanted to share my experiences.

I read that you wrote for Showtime’s The L Word. Describe your experience writing for a hit TV show.
I wrote for them for two years and it was totally fun. It was a wonderful job. You basically sit in this room with other people and come up with story ideas for the show. I had a great time.

In your book Potential, you use the word “dyke” a lot. Do you think it gives others a license to use that word more freely and potentially reinforce negative stereotypes?
When I was using that word in high school, it didn’t have any negative connotations. It was just a word that everyone used. I think words are always defined by their intent. My friends and I were not using it with any negative connotations. You can tell that while reading the book. I think people who are gay should be more comfortable using slang terms. At the same time, one of my best friends, a straight boy, used the term also. But his intentions were always good, so it was never a problem. I never felt offended by him using it, even though other people might be surprised.

How did your parents react when you came out of the closet?
They were very open. I lived in Berkeley, which is a very liberal city, and that was a part of it too. But also, they were just really cool people. They taught me that it was fine to be whoever you wanted to be. They were always positive about gay people. So it was very easy for me.

Do you have any advice for teens about sex?
Stay safe—that’s for whether you’re straight or gay. You should always protect yourself against both pregnancy and STDs. Make sure you’re doing stuff because you really want to. I think a lot of teens have sex for the wrong reasons and wind up feeling uncomfortable or forced into things.

For more info on Ariel Schrag and her work, visit arielschrag.com.

Michele Pinczuk is a teen journalist who freelances for several publications, including The New York Times. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area. Michele loves New York and Saturday Night Live. Her role models are Gilda Radner, Golda Meir, her grandmom, mom and Aunt Sylvia. She’s also a member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.