Lifestyle
The new book series reimagines Harry Potter at an HBCU
It all began with a post on Twitter. It was 2020, the peak of the pandemic, and LaDarrion Williams was reflecting on the dearth of diversity within the fantasy genre. He suggested, “What if Harry Potter went to an HBCU in the South?”
“Growing up, I watched Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent and Percy Jackson, which is certainly one of my favorite books. I didn’t see myself in those stories and I didn’t feel seen by them,” Williams said. He is a self-taught playwright, director and screenwriter.
The post went viral and sparked a dialogue online, leading Williams a protracted solution to bringing his idea to life. However, he’s the primary to confess that this process was not a fairy tale.
Williams’ “Blood at the Root,” the primary of three books, hits stores Tuesday. Jalyn Hall (“Till,” “All American”) recorded the audio version. The book tells the story of Malik, a 17-year-old with magical powers who’s accepted into Caiman University, an HBCU with a “Blackgical culture” and magic program.
Williams spoke to the Associated Press about how his tweet became a novel and the inspiration for “Blood at the Root.”
Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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AP: You posted this… and got plenty of response. And then what happened?
WILLIAMS: I wrote it as a TV pilot. I didn’t plan for it to be a novel. I shared (the method) online and folks sent me money using CashApp and Venmo from the US, Canada and even New Zealand. They said, “Go make it a short film.” It was October 2020. Everything was closed. You couldn’t buy hand sanitizer. I asked some friends and we shot this magical short film within the Los Angeles area. We slipped onto the UCLA campus. Sorry, UCLA, but we desired to shoot on an actual college campus. That’s when I spotted this story was special.
I assumed I had the whole lot. I assumed I had a viral tweet short movieI had a script, I had an idea. I assumed Hollywood would make me a multi-million dollar offer. I quickly became humbled by this. No calls got here. I had difficulty getting meetings with various production firms, showrunners and studios. Nobody wanted to fulfill me. I used to be really confused and fell right into a deep depression.
AP: Is that when you made the decision to change gears and write a book?
WILLIAMS: I felt very sad. There were days I could not even get away from bed. I felt like I had let down my friends who were risking their health. I felt like I let down the individuals who supported her on social media. It was a bit embarrassing. A friend of mine said someday, “Why don’t you turn it into a book?” Considering the whole lot that was happening on the earth and in America, corresponding to civil unrest, I didn’t think the publishing house would want it.
They didn’t do it at first. I used to be getting rejections left and right saying, “We can’t connect to this. It is not suitable for sale.” One of my biggest rejections happened on my birthday, December 3, 2022. In late January 2023, I used to be driving for Uber and I got a call from my agent who said we had a three-book deal.
AP: Were you screaming? Cry?
WILLIAMS: No. I turned off the Uber app and drove home in silence. I went to Ralphs, sat within the parking zone and said, “I sold a book. I didn’t just sell one book, I sold three.” Then I began screaming and calling everyone.
AP: Let’s talk in regards to the essential character Malik.
WILLIAMS: I desired to create a black boy from Helena, Alabama, where I’m from, who has cool magical powers. It’s a coming-of-age story a couple of 17-year-old boy who attends this really cool school. Is funny. Makes friends. Friendship, especially in adolescence, may be very necessary. They form of set you up for all times. Malik also connects together with his family and background. He had childhood trauma and difficulties and he’ll make mistakes, but they are going to not cost him his life. I would like people to know him. The way he talks, the way in which he thinks. I wanted him to be sensitive and delicate. He passes on the love he did not have as a toddler to his adoptive brother. I desired to create all of it through the lens of magic.
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AP: You also laid out in great detail what the quilt should appear to be.
WILLIAMS: The only time I’ve ever seen myself on book covers was “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963” and “Bud Not Buddy” by Christopher Paul Curtis. This was non-negotiable with my publishers. I assumed, “I would like a black boy on the quilt. I do not care how we do it. That’s what I would like.” I used to be slightly brave, however it’s okay. I also wanted him in a hoodie on the quilt, because, you already know, black boys in hoodies often get punished. I got what I wanted.
AP: Do you continue to see this story as a TV series?
WILLIAMS: There are ongoing conversations about that. I remember watching Twilight as a 6-foot-3 black kid in Alabama. It was a extremely cool time, having the ability to go to the flicks, be on this fandom, and meet people you’ll never otherwise meet. I would like to recreate that moment when “Black Panther” got here out and everybody was buzzing about it. I would like to do it for TV. This is what I would like for black kids.
Lifestyle
What is GiveTuesday? The annual day of giving is approaching
Since it began as a hashtag in 2012, Giving on Tuesdaythe Tuesday after Thanksgiving, became one of the largest collection days yr for non-profit organizations within the USA
GivingTuesday estimates that the GivingTuesday initiative will raise $3.1 billion for charities in 2022 and 2023.
This yr, GivingTuesday falls on December 3.
How did GivingTuesday start?
The hashtag #GivingTuesday began as a project of the 92nd Street Y in New York City in 2012 and have become an independent organization in 2020. It has grown right into a worldwide network of local organizations that promote giving of their communities, often on various dates which have local significance. like a vacation.
Today, the nonprofit organization GivingTuesday also brings together researchers working on topics related to on a regular basis giving. This too collects data from a big selection of sources comparable to payment processors, crowdfunding sites, worker transfer software and offering institutions donor really helpful fundstype of charity account.
What is the aim of GivingTuesday?
The hashtag has been began promote generosity and this nonprofit organization continues to advertise giving within the fullest sense of the word.
For nonprofits, the goal of GivingTuesday is to boost money and have interaction supporters. Many individuals are aware of the flood of email and mail appeals that coincide on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Essentially all major U.S. nonprofits will host fundraising campaigns, and plenty of smaller, local groups will participate as well.
Nonprofit organizations don’t have to be affiliated with GivingTuesday in any method to run a fundraising campaign. They can just do it, although GivingTuesday provides graphics and advice. In this manner, it stays a grassroots endeavor during which groups and donors participate as they please.
Was GivingTuesday a hit?
It will depend on the way you measure success, but it surely has definitely gone far beyond initial efforts to advertise giving on social media. The day has change into an everlasting and well-known event that focuses on charitable giving, volunteerism and civic participation within the U.S. and all over the world.
For years, GivingTuesday has been a serious fundraising goal for nonprofits, with many looking for to arrange pooled donations from major donors and leverage their network of supporters to contribute. This is the start year-end fundraising peakas nonprofits strive to fulfill their budget goals for next yr.
GivingTuesday giving in 2022 and 2023 totaled $3.1 billion, up from $2.7 billion in 2021. While that is loads to boost in a single day, the trend last yr was flat and with fewer donorswhich, in accordance with the organization, is a disturbing signal.
Lifestyle
BlaQue Community Cares is organizing a cash crowd for serious food
QNS reports that Queens, New York-based nonprofit BlaQue Community Cares is making an effort to assist raise awareness of Earnest Foods, an organic food market with the Cash Mob initiative.
The BlaQue Cash Mob program is a community-led event that goals to support local businesses, reminiscent of grocery stores in Jamaica, by encouraging shoppers to go to the shop and spend a certain quantity of cash, roughly $20. BlaQue founder Aleeia Abraham says cash drives are happening across New York City to extend support for local businesses. “I think it’s important to really encourage local shopping habits and strengthen the connections between residents and businesses and Black businesses, especially in Queens,” she said after hosting six events since 2021.
“We’ve been doing this for a while and we’ve found that it really helps the community discover new businesses that they may not have known existed.”
As a result, crowds increase sales and strengthen social bonds for independent businesses.
Earnest Foods opened in 2021 after recognizing the necessity for fresh produce in the world. As residents struggled to seek out fresh food, Abraham defines the shop as “an invaluable part of the southeast Queens community.” “There’s really nowhere to go in Queens, especially Black-owned businesses in Queens, to find something healthier to eat. We need to keep these businesses open,” she said.
“So someone just needs to make everyone aware that these companies exist and how to keep the dollars in our community. Organizing this cash crowd not only encourages people to buy, but also shows where our collective dollars stand, how it helps sustain businesses and directly serves and uplifts our community.”
The event will happen on November 24 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 123-01 Merrick Blvd in St. Albans. According to the shop’s co-owner, Earnest Flowers, he has partnered with several other Black-owned brands in the world to sell his products at the shop. Flowers is comfortable that his neighbors can come to his supermarket to purchase organic food and goods from local vendors like Celeste Sassine, owner of Sassy Sweet Vegan Treats.
At the grand opening three years ago which was visited by over 350 viewersSassine stated that the collaboration was “super, super, super exciting” to the purpose that the majority of the products were off the shelves inside hours.
Lifestyle
Keke Palmer Recalls the Key Advice Will Smith Gave Her as a Child: “It’s Hard to Be First”
Like many young people, actress Keke Palmer went through a phase wherein she clashed along with her parents. Recently in a performance at “Toast” podcast.Palmer revealed that fellow actor Will Smith helped her take care of the situation along with her family.
As a child star who has appeared on Nickelodeon and Disney productions, the “Akeelah and the Bee” actress explained how juggling fame has affected her and her family relationships — a lot in order that she admits she once considered emancipating herself from her parents.
Although her lawyer tried to get her into counseling, Palmer said it was Smith’s words that ultimately modified her mind.
“A couple of weeks go by, I’m on the set of ‘True Jackson, Vice President’ and I get a call from a very, very unknown number. And I said, “What? If it was strange, I would not answer,” she said, mentioning that she simply went back to work. Later, while retrieving her phone, Palmer received a voicemail from the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star.
“Hey Keke. This is Will. We’re here filming ‘The Karate Kid’ with (my son) Jaden and I just want to let you understand that I’ve talked (to your lawyer),’ Palmer continued, impersonating Smith. “He let me know every little thing you are going through and I need you to know that sometimes it’s hard to be the first, but you may do it. Just stay focused, love your loved ones and every little thing shall be high-quality.
Palmer remembers struggling as a child with the attention and fame that got here with climbing the ladder in the entertainment industry. While trying to adjust to the demands of her burgeoning profession, the actress recalls feeling that fame meant she would have to “throw (her) family away.”
“It’s something that happens when you leave and you can become a child artist, you can be the first person in your family to go to college, or you can be the first person in your family to get married,” Palmer said: explaining her feelings at that moment. “There are so many firsts that can happen as the generations of your family grow and evolve.”
Ultimately deciding not to undergo the emancipation process, Palmer emphasized the importance of getting a healthy community when navigating the entertainment industry.
“I think I’ve always felt like a lot of people, whether they’re big names or whether they’re my lawyers, have been a good community,” she added. “Also, my parents made sure I was around (people) who would encourage community rather than discord and separation.”
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