Author Thelonious "Monk" Ellison is peeved because his latest offering hasn't caught fire with publishers, while a tome called We's Lives in Da Ghetto by Sintara Golden hits the bestseller lists, leaving Monk seething.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 How did you come to write this book?
00:03 What really struck me was that too few books were about my people.
00:07 Where are our stories? Where's our representation?
00:11 Would you give us the pleasure of reading an excerpt?
00:14 Yo, Sharonda! Girl, you be pregnant again?
00:19 If I is, Ray Ray's gonna be a real father this time around.
00:23 [applause]
00:26 Thank you.
00:27 [applause]
00:30 Monk, your books are good, but they're not popular.
00:36 Editors, they want a black book.
00:38 They have a black book. I'm black, and it's my book.
00:41 You know what I mean.
00:43 Look at what they publish. Look at what they expect us to write.
00:47 I just want to rub their noses in it.
00:50 [laughter]
00:56 I be standing outside in the night.
00:58 Deadbeat Danz, Rappers, Crack.
01:00 You said you wanted black stuff. That's black, right?
01:03 I see what you're doing.
01:05 We sold your book?
01:08 No.
01:09 We believe Mr. Lee has written a bestseller.
01:11 It's a joke.
01:12 The most lucrative joke you've ever told.
01:14 Now, is Stag a pseudonym?
01:15 Yeah.
01:16 Mr. Lee can't use his real name.
01:18 Is this based on your actual life?
01:23 Yeah, you think some bitch-ass college boy can come up with that shit?
01:26 No, no. No, I don't.
01:28 Can I ask what you ran for?
01:32 Was it murder?
01:33 You said that, not me.
01:35 They ran 300,000 copies.
01:37 Your books change people's lives.
01:39 They're offering $4 million for movie rights.
01:41 Yes!
01:42 The dumber I behave, the richer I get.
01:45 This has gone too far.
01:50 Stag Arloo is still on the run for authorities.
01:53 You haven't done anything. It's not like they can arrest you.
01:55 Get it, like me!
01:57 Wish I could go back to not selling books.
01:59 Is it bad to cater to people's tastes?
02:01 People want to love you, Monk. You should let them love all of you.
02:04 There's already so much buzz because of the movie deal.
02:07 Michael B. Jordan is circling.
02:09 We want to put him on the cover in one of those, um, scarves.
02:12 I guess you would call them, tied around his head.
02:14 A do-rag?
02:16 Do-rag, that's it.
02:17 Do-rag and a tank top with the muscles showing.
02:20 Something called the fire department.
02:22 We're thinking we can get it out in time for Juneteenth.
02:30 (upbeat music)