It was never my plan to be an author; it sort of just happened to me. As I have said many times, the reason I wrote my first book, “Life” was because I had an epiphany and knew that God wanted me to write my first book. I was sitting at home with my mother and the entire idea came to me through a strong burst of inspiration. Following that inspiring moment, I got to writing and during my junior year of undergrad, “Life” was released on Amazon. After returning to Morehouse for my senior year, I started blogging more and working on my craft as a writer. The work that I did on my website began traveling around my campus and everyone started to know me as a writer. When I would walk around school, brothers would talk about a piece they had read and surprisingly began asking me,
“When’s your next book coming out?”
“Next book?” I would ask.
I had no plans to write another book anytime soon. Writing blogs was satisfying and I enjoyed writing something quick for my friends to read. It was a common practice for me to write up a quick piece, send it out to my friends, and harass them to check out my work.
The Concept
One day I wrote a blog about resumes blunders to avoid. After writing the blog, I sent it out to my usual ten or so friends, anxious to get their feedback. Moments after I sent the blog out to my friends, I had a great conversation with a classmate named Michael McDonald. Mike had been one of my good friends for a while and I trusted his feedback. Mike read the blog I sent him and insisted that I take all my knowledge and thread it together into another book. He suggested the book consist of great stories just like “Life” but more practical tips and advice, particularly about college. When I heard that idea I liked it, and knew I should take his suggestion seriously. That Summer I started writing the day after we graduated from Morehouse. I can say with confidence that had it not been for my brothers compelling me to write another book and Mike giving me the concept, I would have never written “College”.
The stories throughout my second book are all based on my Morehouse journey, from the time I entered as a freshman all the way to commencement. I can’t pretend that the lessons and stories would have come out the way they did, had it not been for the brothers I surrounded myself with. To my best friends: Corbin, Sean, and Jamil, to my Morehouse alum professors, the entire community really helped me get to where I am today. American English fails me when I attempt to express what Morehouse meant to my development as a man.
The Photo Shoot
Aside from the actual stories and lessons from the book, the book cover was also shot by a Morehouse brother. During my previous semester of graduate school, I prayed that I could find a photographer that could capture the vision I had for my cover. I even sent out an email to the Boston University Career Services office explaining that I would pay someone to do the shoot. After weeks of no replies and being in a new city; I had no idea who would shoot the cover. Luckily, I saw on Instagram that my Morehouse brother Keon McKay was in Boston visiting a friend of his. I’ve followed Keon’s work for a while and had always been a fan. His work is impressive and clearly showed that he had the skills to bring my book cover to life. Keon came to Boston, he agreed to shoot with me and we shot the cover of the book in less than an hour. The synergy of my creative ideas and Keon’s talent is reflected in the shot. If it were not for his contributions, I’m not sure who would have shot my book cover.
The Foreword
The Foreword was also written by a Morehouse alumnus, Professor Adisa Iwa. Professor Iwa was one of my favorite professors at Morehouse. I write in the book how Professor Iwa believed in me from the moment we met. He was the first person that I told about the second book and what my plans were for its release. When I asked if Professor Iwa would write the Foreword for the book, he accepted graciously. I know for sure that his words set a great foundation for the book.
Your Takeaway
In summation, I’m really proud of my second book and the positive responses that I’ve gotten from it. Although I worked hard to write the book myself I can’t take full credit. I have to give respect to Morehouse and the community that it fostered. The contributions to the book from Morehouse brothers made the book what it is.
I’ve been ridiculed for saying how much I love Boston University. (Which I do, I honestly love BU more than Morehouse, because BU has a $1.9 billion dollar endowment and lots of resources. Sorry, not sorry.) What BU doesn’t have is the sense of community that makes Morehouse something truly special.
I am who I am today because of the experiences that I’ve had and the people that I have met. When I was in the glee club at Morehouse, Dr. Morrow who is also a Morehouse alumnus, used to always say, “You are a collection of the people you meet.” I agree with that statement wholeheartedly.
If I could give some advice to anyone who is reading this post it would be to reflect on the moments, experiences and people that have shaped you to be who you are today. No one gets to success alone, no one. Everyone has people, places and things that have assisted in their pursuit towards greatness. It is important that when we experience success that we never forget where we came from. Studies show that truly successful people have no problem not only remembering who helped them achieve their dreams—but also acknowledging those people publicly.
It is my intention to always hold Morehouse dear to my heart for the immaculate experience it was and continues to be for me. My prayer is that after reading this blog, you reflect on who helped you get to where you are today, acknowledge those people and express gratitude. It is a mandate to show appreciation to those who have helped us along our journey. What I know from experience is that showing love to those that helped me is not only an act of appreciation— but of humility.
There are a lot more names and an acknowledgement section in my new book. To order a copy of “College” CLICK HERE.
