I really enjoyed talking to Shayla Lawson this past Friday as part of Six Square’s collaboration with the Texas Book Festival. As evidence of this, you can watch the restream (linked below) & see me actually choke on my drink from laughter during her reading!

There were so many things I wanted to talk to her about & we didn’t even scratch the surface because our time together just flew by (notwithstanding a computer issue that had me offline for a minute or two).

Please buy her book! It’s a really thoughtful collection of essays and poetry that reflect on what it means to be a Black woman in spaces not meant for us, often told through the lens of pop culture and contemporary scenes. As I told Professor Lawson at the top of our talk, I had to set this book down a couple of times & sift through what I was feeling before I realized that she’s naming uncomfortable situations we’ve all had to sit through and question whether the moment is actually racist or whether we’re overreacting. For me, it was the distinct taste of realizing I’d been gaslit. THIS IS MAJOR is also a really beautiful altar to the dope Black women who’s art & presence makes life bearable.

You can watch our talk here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/3ex1nb3e/register