My League Books has how the knowledge you want? Books has how the knowledge you need? My League Books. Yeah, they have all the books that the whole wild world want to read. Lead Books. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Leak's Bookshelf, Bringing a world together with Books, Culture and Community, Episode seventeens. Welcome everybody. Were on episode seventeen, And what I'm featuring on this episode is a conversation I had with Cheney Say Say, who is the host of Malik's Books.
Storytime Live, something we've been doing for the last year, came out during the pandemic. We do a I G Live. She reads books, two kids, and she's very committed. She has a master's and she loves children. And so I feature an interview because we came up on our one year anniversary since starting Storytime Live on Instagram and we just hosted an impersonal event at Malik Books for the first time we feature Storytime Live. We had some kids
come out, we gave some free books. So I'm gonna interview chines as a about our one year anniversary of Storytime Live. Another segment of this episode as an interview I did with Abafisa Nika, who wrote a children book called Marcada. So I'm gonna interview her about Macada the Queen of Sheba, a beautiful, illustrated and inspirational children's book. And my book review for this episode is the one and only icon who conquered two industries, both hip hop
and Hollywood. Will smith new book Will I've a Free Star? Anika, tell us more about what inspired you want to write this particular children's book about a heritage in the legend were not necessarily but this historical account of King Solomon
and his wife, Queen and Shiba. Right, Well, that beautiful, beautiful picture on the front of that book, and it is beautiful and I can say that because I didn't do it, but my artist's friend drew that, right, But that is actually a portrait of my own daughter when she was at age. And her name is Kada. She's named after the Okay, okay, and dear personal to you. Yeah this book, Okay, So once you know, she was about I think seven or eight years old when he
did that portrait of her. And when I looked at it, you know, I can tell you truthfully, I thought about, you know, writing story about her or whatever, but nothing was really formulated and one morning I woke up and I maybe about six o'clock in the morning, and somehow this story just came straight out of my head onto a piece of paper and were in It was written. Yeah, it was written. I mean the framework was there. It's like that sometime to call him. You know, it pulls
out like water. Yeah it did, it absolutely did. So that's the thing. But let me explain what it is. The Ethiopians referred to her as Macada. It's just a different pronunciation, okay, okay, as Marcada. We call her Macada, and sometimes you'll hear even Ethiopian saying Macada. How do you want readers to get from okay? I described I described what I do as a textbook. Okay. I want them to study it the way that they would study
a textbook. Um, the thing is Miriam McKay. But told my daughter at one point, he's just getting an Oartica said study well, Africa needs you, okay, And so my thing is study well, the world needs you. You know. Okay. What I want children to get from it? First of all, I wanted them to see something that was absolutely beautiful and very well done and specifically made for them. Okay.
So that's the first thing. The second thing is I wanted them to get information, you know, so they would understand who they are and to be appreciative of who they are, and hopefully they'll be motivated to expand from there, you know, um, so that they can come with some more information, you know, sure, dig deeper, find out more culture, more heritage. But absolutely absolutely. And the thing is, um, I'm actually in the process of writing the second book.
And the second book, she's getting ready to queen, she's getting ready to meet up with Califia. And you know who Califia. I think I've heard something, but I'm not sure. Well, if you hear me say Califia, the first thing you don't think is California. That's who the state of California is named for. A black woman. That is a historical factor, sure, and that yeah. The only thing is she wasn't a real person. She was part of a novel, you know,
and she's a fictitious thing. But she's still this wonderful queen that moved over this land called California. And she was a colleague, you know, colleague, a bagdad, right, but she was a female, So she was a Califia and she rules over California, and so she queen and she is getting ready to meet up with her next Okay, so this is like to his is arcle fiction characters then meeting um and creating a relationship. Okay, one one from you know, quote unquote, uh you know, uh, you
know Africa. You know, it's Africa and the Middle That the Suez Canal doesn't change the fact that, um, that's the Middle East. It still was part of Africa, you know, and it was right. So we're talking Africa meets the Western world. Is that Ricky you going in you know, California? Okay, Okay, I like it. It's got a nice twist to it. Okay, yeah,
oh yeah, yeah, you know. But what I say about my son though, was when I saw he was so beautiful, and I thought, if I don't teach him that he's beautiful and worthy, this culture is going to dum him. But two things can't occupy the same space at the same time. So you know, in this world, you know, um, lighter is considered fair and beautiful and dark. It is not.
It is the opposite. And so yeah, we have to teach you as our responsibility to teach our coach and our history and to uplift our people in a way that inspires them to be great and in the prosper So, you know, books like yours it's very important and significant to reach children because you know, it matters how you think about yourself, how you view yourself, and how you think of yourself. And you can't walk this world and be successful if you don't love yourself and you don't
be yourself. And so I definitely and you know, like books like yours because it's spiritual and and it's and it's you know, uplifting. So thank you for this opportunity
to talk with you and get a few words. I just wanted to take this time and call you because you know, I've been blessed to me so many different authors like yourself, and I want to take time because my platform is Malik's Bookshelf, you know, bringing the world together with books, culture and community, and I like to always get a chance to talk to some of the authors and just talk about their books and so forth. So thanks for taking the time out ensuring the insights
your timely book. Well, thank you so much for appreciating it. I really did try to make sure like I said that it was a very quality production. It is very colorful. Yes, yes, illustrations are beautiful, the old illustrations. Oh yeah, and that guy HiT's my buddy, right he is now doing the illustration. His wife has just finished a book, but it's for adults. You know, he did the illustration. This guy is really something else. So now I'm getting ready. I'm down to
my league. I'm gonna have to do a reorder of my Queen and Shiva book. I was hoping to get the other one completed, but now I'm kind of on a short schedule. I need to hurry up and get the second one done because I'm just about out of the first books. I think I'm down for about my last hundred books. You ain't. Yeah, kudos, congratulations, Yeah investment in the in the selling, and were thankful to be
a part of that. So hey, thank you appreciate. My book review for this episode is a book that I knew I had to read the minute it came out. You know, I love reading books about success and people's journey and walk. It's inspiring and we might see all the glitter, all the fame, but at the same time, we don't know all the background and what they had to do to get to that top on that level of success. But I'll tell you this, this person um became a leading artist in rap. He became a leading
Hollywood actor as well. That's a very difficult thing to do, to be a list in both arenas. You know, these are two different worlds. But this is a mega stars known all over the world for his achievements, people norm by his smile, by his statue as none other than Will Smith. New book Will Now. It was written with the help of Mark Manson, who wrote The Sublime Art Are Not Giving a f which is one of the best sellers at Moleak Books. It's a great book. It's
inspirational book. We're back to will. Will Smith book is a memoir about his life and he opens up about many of his challenges for family in Hollywood and as a human being and all the some of the ins and outs that he had to deal with becoming this makeup star. You know, he's he came out of Philadelphia, started out as a rapper, became a sitcom success or fresh Prince of bel Air, and now he's a magna star in Hollywood, featured as so many different films in Hollywood.
But his new book, Will, it's just an extension of himself. And what I like about that title Will is the fact that Will is a verse to teach you word. You know, you gotta have a will to do whatever it is that you want to do. You're not going to be successful in anything without a will. You gotta be determined to want to do something with the Your attitude matters, your determination matters, your view matters, your goals and objection matters. Well, that's your will, your will to
bring into existence that with you desire. So that's a great title Will, because and it's just it's just the perfect, perfect word to describe the elevation of Will Smith from a kid for Philly to now a person has known and revered all over the world. Will Smith had to will himself into this reality that exists today, and the
title of the book is perfect. I'd love this book, this memoir, simply because Will opens up and he shares the world some of the difficulties and challenges he had to go through being a megastar and how it impacted his family. You know, it's hard to as as a family member. Two get out of the shadow of such a huge mega star as Will Smith, and that comes with his own challenges. But this book opens up and talks about Hollywood, talks about his family, talks about his
personal life. So Will Smith, pick up your copy because it's a great inspiring book about a mega star who has conquered two industries and has known all over the world. So pick up your copy a Will Smith's new book. Will.
I have the pleasure of having Channing zas the host of story Time Live here at Malik Books, and we're on one year anniversary, and so I want to just talk to her for a few minutes about this exciting anniversary that we had this week, and just talk to us about this whole story Time Live and the year they went by, and your thoughts about Storytime Live. Well, thank you so much, Malik. Storytime Live, you know started
during the pandemic. It was a great opportunity for myself and a great opportunity I feel for you for us to do a mash up. I would say, you know, kids, they couldn't go to the library, they couldn't come into the store, and you have so many beautiful books. How they even know that that they're on the shelves right, So it's like, let's go ahead, let's read to them once a week, Let's expose your store, Let's expose them to as many books as possible. And that's how it
got started. Um, I'm a social worker by profession. I've been a preschool teacher before and I just had to transfer my skills and I enjoy it. I really enjoy reading the books, getting to know the authors, and every once in a while when a kid comes in, it's nice to meet them and their parents too, because books really do change the world. And I'm just I'm so thankful that it's been one year. I can't believe it.
And I'm so excited for us going into year two, to have merchandise, to have a T shirt coming out, and just to see where else this could go. So I'm super excited. Yes, you have been a blessing. Your commitment is silid. We appreciate you in every way. Yeah, sometimes we don't say it enough, but I want to
say it. On behalf of Malik Books and you are Team Malik Books absolutely, And you know this is why I want to take the time out and talk to you for my audience on release bookshelf about what we've been doing for the last year with story Timeline every Wednesday at SEMPM Civic Time on Instagram. We just did a live event here at Malik Books and it was just a joy to see you read in person to these children that came out today. We gave some free books out and it was just a blessing for us
to do the event here today. I'm lead Books and you mentioned on some of the things to come anything additional you would like to mention this to come for from story Time Life you know, I'm thinking of some more ideas, you know, to kind of freshen up story Time, But right now I want to continue reading online once a week, like I said, the merchandise um, and let
me see other people who can get involved. We are going to have some more authors um who will drop by just to say hi to the kids, so the kids and the parents can actually meet some of these people who are behind the words. So I think that's gonna be really good and we'll see where this goes within the next year. Hopefully really big things will happen.
Kids are important and I think they are important to you because we wouldn't have been able to your commit meant and during this pandemic, and and and and making sure that we every week, every week be available for story timeline kids are important to you and tell us why why are kids important to me? While I was a teacher, UM, a preschool teacher for a number of years,
but I just remember my mom reading to me. My mom and then my neighbor's grandma Leeu and Marguerite, they were retired librarians, so they would take the time and
read to me. And then also Lois and Virgie, they were sisters, and they would any time they would see me, they would always give me a book, but they would make sure that it was um a storybook about someone who was African American, right, And at the time, those the African American story books were just kind of coming out, and they would always make sure that I had one in my hand. They would just give me a book, and I just I remember that, and that meant so
much to me. And I was thinking, Wow, during the pandemic, I pet the kids and the parents are kind of burnt out. They've been at home. Let's provide a story time for them. Give the parents a little bit of a break, right, They get to be introduced to new books. They get to see a new face and hopefully I can build a relationship with them. And I truly do mean that. I do enjoy seeing everyone's smiling face online, the regulars and people who are new. I truly enjoy it.
Kids are very important to me. Reading is important to me, and I'm just so thankful for the opportunity I just want to give them, I guess a little bit of what I grew up with. Absolutely, absolutely, and we got something in common as see now in the house. Yeah I have an undergrad but you got the masters. Yes, yes, I have my Masters in Social Work UM from USC class of concentration Work in Life. So um, we do
non traditional social work. I am a social worker by profession, but I like to transfer my skills and other venues. That's kind of what I was trained to do. So you know what dis encompasses social work talking to kids, reading books, interacting with people, seeing how people feel, what kind of books they can connect with. So I really do enjoy it. And Malik, I'm thankful for the opportunity that you know, us teaming up together. You know, we didn't know each other, which is really crazy. We did
not know each other. I had no idea that he went to sc The only thing that I saw is when I was at the mall looking for the Black Don't Crack Kiosk to get a sweatshirt shout out to Black Don't Crack, and someone said, oh, you might want to go upstairs and ask Malik. I didn't know who Malik was. I said, okay, and my friend and I just saw this bookstore with like just lined with black children's books and we were like, we had to go in.
And that's how it all started. So thank you so much for the opportunity and for trusting me to do this. You and this April, I really appreciate it. I had one more question. You welcome, you are. One more question. I always take the time out the eggs people. Just one question, because you see what's on Malik's books wall to wall, shelf, the shelf. A lot of these books is in my home as well as here. But what's on your bookshelf? What's on my bookshelf? Okay, So I'm
always talking about Jasmine Gileroy. I love Okay, Jasmine Gleroy, If you're listening, yes, I know that you will be at the Festival of Books at USC I hope to meet you. Um, I like Jasmine Gileroy. I also have Automic Habits. I've just I just started that book. What else I'm Nicole Len's book is very good. I recommend that for anyone who's a professional social worker. What else is on my bookshelf? I have like several books. Um, goodness, ah, you put me, you put me on the spot. Those
are the ones I'm reading right now. Autommy Cabins and Jasmine Gleroy, She's She's always. And then I also, um, The Wedding Date I just finished, and I've actually now started. Yes, it's a whole universe, and now I'm starting on and um, I think it's the Wedding Party. And I also have her latest book that just dropped that's on my bookshelf as well. Okay, okay, what are some exciting books? Obviously you're going from self help all the way to novels
and back to self help. Yes, absolutely, I have to balance it out because I'm a social worker, so you know, I can only take so much self help, and I need a little bit of you know, fantasy. I just need to escape. So I love my escapism. Well, thank you, Chinie. Thank you appreciate you, we love you, and we'll continue this another time. Thank you for joining me on Relief Book Show, bringing a world together with books, culture and community.
You know, one of the questions that I get all the time when I'm interviewed is why did Malik get into the book business? What inspired you to get into book business? Wanted to me? The answer is simple. Books changed my life, and I want to use books to change other people lives and also to affect the community in a positive manner. I say, books not bullets, Books
not bullets. There are a lot of things that I know, be personally, I could have done, but I chose something that meant something to me because it affected me in a positive way. And you know, one thing that I don't agree on is censorship. I just feel like, you know, the saving grace of America has always been the fact that the First Amendment, which is, you know, the Bill of Rights. And I think that many of the great changes that have come about as a result of having
the Constitution and Bill of Rights allowed. Even though people who stood up there were activists and protesting and so forth, they were able to you know, speak their minds, speak their hearts, speak their voice simply because it doesn't mean they weren't gonna be persecuted. Didn't mean you weren't they're gonna be marked. That doesn't mean that people was not gonna, you know, feel a certain way, because it's always consequent,
no matter what we do or what we say. But the reality is that if you believe in something hard enough and stand on it firm enough, it will bear fruit. And so people like Dr Martin Luther King and so many other activists and people who made a stand against injustice done so because the first AMMIC gave that opportunity, gave them the right to challenge the forces that wanted to silence what should be heard. And all I'm saying
is this is why I'm opposed sense of it. Whether I like it or not, I could just change the channel, but to get offended, or should I say, to denounce some one for speaking their mind and persecute them for speaking their mind when all you have to do is
turn the channel and walk away, you know. And I'm not saying that consequences don't come about, and I'm not saying that you know that that's the answer to cure all that everything, But the reality is that the free speech in America has been the saving grace of America, and it has allowed America to make changes for the better and an allowed America to evolve into a different
country because of free speech. And when you sensor free speech and when your silence people because you don't like what they have to say, then it becomes, you know, a dictatorship in it becomes do as I say and it and it takes your freedom and it takes your liberty because there never would have been a Martin Luther King, there never would have been a Malca X, there never would have been a Muhammad Ali, there never would have been anyone who stood up against injustice if it wasn't
for that First Amendment Bill of rights. Free speech. People are shocked all over this world and imprisoned all over why because they speaking out and protest against something they don't like. So when we get to the point if we change that in America, then we're going to hell in a rocket ship, because that's what allowed America to
change and grow. We can't be like these other countries where you can't even speak out against something that you don't like, something that is an injustice because the minute you silence that you take the same and grace of America away in America has no way to grow and only a certain cabal of people didn't can dictate what should be heard and believed. Freedom is important and it is necessary for free speech to exist in order to
have liberty and freedom. And that's what's on my mind hearts, because my mind and heart because I don't believe in said Malique. Books is a place where books have a many different view points. Books not bullets. Books not bullets. So that's all I have to say. Um, that's what was heavy on my mind because I just see a change shifting in America as it relates to free speech. And I think that, you know, we need to be very careful and tread lightly when we start eroding these
values and principles. And look in the is a law. It ain't just a value of the principle. But free speech is a law. But when we start to reinterpret it to create silence of one's voice just because you don't like something. If you don't like it, turn the channel, but don't change the what has allowed voices to be amplified.
And I'm concerned about the next Martin Luthery King the next Malca Mix voices, they can be heard and change can be emulated for the better or do you know come about as a result of people speaking out and speaking in mind and standing up. We gotta change, we gotta grow, and you can't do that if you're silence. If you're silence people speaking out against injustice, against what is wrong. You know, we need to fix this system
that's been broken. So that's what's on my mind, that's what's on my heart, and I hope you enjoyed this episode. This was a bonus piece that I put together just before I was finishing my episode seventeen. The spirit just came upon me and I and I, you know, felt that I needed to say something that was on my mind. It was near and there and I was, you know, books not bullets. Thanks for listening to my Leak's Bookshelf where topics on the Shelf, our books, culture and community.
Be sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check out my Instagram at Bleak Books. See you next time.