By Emily Schleiger The Coachella Review had the pleasure of reprinting Maryann Aita’s essay “The Geography of Flight” in our Winter 2021 issue. The essay also appears in Aita’s debut memoir Little Astronaut (ELJ Editions). Aita’s collection of essays deals with her childhood experience in the shadows of family members’ illnesses (anorexia, cancer, alcoholism), the ways in which she coped, and the effects on intimacy and feelings of loneliness in adulthood. The book wrestles with heavy topics while experimenting with different forms, like screenwriting, journalism, math problems, and sketches. I recently had the joy of chatting with Maryann about her…