WEBVTT - I AM Enough 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.639 My League Books has all the knowledge you want. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.240 My League Buds has all the knowledge you need. 0:00:05.680 --> 0:00:06.319 Legs. 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:08.200 Yeah, they have all the books that. 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:11.840 The whole wild world. One up read My League Books. 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:18.799 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Leak's bookshef bringing a world together 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:24.520 with books, culture and community. Hi, my name is Malik, 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:30.520 your host of Malik's Bookshelf. Well, we had a wonderful week. 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.200 I lined it up last week on my last episode, 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:36.040 so if you haven't listened to it, go back and 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:40.040 listen to that. But our prime that style that it 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:44.720 was called Message to My Daughter. But before we got 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:49.159 to my thoughts and my conversation about my daughter, I 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:54.800 talked about my big events that were taking place all 0:00:54.920 --> 0:01:00.400 last week. And one of the biggest and explosive events 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:05.600 of last week was our event on Saturday where we 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:11.759 hosted Grace Buyers and gave away seven hundred. 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:12.880 Books to the community. 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:18.280 The event was hosted by Malik Books and be sat 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:23.360 as Black Scholars Achievement Program and Grace Buyers graced us. 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:26.400 With her appearance and I got a chance to talk 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:29.920 to her for my podcast. So I want to feature 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:36.440 that interview on this one hundred and two. Yes, right, 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:37.840 one oh two. 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:41.040 One hundred and second episode. I want to feature that 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:43.760 conversation I had with Grace Barers. I always get a 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:47.280 chance if I'm able to talk with them just for 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:51.680 a few minutes, so I could bring that conversation. You know, 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:55.800 Grace Barers has two New York Times bestsellers, I Am Enough. 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:57.680 And I Believe I Can. 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:00.440 Both of those are some of the most powerful books 0:02:00.600 --> 0:02:02.480 that's been out on the market in the last four 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:05.640 or five years, and it continues to sell because it's 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:10.440 a message that allows represent that has represented, that allowed 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:16.040 that has representation, and it teaches self esteem and believing 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:19.520 in yourself as well as knowing that you are enough 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:22.280 for you no matter what cards you're dealt in this world. 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:30.200 So he's two powerful books that Grace Buys wrote that 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:34.359 has impacted the book industry, and so many other books 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:40.560 have exploded afterwards to empower people to love themselves, to 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:44.680 know themselves, to believe in themselves, to beat themselves. 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:48.000 And she's definite it's more than just. 0:02:49.840 --> 0:02:54.239 An actor and author, but she's an activist and those 0:02:54.280 --> 0:03:00.680 book two books have definitely made an impact throughout country 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:04.239 and around the world. And so I'm honored to have 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:06.560 the conversation where she came out and met all these 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.800 kids out at Cleveland High School and we did a 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.359 book signing and the books were free sponsored by b 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:16.160 shide L a U s d L a U s 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:20.839 D S School District, and she was able to meet 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:25.720 and greet so many of our community, the kids in 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.520 our community, youth in our community, teens in our community, and. 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:30.880 We was able to give away those books. 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:33.440 The other thing that I don't want to feature on 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:37.880 this conflict was just explosive book signing. Will was the 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:41.160 moderator and we hosted that League Books and it was 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:47.680 in conversation with Ladarian Willis and his groundbreaking book Blood 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:51.880 at the Room. Now, this is a fantasy book, a 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:54.720 magical book that where. 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:58.280 The main character is a black boy, and there's not 0:03:58.320 --> 0:03:58.760 a lot. 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:01.160 Of books like that in the Indian hasn't been, and 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:03.119 I've been in his intes for a long time. We're 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.880 talking about a fantasy book where the main character is 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.280 a black boy who's coming of age and who's trying 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:16.760 to find himself and learn about his roots and the 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.160 abilities that he have, his magical powers that he has, 0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:24.440 and all he's got to unravel all the mysteries and so, 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:28.320 and he has to go to an HBCU school to 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:33.559 learn how to and that's a black HBC Historical Black 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:38.479 College University. As he goes, he's enrolls in one of 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:43.479 those in Cameran University, which is an HBCU school. And 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:47.799 so when doing the book signing, we magically transform elad 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:52.000 Books into the official bookstore came to you, and we 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:56.719 made people feel as though they were part of the 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:58.760 magical experience. 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:00.640 Where the main character in the book his name. 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:03.640 Elite, and I'm going to be in conversation with him 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:06.440 about this magical book, and we're going to talk about 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.560 many things about the book and what he had to 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:14.360 do to overcome the obstacles to get to a three 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:17.400 book deal. And this is the first of the series 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:21.240 Blood at the Root. Now this was my third moderation. 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:24.800 I haven't had much experience doing it, but this was 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.960 my third one and I hope to do many more. 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:32.120 And so I brought the energy. I brought the electricity. 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:36.520 Malik, the hype man of books was in full effect. 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:42.200 So enjoy this episode where I feature my conversation with 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:47.560 great Buyers and I feature my moderation with Ladarian Williams, 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:56.440 the author of Blood at the Root In the last enough, 0:05:56.800 --> 0:06:00.760 I believe I can't sell lead books. 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:04.560 What inspire you to write these wonderful books? Because these 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:05.719 books right your mind? 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:07.360 Thank you so much. 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:11.320 You know, I really really wanted to write a book. 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:15.239 That inspire children to love themselves just as they are, 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:17.200 just as they were they were born. I do not 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:20.000 believe that God makes mistakes, and so I wanted them 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.320 su to de break all present that they were and 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:26.760 to know that they have masage an impact books so much. 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:28.640 Thank you. 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.120 You know, I'm glad I reached out. I would always tag. 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:32.520 You anything I'm doing. 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:34.839 These books stood out to me because that's why I 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:44.400 mentioned children. That's my son on there too, and one 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:46.200 percent without in the future. 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:47.039 We don't have a. 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:50.039 Future book, so we have to invest in you and 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:52.960 teach them to love yourselves. And that's why your books laying. 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:54.200 Such a huge impact. 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:57.160 Are the teachers for men? 0:06:57.760 --> 0:06:59.159 Or what's the boot self? 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:07.640 Then to themself to coming up? Thank you, you've yourself yourself. 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:08.320 Listen, got it you? 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:13.360 I gave them all the credit, So thank you acordingly 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:20.120 real just say my. 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:21.840 Podcast I'm on. 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:23.600 Yeah. 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:27.560 I never sold myself as a podcast, but this is 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:29.960 the want to be on one hundred and second episode. 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:31.800 I love that. 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:32.680 Well. 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:34.600 I just want to say thank you to people who 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:37.600 are supporting the lead books. I remember seeing your pop 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:41.240 up in the La Mall Century Since and I walked 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:42.600 by it and I was like, oh my gosh, what 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:43.880 I divers set up? 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:45.960 And I walked in and I was. 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:47.040 Like, y'all have my books. 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:47.320 Y'all. 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:49.200 Yeah, we can't keep out enough of s. 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:50.840 But I believe, okay. 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:53.320 And I looked around and I was just so just 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:55.920 moved by all the different types of books that you had. 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:59.000 I knew, I knew that they were specifically curated for 0:07:59.280 --> 0:07:59.760 you guys. 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:04.160 Buy you guys, and so just keep supporting elite books. 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:08.040 This is such a wonderful endeavor. 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:08.800 That you're doing with your books. 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:10.600 I mean, we need it. We need it, so thank 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:15.000 you everything you heard it race ain't. 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:21.640 It is so I meanesus also a free We thank 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:26.480 these h thank you these types of partnerships. 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:33.120 I mean fifteen I wish I haven't. 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:37.880 Wow, that's a bus and you intentional effort. 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:42.560 They have big postals made made. 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:48.880 I wish I could have come, but yeah, yeah, and 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:50.599 I told you to I said, it's a lot of 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:53.560 time to reach out to great fives to what can do. 0:08:56.600 --> 0:09:00.760 If I'm available, I mean to strike old. So y'all 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:02.160 get busy and. 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:06.240 That's it. Opportunity. 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:07.880 We finish a schedule. 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:10.880 This is early camp and we work closely with her 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:14.360 at b side and and you know, we us together 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:16.079 is what how is? 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:20.200 How became? You know, and us working as a team 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:24.199 work makes the dream work. They understand that beside the 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:29.440 children a woman, they want to make sure the service 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.480 all you know, underserved. That's why everything is here freaking 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:37.920 and so they walk. 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:42.480 That way beyond and above to enrich our community with 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:47.640 books because we competing in a world of entertainment, video games. 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:51.600 We're competing. You know, you gotta read to achieve and readers, 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.719 our leaders and leaders are readers. And you bought me, 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:58.520 took a step and your book word them out. 0:09:58.840 --> 0:09:59.959 Tell us, Kim, tell us. 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:02.319 What you told me about I believe it. 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:06.640 Supervisor or someone's she is a goal for their children. 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:12.360 Oh it's our superintendent Regin North superre Intendant doctor David Baka, 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:16.400 who has a bi racial child and he brought this 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.160 book for his daughter and. 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:18.839 She loves it. 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:25.240 So he was exceptionally excited when he found out that Grace. 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:28.320 Fires was coming, and not only about the message about 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:31.760 I am enough, but also I believe I can. Yeah, 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:35.840 we actually instilled not only just with our African American students, 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:37.640 but are also our African. 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:41.920 American girls when it comes to girls in steam the 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:43.600 science that's rilgy. 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:44.360 Engineering and math. 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:46.720 Yeah, where with our marginal authors. 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.200 So we need to instill it at an early age. 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:53.480 Thank you, Malie, Thank you Grace for what you do 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:55.360 and just believing in our. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:59.000 Girls and believing in that week. Thank you. Thank you 0:10:59.080 --> 0:10:59.920 guys so much for now. 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:01.560 Maybe it's been a real pleasure today. 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:02.760 I loved it. 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:03.960 Y'all filled me up. 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:05.800 You guys really killed me up. 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.800 So thank you, thank you, Thank you appreciate your time. 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:14.480 Yeah, hey, trust me, it's like pulling tea sometimes it 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:20.199 gets you know, to come and come up to the community. 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.920 You wrote a book for children, and you should be 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:26.880 open arms to come to a setting like this. Absolutely. 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:28.080 Sometimes it's like. 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:30.080 You wrote the kids. 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:31.000 Boy, i'mna be honest. 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:34.760 Hey, sometimes you got to do go through some nose 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:35.319 to get to it. 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:36.640 Yes, and we got. 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:41.240 It's just like. 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:53.559 Thank you. He knocked doors. No, he's not getting open 0:11:53.679 --> 0:12:02.240 some doors and he's in a night conversation. Blood the room. 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:06.160 So that's where to carry Awayiam. 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:09.560 Out, put around the poor and get on some love 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:11.480 because he had to the sire. 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:16.760 The train fell back in the shake up Polly Rood. 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:20.959 It changed the date and lacked the street and the 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:41.240 battle no black point not out. Who welcome, my brother? 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:50.840 That's what's up. You know they call me the hype 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:51.600 Man of books. 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:57.240 You look and and I didn't wrong with that at first, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.600 but after you don't have what somebody's change. 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:03.840 The first person to tell you something, maybe the second 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:05.120 person say the same thing. 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:09.439 Maybe think about it. But three people don't know each 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:11.800 other tell you the same thing, then it might be 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:12.360 some truth. 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:15.120 So this is Malique, the hype mat of books, and 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:17.040 we're gonna hype this conversation up. 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.080 We're gonna talk about blood at the room. 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:24.280 And my first question too, my beloved brother, is brother, 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.440 what gave you the strength and the motivation to rank 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:29.120 this timely book? 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:34.719 Yeah? You know what game and the strength was. You 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.360 always hear about the inner child, but you never hear 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:40.280 about like the inner teenager. And when I grew up, 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:41.880 when I was in high school. It was the big 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:44.880 boom of white Hey, it was you know, Hunger Games, 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:48.840 it was Twilight, and it was Divergent. But I never 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:53.480 got to see a black kid in those stories unless 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:55.880 we were there to propel the white man character story 0:13:55.920 --> 0:14:01.160 forward or we were killed. And through all of this, 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:04.079 I just thought, I thought about the seventeen year old 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:06.800 of the Ladarium. I thought about my nephew, who is 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:08.920 a thirteen year old black boy right now who needs 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:11.599 to see that he can be the hero of his 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:15.960 own sword, and that he can conjure storms, he can teleport, 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.560 he can, you know, make the impossible possible. And so 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:23.520 that's what drove me for four years, cause it's been 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:25.120 a lot of those but it it's been a lot 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:28.960 of downs, and it's here, Like I can't. I still 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.920 can't believe that it's here. So that's what kept me 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:33.720 through it Cause I saw it. I saw my book cover. 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:35.600 I told my friends in the group chat. I was like, y'all, 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:36.840 I just woke up from a nap and I just 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.120 haven't I just had a dream about my book cover. Yes, 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:40.800 and so I knew if I saw it, I knew 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:42.560 it's it's possible and it's there. I just have to 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.640 get through the storm or self job again. So that's 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:45.880 when that's what I felt. 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:56.440 And the reality is, then, w what got you through 0:14:56.840 --> 0:15:00.720 all of these trials and tripolations then? 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:05.920 Was going through your mind to get to this point. 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.440 Because you went through some things. You lived, You came 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:09.680 from Alabama, if you went to. 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:15.000 College, dropped out, Yeah, p w A Israel. 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:16.600 You end up working in Taco Bell. 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:19.680 Bell. 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:23.080 Then you took your last check from Taco. 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:27.720 Bell, came to La too, what to write, produce the 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.320 script and all of these things. 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:33.920 Talk about that, Yeah, that's that's about to be nine 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.160 years in two days that I, you know, packed up 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:38.760 from Taco Bell. You know, I bought my you know, 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:40.600 my plane ticket in the driving through, and I said, 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:42.240 I can't do this anymore because if I stay here, 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.720 I'm not gonna make it. I just didn't. I got 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:46.800 to the point where I didn't want to exist anymore 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:49.920 because I wasn't creating. I wasn't being in that space. 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:51.720 So I bought a one way ticket to l A 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:54.520 nine years ago in two days. And I'm like, and 0:15:54.640 --> 0:16:01.440 now my book is coming out to me? 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:03.960 Is that yeah, Like I. 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:07.520 Can't even lie, Like there were some days I couldn't 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.640 even get out of bed when nobody wanted blood it 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:12.080 through because I'm gonna be real, Like when we did 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:15.480 the short film, I submitted to Sundance, I submitted to 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.920 every single short film festival, and they all kept saying no, no, no, 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.680 And I was just like, what the heck? You know, 0:16:22.800 --> 0:16:26.640 it's viral on social media, it's getting on distraction. Why 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:28.440 are you not accepting it? And it got them so 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:30.520 bad that I couldn't even get out of bed anymore 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.720 because I was like, my friends, they risk their health 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:36.480 to come out here and to do this short film. 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:38.960 I spent a lot of money on the short film, 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.680 the money that I didn't have, and I just didn't know. 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:43.960 You know now, I wish I could go back and say, Ladarian, 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:47.560 that's just you just playing seeds. It's okay. It takes time. 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.040 You know, you're gonna go through the storm and it's okay. 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:53.920 But eventually it's gonna grow. And like again, obviously it's 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:57.080 group because I just had to pivot because Hollywood kept 0:16:57.080 --> 0:17:00.000 telling me no. They were like, we can't, we don't 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:01.920 really connect to the voids, so we can't market this 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:03.880 or we can't blah, blah blah, and so I was 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:07.160 just like, Malik would not leave me alone. He would 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:09.200 keep me up at night. He was like, my story 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:11.080 deserves to be told, then you have to tell it. 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:13.320 And so I was like, well, what do I do? 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:16.159 Okay and boom. I remember my love for books. I 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.760 remember reading Twilight. I remember reading Hunger Games and feeling like, yo, 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:21.479 I kind of want super speed. I kind of want 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:23.520 to be a sparkling vampire. I don't know why I wanted. 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:28.240 I was trying, I don't judge you, and so yeah, 0:17:28.280 --> 0:17:30.320 but I remember again, I remember that. So I was 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:32.920 just like, Okay, keep going with there. It's gonna happen 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:35.480 one way or another. Because when an idea bothers you 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.960 like that, it's it's supposed to be told, like if 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:41.720 there's a I don't know if the ancestors guy whoever 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:43.760 is supposed to be told. So I just kept going 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:45.399 and I'm sad I'm listening to Malik. 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:54.080 The character in the book is Malik man'lit. So so 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:57.399 I love reading the book. I felt like I was 0:17:57.480 --> 0:17:57.879 reading a. 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:01.560 Little bit about myself because Maliite, you know, he had 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:04.760 a lot of challenges in his life and he overcame it, 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:07.400 just like you overcame some of your challenges. 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.879 So talk about you know, what is it about this. 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:15.000 Character, Maliite that you kept you up, kept you few, 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:18.440 and kept you wanting to fulfill this desire to bring 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:18.840 this out. 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:21.200 Yeah. I think he just wanted to be connected to something. 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.600 I think when, especially with black people in this country, 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:26.760 our history has been ripped away from us, and then 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.960 when we try to celebrate it or practice it, it's 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:32.760 demonized in you know, in Hollywood and media and all that. 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:35.320 So I think he really wanted to just be connected. 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:38.520 And it's so powerful to see this black boy, you know, 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:42.720 meet his grandmother on the same soil that his ancestors 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:45.639 fought in death led on and she's teaching him the 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.640 ways of his ancestors and magic, and she's instilling in him, 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:52.680 you know, that he is good and that he is beautiful, 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:54.680 because a lot of times black boys are not told that, 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:56.800 they're not told that you're good, that you that you 0:18:56.920 --> 0:18:59.520 belong here. And so to have his grandmother and we 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:01.960 all know, like a lot of a lot of us 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.240 from the South were raised by our grandmothers, and we 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:05.840 all sat at the feet of her, and we all 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:08.160 learned the wisdom of God, and we all we learned 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:11.239 the ways of our ancestors through church, through song, through 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:13.800 the Answer, through anything. And so to have that and 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:16.000 to give that to this young boy that we don't 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:20.040 get to see a lot of NYA fantasy, it's something special. 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:23.080 And that's what I kept telling Hollywood and publishers. I'm like, 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:26.080 it's not about the focal point of his story. Wasn't 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:29.399 about him dealing with, you know, police brutality and racism, 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:32.080 even though those stories are important, I didn't want that 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:34.200 because I was tired of seeing young black boys being 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:38.760 killed in books and on TV all the time. And 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:41.200 it was just like, why can't they have the you know, 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:45.280 the the some affairs, Why can't they have the epic romances, 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.960 the magic that I kept asking those questions and nobody 0:19:49.000 --> 0:19:49.840 could give me an answer. 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:55.760 What, Well, this says a lot about your character and 0:19:55.880 --> 0:19:56.680 being in you person. 0:19:56.800 --> 0:20:02.320 Then now your desab was to create a script. 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:11.720 Now you took classes and writing. Okay, Well, I went 0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:12.119 on U c. 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:14.680 L A's website and saw that they had books, and 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:16.480 then I went to Amazon and got it for cheap. 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:19.440 Self talk. 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:23.760 I am a college drop, but that's okay. 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:26.879 Because you know there are many rags for witches that 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:27.640 will drop out. 0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:33.680 But that's the thing about books, is that anything that 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:36.959 you want to beat you can find in a book exactly. 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:39.680 And that's what you did your self, taught you talked 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:40.800 to some how to write the script. 0:20:42.280 --> 0:20:45.360 Yeah, thanks the true Blood. I found the script got 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:49.720 holes and shout out to Alan Barb. Yeah, I took 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:51.760 the Yeah. I was back holder and I was writing 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:53.480 scripts in the middle of drive through. I will pack 0:20:53.520 --> 0:20:56.159 people's tacos and put my out and hide and various 0:20:56.160 --> 0:20:58.240 sauce on it and gay thank you, and then I'll 0:20:58.280 --> 0:20:59.639 go back to writing my scripts in the middle of 0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:01.200 the drive They're like, what are you doing. I'm like, 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:04.000 I'm writing a script and people are like you right, 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:05.600 I'm like yeah, and he's like, that's what you want 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:06.719 to do. I'm like, yea, I'm going up. Got let 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:08.000 In a couple of days, I get on my line 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:14.320 literally in the middle of the job that my cowork 0:21:14.400 --> 0:21:15.480 is likely Dan's writing again. 0:21:15.520 --> 0:21:15.879 He's right. 0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:18.119 But I just couldn't stop writing, Like something in me 0:21:18.280 --> 0:21:20.520 really just I just had so many stories to tell. 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:21.640 It was burning inside. 0:21:22.280 --> 0:21:27.000 And I mean, I'm sure Minia can relate to that, 0:21:27.200 --> 0:21:29.960 and I think that's important to hear someone that has 0:21:30.200 --> 0:21:35.400 went through that type of obstacles and desire to bring 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:39.400 forth his baby. But at the root, now you thought 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:43.879 it was gonna be from a writing script and producing 0:21:44.280 --> 0:21:49.280 maybe a movie or TV series, and the book came 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:50.720 out as half the thought. 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:55.000 Yeah again, we did the short film and Nobody Nobody 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:56.879 in Hollywood and it was the pandemic. So I was 0:21:56.920 --> 0:22:00.520 a little dramatic too. But when things started, when things 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:02.840 started opened up, I was seeing everybody getting stamped on 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:04.720 TV shows and people are selling shots, and I was 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:07.399