Children are 100% of Our Future

My League Books has all the knowledge you want.

My League Books has all.

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The whole wild world one up reads.

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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malik's Bookshelf, bringing the world together with books, culture and community.

Hi, my name is Malik, your host of Malik's Bookshef. I hope you enjoyed my episode last week Black af you know what that stand for history. It was just raw from the heart and passion. I mean, I feature some other things.

I talked about some of my community events, I taste of soul, things like that. But I just if you hadn't heard the last episode last week, I definite I encourage you to go back and listen to that episode because it's fire. You know, it's raw, it's highlights, you know the way I see things and give you a look into a perspective that you might not necessarily know about me personally and just my passion and my mission. But this episode, as you know, what I'm big on

And fifty books to to the kids.

And that's special, and that's and that's community, that's g paying it for it, that's given back, that's charity, and that's hope for a better tomorrow, because who are we without.

Our next generation?

Right So us hosting this event at the school, it's just a a wonderful and beautiful event. And I'm very grateful for the principal and as well as the b SHAP who help us with the funds to raise the money to give away the books, and and and for b SIPE is Black Student Achievement Program.

They heavily involved in.

Elevating, motivating, inspiring uplift educating obviously.

Blacks throughout the Los Angeles County.

And they do a wonderful job in trying to make a huge impact and a huge difference in Black youth

And so that's what.

You know Black Student Achievement program is all about. And uh kudos to all that they do well. Anyway, this segment is gonna highlight Renee Watson's book tour and lost in both that Bright Elementary and some excerpts from her book signing and discussion at Malite Books.

So enjoy this episode. Thank you.

I'm Elite from Elite Books and want to thank Brank Elementary for allowing us to host this wonderful event. We gotta all star Award winning New York Times best selling author who's going to be speaking with you. Some of y'all have books, but everyone eventually is gonna get a book.

So I get a little patience, all right, Patience. Patience is a virtue.

So we're just so excited, but we got to give a round of a Paul to break elementary and your teachers put out.

That black.

Well do.

Everything that we do in societ is to.

What to enrich you to take over and be the next leader of tomorrow.

Can y'all do that?

Right?

That?

So?

Hey, I got the funny he.

Sat That means Black Student Achievement Program is part of the l A Unified School District and they.

Helped sponsor this epit see your head. They ain't not possible. Don't give it up. That's right, each one teach one who y'all gotta help each other? All right?

I believe readers are achieveers and.

You should too. But we got a nine up here. Y'all ain't come here to see me.

Listen.

I'm from Alif from Alife for the Safe right here. We were coather team, make the training party. But I got a future.

I got a special video to take that I'm gonna air for the first.

Time to students.

Okay, it's a premiere video that we put together for Elite Books and it's a.

Music video and I hope you enjoy it now.

It describes our praying in our mission and our mission because we believe stun trading are one percent of our future and so We believe books are the motivating factor with makes leaders and achievers. All right, so we gonna begin our program because we got some special students today who're gonna MC and that's great for me.

So I can sit down and let them take.

Oh well, you know, I'm gonna be future leaders. But today they gonna step up and they gonna host this. And this is what heaving programs like this is all about. It gives an opportunity for our young to you know, work on standing before.

A group of students and speak. I me personally.

I I haven't always been so vocal, and I used to be an introvert. I used to be afraid to stand here and talk. I wouldn't even look at you. But I challenged myself and I believe that I could be different, and I didn't let the fear stop me.

And so now I'm able to stand here. I'm not able to talk to.

You, I'm able to you and the eye I'm able to inspire you mort you.

So but hey, hey, they gonna.

Bring They gonna bring up our guests today and wrote or some of y'all have those books right now. This is the first one of Ryan Hart's.

Series Wait the Share Joe, and the second in the series is Ways to Grow Up, and the third series is Ways to Make Sunshine and the fourth in the series is The Ways to Build Dream. And the character is in elementary like the grade levels that you're at.

But let me say this, she's an award winner and she is here today to speak to you.

And I have some young kids at Brighton Elementary gonna tell you all.

I'll Relay Watson.

That's who I was describing, and so whoever started to be coming for come on, let's get this shirt.

What my name is Anthony Levis, I'm from Grow twenty six and I will also be reading Renee Watson's biography.

Well, Renee Watson was seven years old she write twnua page story and her season to her, I think you're gonna be.

A writer one day, and she was right.

Renee's been writing ever since, plays poetrys and books. Some of Rernight's books include Ways to Make Sunshine Some Places more than Others and This Side of Home. She also Grow Watchers Rise with her good friend Ellen Hagen. Her novel Pleasing Me Together and won two very special awards, the Coretta Scott Kingoboar and the Newberry Honor.

Renee Watsons grow up in Portland, Organ. Many of her books are inspired by the neighbors she lived.

When Renee's working on her.

New book, She's lads the songs that she needs hermine. There's more life and pleasing watch, she writes. She just for writing the surrounded bodys. Whyre your folks, both of gods and arts. All because of her books, her name is traveled to JR Dad, Korea, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Australia.

And New Zealand, and many places in the United States. All of the places her name wants to travel to.

Her two favorite places are Organ and New York.

She knows them so much. She lives in both places, Portland and Harlan.

Your Name believes the words are powerful and she wants to use her words to inspire, heal and change the world.

Please welcome our author to your Name Watson.

Good morning, Good morning. It is so good to be here. But you want to celebrate the release of Ways to Build Dreams.

I am Renee Watson, and I'm going to first share a little bit about myself cause I write fiction, which means I made that story.

So the books that you have that is not my life. But I thought I would share a little bit about who I am with you before we get to the stories that I make up. So this is a poem.

This poem, I'm using my five senses to describe where I'm from. I made up of East Coast tip hop and island tradition. I'm from Baptist hymns and secular jims, tambourine plan, late night sam at the church house or my friend's house or their friend's house on the weekends.

Where I'm from their cornerway and hand me downs, im.

Family keepsakes, family pictures on the wall, open Bible on the coffee table. I'm from that side of town where the media only comes from bosod shed, blood wasted.

Never for Gluvey store, celebrated.

Or regenerated time from hopstock to double Dutch, from hide and go, seek and pack, And I'm from curry goat, rice and peas and beef patties from turqurse, blue water like sand and dreadlocks.

Reggae is in my blood. Grew up in the Pacific Northwest, a place where rain falls, mother and sun shines.

I'm from Douglas furs and pine trees where we walked under water falls, drive up windy roads, and escape to the beaches on the Oregon Coast.

Where I'm from music takes away the blues.

I'm from Bob Marley, Minhelia Jackson or Metha Franklin.

James Brown.

I'm from Jackson five recordsand new edition takes where I'm from. Reuby Wine takes over and dover and dover again, so you can write down the lyrics and memorize them. Where I'm from, the whole neighborhood is your family. Ladies and on their porches looking out for you, shoeing away boys like flies. Call me your mama to tell her what you did before you can get home and.

Lie about it. Where I'm from, people adding my friend, is that your hair? And she says, yes, it's mine.

I bought it. I'm from divorce being passed down to children like the family heirloom from single mama's pecial stroller's praying that their babies don't have the.

Same struggles as them.

Time from a Little goes a long way from Son's Gonna shine after the rain. I'm from pressor y souls and hard working hands from a people's destined to make it to their promised land.

I'm from ben there Dunda can and we'll do it again. Now you tell me where are you from?

Thank you.

So I am going to read a scene from the very first Ryan Heartwood, which is Ways to Make Sunshine. And uh, after I read this scene, I'll open it up for questions. So if you have questions about me being a writer about any of my books, we're gonna talk in a little bit.

Okay.

So I'm going to read a scene to you. And what you should know about Ryan Heart is that her name means king.

So her parents are always telling her he named you Ryan because we want you to be a leader, which means we want you.

To be thoughtful and kind.

We want you to be.

Generous and a good listener, right, all the things that make a good leader.

And so she's trying to live up to her name.

Sometimes it's hard to be thoughtful and kind, right, It's hard to be the one that is always doing the right things.

So Ryan's trying to rise up to her name.

And be who her parents want her to be. And in this moment, she's very frustrated because there's a boy. His name is Brandon, and he's been teasing her about her name and treating her like she's a fragile thing, all because she's a girl. So she wants to prove a point to him and to the substitute teacher that just because she's a girl doesn't mean she can't do big things.

Ways to make sunshine.

When it's time to go outside for recess, Brandon Markets and the boy with glasses who I never talked to are splashing around in puddles and somkie and mud.

Then they raise each other.

Up the monkey bars. I walk over to join in on the climbing, but before I can get there, this absitute teacher says to me, why don't you go over there, a sweetheart, and points to the swings and sly, i'd better stay here for intending to climb a mountain.

So I say no, thank you.

And walk over to the monkey bars. This abstitute teacher follows me, and that's when I realized that it wasn't a suggestion a question, it was a demand. I really think it if be safer if you stay off the monkey bars. Besides you and Brandon mighty break from each other. I'll say out of Brandon's way, I say, and I don't think it's dangerous. I play on them all the time. I bet I can climb faster than all those boys. Just then Brandon shouts out, you can't beat me, and

I think about it.

There's a small crowd for me, and now I feel like I have to say yes, Like I have to prove to the substitute that I can play whatever I want with whoever I want. I don't like jolly Ranchers. I tell Brandon, when I win, you have to buy me a twist. I look over at Kiki, one of my best friends. She smiles and gives us her countdown on your marc Get set go. I hear our friends all cheering, but mostly I hear the.

Sound of my breath huffing and puffing.

In out, in out.

My feet slap the pavement and I run as fast as I can. Brandon is beating me, but not by much. I move my arms to the air, forcing myself to go faster.

I can up.

And then, just like I knew I could eyes at running faster than Randon by a lot.

I am winning. I am winning. The pole is close, and if I stretch my arm out far enough, I'll reach it.

I run a few more cents, and then when I go to put my right foot down, something happens. My right foot doesn't text the pavement the way of running. Foot usually textes the pavement. Instead, it stumbles and hiccups its way to the cold ground.

I have fallen.

Blood is drickling out of my knee, and there's the stinging and howling feeling all throughout my leg. Instead of stopping the race and seeing if I'm okay, Record runs right past me and tags the pole and says, yes, beat you you oh me a pack of jolly wrenchers.

No fair, cpls. She was at the pole first. It's not her fault.

Her shoe was untied and didn't even realize that's what happened. My shoe was untied. I tripped over my shoelace. Don't be a story loser, Brandon says, he's right. I tell Kiki I have never touched the pole. I'm the way home from school. I aks my brother, do you have two dollars? He answers why, and this means he has two dollars, he's just not sure if he wants to give them to me. What happened to your jeans? Ray asked, looking at the whole.

It's a long story. I tell him, I hold my hand out, I'll pay you back.

He gives me two dollars. And when we get to the corner store, I go straight to the candy aisle by a pack of green apple Dolly mattress for Brandon and the twigs for me.

Alright, So that's a scene from Ways to make such times. I'm a voice. My voice is powerful, my boy, my voice can change the world.

I have a voice, Lee, my voice can change the word.

Right, go change the lot of young people. Thank you. So that's for happening today. Are where do you have the beans to me?

Welcome everybody, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malik Books bringing a world together with books, culture and community.

Okay, y'all, I had a round apause as well. Prop Here on a Tuesday night, exet the clock. We'll thankful and grateful.

You know, because this is a very historic event. Today we all grace with.

Several best selling authors.

I'm gonna introduce one, but before I do that, and I always said, I gotta do my two minute commercials.

No, you know, we got a lot going on at Elie Books and we would love for you to follow us all right, so that you can keep in touch with all the events and things that we do.

So our instagram is Believe Books.

Before you leave.

Out here, we would love to get your email so you can get our news letters because that's more efficient on a lot of the programs that we are participating in book sciences.

So just about what.

Septemperirtith right here where we signing Centric that entertainer was here.

And you know we took over them all. We took that line went all the way down right.

But you know it's events like that that we try to bring to our community. You know, we're still are grass roots store with you.

Know, it's a lot of but look around these books you know have a story in them, and most of them it is written by people that look like us.

Right, So for a long time they ain't let us read or write.

But now look at our voice. You see what I'm saying. Believe books give voice to the voices.

And so I've been doing this since nineteen ninety when I opened up Elige Books.

And why because.

Books changed my life.

And anything that you want to find you can find. And what let me hear it. Now, a book you can change. Listen, you have to change your life just by reading.

You know, many people have done it.

Many people have not graduated from high school nor college and became successful millionaires or successful careers.

So as long as you live, I.

Say, you got a chance to change your life, change your thoughts, change your life, and books can do that.

We like to say here, I believe books of children are one hundred percent about future, you know, yea, and and and it's because what future do we have without the youth.

I push hard and I'm.

Passionate about books because I'm trying to pass on that to the youth and the young because they got to take the torch to the next level. You know, each generation has to moved the needle farther.

You know, who cares about them changing the landscape or the playground.

We still gotta push it forward. If boots can do that.

And here at Elie Books.

We got two locations right here.

You have Westfield, Coach City Mall, Marquee of the Little Goolaite Books, and then we had Westfield.

I'm sorry that's where were already at. But we had all when he was Chris Shawn Maul, which is.

That's how O G I started on Chris shawan king in the little hole in the wall.

Didn't have no money, but I had.

A belief, you see, and so everything started with idea.

You know, I always say, you know, thoughts, you know they're in the future.

Look, I didn't thought something boom.

I gotta walk right into that thought because thought is in the future.

You know, you don't take a step while I'm thinking first.

You're just not conscious of that thought.

You're you know, that's the whole thing is that we do things subconstantly, but we're not aware of what we're doing when we're doing it. But the reality is this is that when you have a thought, you gotta work it and success don't come easy.

So but hey, we thank you for coming on out. And I'm gonna introduce our moderator for the night, and she's.

Gonna introduce our catch, Renee Watson and so because we're grace with two authors, two the best sellers, but we gotta.

You got monumentous author.

This is gonna be speaking today and so I'm.

Gonna introduce Erica K. Kendrick.

All right.

She wrote a books called Squad Goals. I believe in the Cookie Monster.

Now I'm gonna need more glasses now, so give me this sing, Give the glasses because look, I gotta find.

Hey, they gotta be on me somewhere. I just bank. Look, in this world, you better have a sense of you because a lot of craziness going on. But you gotta find.

Choy wherever situation you in. You know, they wrote the books wondering why.

We found choy even in slavey, why we had praise and sing and dance even in slave They couldn't understand it.

But I don't care what situation you win. You better find some joy because smiling and laughing is contagious.

All right.

Erica J.

Kenji is a national speaker, mental health advocate, and former NBA Chile. She is a.

Stanford University graduate.

Then y'all need to cop on that from you know, that's I believe of the West cou.

With the NBA in Marketing and International Business from the University of Illinois.

She is a She's the author of Squad Goals and Cooking Monster, and she's gonna take it from here, So keep.

It up for Trade Trade, I don't even know what to say. That's like everything, let's give from link.

I have to be an amaze evident for everything that you do for for the culture, and we appreciate you.

Uh.

It's my honor to bring up our guest author for the Evening.

She is the author of Ways to Build Dreams, Miss Renee Watson Okay.

She is a number one New York Times bestselling author.

Her novel Piecing Me Together received the Newberry Honor and a Corret Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series Some Places More Than Others, Love Is a Revolution, This Side of Home, What Mama Left Me, Betty Before ex co Written with ELIASA. I'm Not saying that properly, Shabaz and Watch Us Rise co Written with Ellen Hagen, as well as A Clean Picture Books, Maya Song, the sixteen nineteen project Born on the Water co written with

Renee grew up in Portland, Oregon.

Where this book is set, and now splits her time between Portland and New York City.

Please give a warms welcome to missus, Renee.

What do you mean?

Everyone?

You mean?

He lovely man?

Thank you for being here. We are so honored to have you here. Mess Dane wats and this is amazing my book signed.

I should have probably done that while you were chilling in the back with the grapes and the chivs.

Uh So, we're gonna put right here you don't want.

I wanted to give you some spakes, because it's a lot when if you do this sometimes.

And I am very compassionate back today, so I was trying not to be all up in your grill.

And though I wanted autographs, I wanted pictures. I want it all the Okay, well we'll do that before we get started. So the name of the book, if you don't already have one, is a waste to build dreams.

Uh So, before I start like getting all up in your business, I wanted.

To know if you would like to read anything from the book, if you have a special little.

Stress or page or back there that I haven't someone's been into me.

Okay, great, thank you.

So Ryan Is is in the fifth grade in this book, and she started off in the fourth grade in the first UH book of the series, and so she's had a point in her life where she's starting to think about what she's gonna do in the world and who she wants to be, and what is middle school gonna be, Like, she's super nervous about middle school. In this conversation, her father is encouraging her and her brother to think about not just the talents that they have and what their careers.

Could be, but who they want to be in the world.

So she's just made.

Breakfast for dinner and she has experimented with ginger hot chocolate and her brother's like, mm mm, this is too spicy.

I'm not feeling it, but.

Her dad says he really likes it, and she's so happy that dad likes it. Ray tells us about his next poetry slam. I to the semi finals and if I win this, I get to compete in the city wide competition.

He says, this time the theme is dreams.

We can write about our real dreams or we can write about what we hope for ourselves or for the world. What are you gonna write about, mom asked Ray shrugs, I'm not sure yet. Dad wours more hot chocolate, And now I know he meant it when he said he really liked it.

HM.

Well, what are some of your dreams? What do you hope for your future? Ray says, I have a lot of dreams.

Sometimes I wanna be a professional baseball player. Sometimes I think maybe a poet, oh and maybe a music producer. You'd be good at all of those things, Race said, Dad says, and what kind of person do you want to be?

Mm?

What do you mean?

Mm?

Well, you're telling me what you want to do as in a career, and it's good to have dreams of what kind.

Of job you wanna have.

But I also want you and Ryan to dream of what kind of person you want to be and what kind of world do you want to live in?

That is one question no adult has ever aksed me. Always they ask what do.

You want to do when you grow up? I have never been aksed who do you want to be? I never thought about there being a difference. So from this point on in the book, Ran is thinking about who do I wanna be in this world?

Her name is Ryan.

Ryan means king, and uh, her parents are always telling her be who he named you to be. We want you to be a leader, we want you to be thoughtful, we want you to be kind. She's in the fifth grade, so that's really hard. So she's trying to live up to her name and think about how can she show up in the world and be those things and not just focus on being the loudest or uh, the most talented in the room. But she's worried and thinking about how do I be kind and forgiving and compassionate?

How do I share?

Uh?

So those are the things she's kind of working on in the book.

Okay, that was an amazing passage. And then you pick perfectly cause I'm sitting here like, that's right, girl, I'll tell us that's right. Let us know it's about who you are.

So you give us a little bit of that story about Waste of Build Dreams.

But uh, can you share with us for those of us who are are not familiar with the book at all, just a brief synopsis of of what your baby is about.

Sure?

So, uh, this last book, Waste to Build Dreams is the fourth book of the Ryan Heart series. There's uh, ways to make sunshine, ways to grow, love and waste.

It's your joy. And Ryan, like I said, is trying to live up to her name.

And so in each book there are some some moments where she rises and some moments where uh, she does not and she doesn't.

Make the mark.

And the whole point is to help young people think about not being perfect and it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to be on your growing edge. Of the important thing is that you're trying right. It's also my I owed to the Ramona series. I don't know if any of you know the Ramona series.

Uh.

Beverly Cleary was one of my favorite authors. And Ramona lived in Portland, Oregon, and that's where I grew up.

And I remember reading those books as a child. And when I saw Click Attack Street, I was like, what, I know that street, I know that park. I know these places. This is where my aunt lives. She lived right around the corner from click Attach Street. But there

I read a lot of books that have social justice things, and sometimes we.

Label social justice as the serious topics, race, class, the intersections of all of those things. But social justice is also joy joins resistance, and I, as Malik, was saying that our people, we come from the people who knew how to hold on to join in the midst of such deep pain and struggle. And so I wanna put books out in the world that are yes, uh, thinking about overcoming and standing up and raising your voice to

And so that's what the series about.

It is, It's all about black joy and letting this little girl be her of apologetic black self.

Okay, so you saying, like you said, a white god like the joy like it on the countertown there laying your head and.

Find that.

That was my favorite little scene and the whole way I'm a down cause, like, okay, I'm trying not to think. Okay, letna be be cool. I'm like fangirling out over here, Loki, I'm trying.

Not to cry.

I loved this book, and so much of it was just pure joy. But that was my favorite scene. I devoured it in a day.

When Malik said the book and then he checked and he's like, did you get the book? I was like, that book has been read, that book was reading.

What are you hearing about?

So that was my favorite scene for so many reasons.

Why I could lay us a black girl, you know, just to get on the countertop with your head back in the scene, and luckily I'm not tender headed, so we got to do it.

And the picture of going with them, okay.

I was like, that's me, and that's to be right off to ourselves like Ryan, especially in that moment.

So my question is, oh, sorry, this is a question for later.

You're a dynamic writers, dynamic writer writing a writer like okay, we go together.

Now we gotta.

What was your favorite write in the books?

So I love that you mentioned that scene. My favorite scene in each book is the hair scene.

MM.

So every book of the Ryan High series has a black girl hair moment too.

Uh.

In the first book, Ryan is getting her hair pressed for Easter Sunday, right, and there's a big scene where she after she gets it pressed, goes swimming all way.

Uh.

So there's a black girl hair moment there. M Uh.

In Ways to Grow Love, she gets her her hair braided and has beads on the end.

Uh.

Ways to Grow Joe Uh, Rays to Share Joy she has braids in the front and the out until like the little Afro cub.

And then in this book we see the black girl hair washing scene.

Mm.

And I was the only thing I cared about being illustrated in the book. So the book is not full of illustrations. You know. This is where young people are kind of moving away from illustrations but still want a little something.

I just was like, the only thing I care about is that the hair scene is we was on and that we see that moment, and I think it's just important to normalize black girl here, That's right.

Uh.

But also I wanted to have have that reaction, have us finally see ourselves in a in a text and completely relate to it. So it's a scene that I've advocated for, and I've always been like, this is important. It has to look right. So we gotta get these braids right. We gotta get you know, all of it, cause I know that it managed to ask uh, and

Means a lot to me.

The other thing I'll say about those scenes is that is the moment where so grandma desert hair.

And it's always a moment where they have a a special conversation or just checking in, how are your friends? How's school? And I just remember being so loved by women when I was a kid. Yeah, and that that was when I didn't know it at the time, but that's when they were chicken on me. They're making jump at what's going on?

That's right?

Who do you got a crush on?

That's frien?

Uh?

What what are you worrying about? How your grades? What's going on at school?

And so it's just a moment for Ryan in the story to be loved and to be checked on and to show how we care for our babies, and sometimes that is neglected in literature. I think in black literature, we got mamas who are abusive and all the you know, the traumas of the hood.

But I know a whole generation of women who raised me and they loved me, and they loved me well, and I wanted to honor you. I think you did a tab your job, right, Okay, they.

Right?

So talking about the character Ryan, how do you approach developing really relatable funier saying I'm forty nine years old and I'm sitting here crying, you know, relating to our little fifth grader.

How do you do that?

That's a gift. I'm sure you could teach it. I'm your but like that's divine.

MM.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

How do you do that?

How did you come to that?

I I think I I just try to.

Write from a place of truth.

MM.

It's fiction, but it's also reality. Like I know girls like Ryan. I have Ryan's in my life. I had I with a little bit of Ryan.

I I never wanna write about a people I don't care about and that I don't love, and so I love young people deeply.

I'm listening to them. I'm asking them, you know, what do you care about? What are you afraid of?

Who do you love?

Who loves you back? And so when I go to the page, I think all of that just comes out because it's in my real life.

I don't know that I'm trying to write something or make something of all the way, like a plot. Yes, I'm tryna make up a plot. That's interesting. I wanna, you know, think about structure, But as far as the heart of the story, that's very real, and I think it's just based on the young people that I know. I'm just trying to reflect back in the books what I had experienced and seen in real life.

Okay, so my grandmother, Okay, how do I say this makes you rest in peace?

She was amazing, but she was not sorrow m like this grandmother, Like I saw stuff in this grandmother. I was like, they make grandma's like.

My grandmother was amazing, but she was like we we called her like the godmother of the family, like she was that boss shiit as we would say today. But this grandmother was just so loving and borning. She thought very cugly to me. M right, like, so, why is that important to your readers. And I think to the culture to have varying archetypes when it comes to these dynamic women that you've grounded.

So Ryan's mother, Yeah, this is a spoiler epticipant Ryan's mom at the end of the first what that announces that she's expecting and so she's distracted and the the father has lost a job, is try and find where he finds work. But it's it's not pain as much as it used to. So they're struggling. And I I wanted Ryan to have a safe place to land. So grandma comes in, right, and is that comfort for her?

I have had women in my life who were not. The thing about.

Writing realistic fiction is that I have an opportunity as a writer to write what.

Could be, yeah, not just what is right.

So I think I'm also trying to show black women, Uh, this is a way we could be with our children.

Mm.

We don't have to be your child staying your place. Go over there and today I'll be quiet mama.

Uh uh, you know all the things. Kay uh. So the grandmother in Mary, she there was a balance of them and I listen, I.

Don't I don't suffer fools, don't play, stop the foolishness.

But she's also going to ask you how was your day?

And when you are in the fifth grade and your day was horrible because a boy teased you because of your name, she's not gonna say.

That's not a big deal. Girl, Get over that. She's gonna comfort you, know.

So I wanted to also show black women who are tender and loving that you take time to listen, because that is a part of us too, and I don't know that we always get to see that. We get big mama, you know, we get like the the that that character a lot. And I wanted to soften her a little bit, not because I am making up something, but because I know those women and I wanted them.

To shine too. M That makes sense, Yes, that makes sense, Yes, yes, I think that.

Okay, So when I was in fifth grade, mm, no, grown up sat out with me and was like, let me tell you about my life.

MM Like, let me tell you how I evolved. They developed, they grew like she was it human with her in that moment, and I thought that.

Was so gorgeous, Like I found myself. Okay, so maybe my eyes were swaying just a little because I thought, how gorgeous for her to say to this girl, right, like I see it, like I I feel you, I hear you, I am you.

Yeah, this is where I've been as an adult.

Admit to you, that is not easy to lift us, Like why do you do that? But it's possible, you know, they do do that. But if I'm just realizing this while you're saying this, I'm like, who were those adults?

Besides my mother?

There were two people in my life who really were I I think about them in life when I'm writing a series.

The pastor of my church growing up and his wife, Reverend Howard, Sister Howard. They were just faith in a very practical way, right. They were going to be like, Okay, there is a woman in the church whose husn' passed away. Is she needs her grass? Cause the youth of the church, we y'all going over there. You gonna cut her grass. You gonna, you know, run errands for her, You're gonna

And you had this these this old couple country.

I think he had maybe a fifth grade education, m But what he did with that education and what he did with his life and what she did.

His wife was not just a pastor's wife.

Yeah, she was hands on and loved us and broke all the stereotypes of what we think of pastor's wife sometimes is being the means, stuck up whatever. She loved the kids, and she's nurtured us, and they shared their stories with us.

And so I think they show up in my work when I'm writing grandparents or.

Elders, because I really was raised by a loving black community that was always looking back to tell us how we can move forward.

That was always a constant thing. So it's it's low hanging fruit for me to access to that because I had it as a kid. I'm very grateful for that. All right, let's give her a.

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