Artist and Author Common at Malik Books

My league, Buns has all the knowledge you want. My league has all the knowledge you need.

Leg Yeah, they have all the books that the whole wild world one up read league. But this is the first time I'm using a new mic. Dad is all right, trying to get a little bit more savvy, doing a little bit.

More than I have been doing.

So I got a little mic here, it's picking up the sound got a new system, got a soundboard.

Well.

Anyway, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malik's Book Show, bringing a world together with books, culture and community. Hi, my name is Malik, your host of Malik's Book Show.

Man.

I had a wonderful weekend. It was explosive. If you listen to my podcast for the last several.

Weeks, then you know.

We have of the community event, the inaugural Black History Celebration right here at Westfield Covid City Mall. I partnered with the Mark Park Village Book Fair. We partnered and our sponsor was Westfield Covid City Mall. Malik Books was the host, the producer was Cynthia ex Him from the Lamark Park Village Book Fair and the mall was the sponsor Westfield Covid City and it.

Was lit this weekend at the Westfield Mall. I mean, people came out, people rocked. Man.

Words can't express how wonderful the event was, how electric the event was, how.

Moving and touching, and community the event was.

Words can't express the months and months of planning that took place to allowed and to make this such a wonderful and community and family event. It kicked off with Transfiguration. That's a school where they promote music and song and.

Playing drums and other things.

Creative school where we enhanced children's ability to be creative and innovative. Well, anyway, these kids wore our stand. They beat that drum and they went around the mall and brought.

The spirit of our.

Ancestors and the spirit of our community by beating that drum all.

Up and down the Westfield coavi All.

They kick off the inaugural Black History Celebration at the Westfield Covid City Mall, hosts by Malik Book and produced by La Merk Park Village Book Fair.

Oo.

We them kids told this mall up with them drums, and they did an encore performance and a prelude to comment.

Who was our headliner for this event?

He was our headliner featuring his new book, and then we rised a guide to living and taking care of yourself.

So we kicked off with the.

Transfiguration the kids who sang and played the drums, but they played Glory a prelude and a honor to Comment where they performed Glory common one I believe many awards.

Comment is a.

An Enemy winner, an Oscar winner, a Grammy winner, and.

A Golden Globe winner.

And he was at Malite Books and he was the He was the headliner, that is for our inaugural Black History celebration.

That was such a.

Blowout event, over the top event, a magnificent event. And after the transfigure out, after the kids performed, then we had this organization called Shine and they were all women beating that drum, dancing to African music and drums and teaching kids in the community some of the spiritual movements in our culture. And that was a fun, festive part of the event, an interactive part of the event, and.

It brought community together.

It had all types of people trying to do some of the ancient and traditional movements in our dance in Africa. And so them women told it up, them sisters did the dong Dong Dong dinging too all right, just like the kids sang glory and beat them drums. They told this mall up. Then we had poets like Teresa the.

Song Bird and Chandra Bruchannan. Teresa performed her poem called You So Black.

That's right, You So Black? That was incredible. What else Sandra got up? Now, I don't know the name of her poem, but she wrote a book called Black Indians, so she porms.

She's an award winning poet, Sondra Buchannan.

It was the honor to have her before, as well as Teresa the Songboy, who her book is called You So Black.

Yes.

And we gave away both of the books to the community. By the time they left, we were out of them. And we gave away a lot of books. That was one of the highlights of the event. We gave over man.

I don't even know, but I started with two thousand books. We gave away a game. I might have brought two boxes back. Whoa Boy, Oh Boy? So we gave away a lot of books.

We gave away all the authors who did story time, we gave away they Boy. We had Corey Weathers who performed and She is the daughter of the musical genius Bill Weathers, and she the daughter had the gifts as well as him. And she came to sing and brought praise and joy and the music. And we had her book called Grandma Grandma's Stories. It was a very touching and moving.

Production and show an event in celebration.

So she performed and we gave away her books, Grandma Hands. It's called Grandma Hands. We gave away those books. It was written by Bill Wethers, and she performed and danced and signed books.

We just had a festive event.

We had our brother, he's been on the news spent decades.

His name was Jay Jackson. He was our host. He dine it such a wonderful job.

And we had this phenomenal jazz band did a couple of sessions and this the they were they are called the Musical Jazz Band, is called the Charles Small Thrill Jazz Band, the Charles Small Thrill Jazz Band. And they lit the roof off with their live entertainment, so that it it.

That's a lot of the activation.

We had the La Sparks and Sparky was here. We had the vice president Natalie White of the sparks. She helped, She was our children ambassador. She handed our books. It was just a festive event and we had Black History activity books and pencils and erasers and pens that we gave out. It was just man a family affair. But at three thirty we had to kick off the comedy event inside Molik Books and that was electric. I mean, at that point we already knocked the balls off, you

But we already knocked the ball out the ball park. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds.

If thousands came out for the Black History celebration downstairs. Now we got comment and who that line was wrapped around this mark we had brother came in, had a business, Pierre. He has a shade butter and skincare business. He said, he been here fourteen years. He said, I've never seen a line that long, and he been here fourteen years.

Man.

We moved over four hundred books and then we rise a god to living and taking care of self. Come and signed at Milip Books for four hours to make sure he personal lives and took photo ops.

With the community came out to see him.

He's a Grammy winner, he's an Oscar winner, he's a Golden.

Globe winner, and he's a Emmy winner. And he was at mal Books.

For four hours signing his new book, And Then We Rise, a god to living and take care of yourself. An explosive book, a book that talks about health and wealth, both mind and body. And the bottom line is, like he said, you know our Mia Angelo has a book called Steal Our Rise and Steal Our Rise all right. The idea of his title of this book came from Maya Angelo.

And Then We Rise is a book that starts with self.

A book that meaning that make changes in your life.

You can make a difference in your life.

By starting how you think and how you eat, and how you talk to people and how you move in and out of society. And his book is just a guy to living and taking care of yourself. Now, you can't change and you can't rise until you first rise within yourself. You can't help nobody until your first help yourself.

So his book is just a common sense book.

That's right, common sense book to teach you how to love yourself and take care of yourself. And you've got to deal with the mind and the body and the spirit in order to do that. So his book is a simple guy to help you, to help you to make changes in your life that can elevate your life, that can make a difference in your life, and then we can all rise together.

We can all do together more than.

We can do by ourselves. And so I love books like this because it's a lot of trauma in the community. It's a lot of mental trauma in the community. It's a lot of things that are self inflicted.

The need to change.

We need to get out of our own way to make a way and make a change. Sometimes when I hear the problem, I want to hear the solution. The solution is what we all must focus on, because we all know the problem, but we need to know what we can do to make a change within ourself and then make a difference beyond ourselfs. But pick up a copy. We just still got some signed copies that Malie book.

I mean, we took over them all. This event was electric.

These people waited, They waited patiently come and sign these books. That he signed the books and personalize them. Sometimes I seen them write a.

Whole page work for words.

That's how devoted and dedicated and honorable he was doing this book signing.

He took time and care and attention. You know, I've done a lot of book signings and this was record breaking. I mean record breaking.

Amazing, I mean phenomenal turnout. I mean I couldn't have done this without our team in partnership. I couldn't have done this. This happened because of the partnership between Elite Books and the Lamrick Park Village Book Fair Cynthia Exell, who's been hosting community book festivals for over twenty years, and together we've been planning different events. This was I

The mall.

We you know, out of our meetings and what have you, came over with the idea about.

These big banners.

You know, we had a phenomenal team. Kudos to everyone to participate. We had does these banners put up that came out of the meetings that was Straortinard. They gonna be here all that.

We have some activation that's gonna be here all month long. Like the banners they say I am Black History.

You know, those are are gonna be up in center courting them all all month along with these boards that uh there's these big walls, not boards.

These big walls is rented acts Interactive.

These walls and there's two of them, and they talk about Los Angeles, they talk about certain iconic locations in Los Angeles.

Because we in LA.

So the board is beautiful photo I mean photo ops bomb uh.

Got king on one side with the crown you know, black.

History where you take photos and it's beautiful. On the other side of the wall, it's an interactive board that basically you put yarn around one you put yarn around different words like freedom, equality, justice, reform, resilience.

It's all kind of beautiful interactive words.

So you start, you know basically, you know, you said you projecting yourself and what your desire is and where you see yourself in the future. It's like you making black history. And that's what I like about it. It's like, you know, what kind of history are you making? You know, and what kind of history do you want to make? So that board was very powerful. That wall that is was very powerful, and just out of the meetings and plannings these types of things came about. The mall sponsored

I mean, we took oh the mall you hear me upstairs downstairs.

It was explosive. It was a sight to see and it was diverse. There were people, you know, it wasn't just black folks that showed up to the Black History celebration or the common headline event. The people that showed up was diverse. We had white, we had Asians, we had his Spanish. Hey, this was a phenomenal or well organized event. It was beautiful to see a melting pot come in honor because Black history is not just one month thirty days. It's three hundred and sixty five days

It is what helped make America the.

Mightiest and greatest nation on the planet, the nation this envy upon all nations. What happens so black people are part of this country, in the history of this country.

And that's why books exist. Because our voice.

Matters, the total African American experience of pride and joy. Well, we give voice to the voice, and we give voice because our voice matters. And this last Saturday, our voice was amplified.

It was a beautiful celebrity event.

We had a wonderful time and we hope to continue to do more in the future. So that's what this segment an episode it's all about.

It's about Black history at is finest.

And I was able to send Year was able, and our perspective teams was able, and Common was able.

To make his start history at the Wells Westfield Coobe City Mall.

So hey, I'm gonna talk about some maybe some other things on this podcast, but that's my segment in terms of Black history at his finance.

Isn't this an amazing and beautiful day and celebrate Black history? And we got Black history coming in Belief Books today. He's a Gravy winner, he's an Oscar winner, he's a Golden Glove winner, he's a Grammy winner, and he's League books today. And we're going to bring him out today with a thunderous round of appause because we're gonna show him that Los Angeles love.

Can I get you to do that? Let's go, Let's bring it up. That's not shut it up, great out, that's.

For sure.

Yeah, y'all, what's up, y'all? What's up? La Believe Books to.

All my people out here in the LA area of West Coast, I got supreme love.

For you, y'all.

This has definitely been one of my homes in the place that I respect my people in love and my people come out and I love to touch down with my people from LA And honestly, since the days of the nineties, this used to be a place called Unity that I used to get to perform at Unity with Bigger be God.

Bless his soul.

I had some of the best performances and best connections with people out here in LA.

So thank y'all for being with me on this path.

Because now I'm writing books and expanding and you all are still here and we're growing and expanding. New people are getting in tune with with what I'm about. It is not just only music, it's other things that we do. And this book is really a testament and an expression of what I want to give to people in my life, and that's love and inspire people and to lead them to being their better self. So I'm super super excited and geek that y'all got the book those that have it.

Music and moving post or whatever. We got a few things, but.

Overall, I'm just glad y'all here and I'm very grateful to Beleeve Books for supporting us and supporting black literature and brown literature and supporting our people because our messages belong to everyone.

But but we.

Need a platform to give it and we I supported Elite Books because they support us.

Thank you, brother. I appreciate y'all. Were about to get it started. Let's go, y'all.

We went down, still going down. We still got half of the people still love it. That's how love. The biggest event hosted that Belie book, a book signed exclusive Breathing Me and you took your time.

Brother.

You showed everybody love.

You showed people man.

It's all about the community. And greatly appreciate that I had went out. I went outside multiple times and to thank you for your patience. Thank you for your patience. He's really attentive and personally. I just seen him write a whole page on people's book. He and just signing it.

He's showing love at.

Belief Books, and I just appreciate you, brother. This is appreciate you, thank you, thank you.

I appreciate you, brother, Joe, than what you're doing this daily.

Man.

People need books, they need like to get this literature, all the stuff that these.

Writers put on and were putting in.

You getting it giving it to them and they got a place to come.

I feel like it's dead.

So man, it felt like this felt really good man, to see this linking people coming out. It's just really supporting this book stock to know that the business coming through.

Maliks were good, ud many.

You know, you help make my job easier because you make yourself available.

This is an amazing brother tour that you put on.

But you know, we have to make books exciting for our next to next generation.

And you you're doing that.

Man.

You're an activist.

You're talking about health, trauma, you're talking about community, You're talking about the things are important, you know, and you're making yourself a belt.

That's a wonderful day.

And coming to your Milie books brother, and representing our community where you live, you know, mind, body.

And soul. That's what your book is about. Then we wrote and.

I love like you said, you start yourself myself and it wr rise together, rise as a community.

As a community of people.

Absolutely and in the world, in the world, and.

I love your campaign. Make one change that we get voice to the voiceless. Listen for the years keeping us off the show Man.

Now we on the show, we get to reading man, and we just want to be reading good, good material, just reading books.

We deserve it, whether we choose to listen to them or read. That is, I don't do reading so much in that elevate.

Hey, I appreciate y'all love.

Well the event this week with so spectacling.

I got another picture book that I want to feature on this podcast.

This young lady.

Father is the name Bill Weathers, and he wrote this book called Grandma Hands, and it's a devotional book that depicts pictures of the relationship between the grandma and himself, Bill Weathers.

So the thing is is that you never know who gonna make an impact in your life.

Well, Grandma Hands is a book that takes you on the journey on how caring and loving and how touching Grandma is towards her grandchildren. It impacted Bill weather. Now Bill weather is an award winning artist. Now he have moved on to the transitional place where the other ancestors are now. But Bill Weathers is an award winning musician

You would love it.

I recommend it. It's available and well all books are sold, but Malik Books had it. Malikbooks Dot com so I would love for you to support our movement, our mission and his books like this.

That I think are very important. Now, we had his daughter, Corey weathers at Maliite Books well at the Westfield Kovid City Mall.

She was part of the Black History Inaugural celebration this weekend. She was part of She did a whole performance where she sang and devoted songs of love and elevation to our community. And I just, you know, I can't say enough about the outstanding performance Corey Weather made at our inaugural Black History Celebration. And we gave out this book, Grandma Hands, to the community.

You know, it's part of our book giveaway.

She was available to sign the book for the community and it was just a very very very wholesome electric event, as I stated earlier in this podcast. So pick up a copy of Grandma Hands. New year more book reviews My first of the year twenty twenty four, and it's going to be a book by Teresa the song on Board. She's an award winning poet. She was nominated for a Grammy.

The book is called You So Black.

So that's the title of the book, You So Black, And I'm Not a poet.

I'm not a song singer or what have.

You, but she is and she performed that heck out of this her poem called You So Black, and the center around a book now, so you know the illustrations that represent and depict black children, black adults, and so many different professions and walks of life.

You So Black.

It's a beautiful children's book, a picture book.

That allows the reader to appreciate.

Your blackness, to love your blackness, and be proud of your blackness. Some of us suffer from trauma from being black. Well, this book You So Black, It's going to help your child realize the power of being black. Black as the stars at night when the sun is gone, Black is the top soil of the planet Earth, Black as midnight,

So pick up a copy of You So Black by.

Teresa the song Bird. We have it at Malik books dot com, but it's sold wherever books are.

We gotta signed copies though, at Milieu Books COO come through.

Thanks for listening to Malik's Bookshelf where topics on the shelf are books, culture, and community.

Be sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check out my Instagram at Malik Book. See you next time.