Prince Shakur discusses his debut memoir, When They Tell You to Be Good, a political and personal exploration of his coming of age as a writer and activist. Shakur shares how race and identity shaped his formative years, how journaling providing him with a creative outlet, his experience with activism and protest, his approach to writing about family, how he incorporated research into the memoir, the challenges he faced in the publishing industry, working with Hanif Abdurraqib as his editor at Tin House Books, and more.
 
Learn more about Prince Shakur at his website and YouTube channel.
 
Mentioned in this episode:
When They Tell You to Be Good by Prince Shakur
Black Lives Matter
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Anne Frank’s revised diaries
The Bat Rally
Standing Rock
Black Queer & Intersectional Collective
bell hooks
Jesmyn Ward
Saidiya Hartman
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley
The Green Book
Sangam House
Michael Brown
Hanif Abdurraqib
Tin House Books
Outside essay: “A Black Traveler Confronts Racism at a Montana Resort”
Catapult essay: “In an America on Fire, Baldwin’s Legacy Led Me to Paris”
#PublishingPaidMe
Kenyon Review Yong Writers Workshop

 
Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

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