BEST AUTHOR-[1 ] BEST : GLORY EDIM

Comedians memoirs - and shark trivia - help the founder of the Well Read Black Girl book club as a writer and a parent. Her new book is '' Gather Me : A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me.''

.-  What book would people be surprised to find on your shelves?

A ton of memoirs by comedians : '' She Memes Well, '' by Quinta Brunson. '' Yes Please,'' by Amy Poehler. I recommend Trevor Noah's '' Born a Crime '' all the time. I recently finished Whoopi Goldberg's '' Bits and Pieces.'' I'm patiently waiting for Maya Rudolph to write her memoir!

.-  Describe your ideal reading experience.

I like to read in public. Coffee shops. Airports. Park benches. My ideal experience happens during my morning commute ; it transforms my otherwise ordinary bus ride into something more meaningful.

It's also a peaceful way to center myself before the hustle of work kicks in.

.-  What's the most interesting thing that you learned from a book recently?

My 4-year-old son's fascination with sharks led me to read '' Sharks Don't Sink : Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist, by Jasmin Graham."

Apparently, sharks never stop generating new teeth ! They can go through up to 30,000 teeth in a life time.

Parent tip : Shark trivia works really well when trying to convince a preschooler to brush his teeth.

.-  How did the Well-Read Black Girl series with Liveright Books come about?

I created the Well-Read Black Girl book club to provide a space for Black women to share their love of reading and engage with literature that reflects their experiences.

After editing and publishing my anthologies, '' Well-Read Black Girl : Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves '' and ''On Girlhood,'' I became fixated on trying to help other Black writers publish their work and developing an editorial space where their narratives would flourish.

I shared my vision with my incredible Liveright editor Gina Inquinta. She was immediately supportive and helped me determine the best pathway for partnership.

We quickly acquired two debt fiction titles : '' The Catch,'' by Yrsa Daley-Ward, and " I Hope You Find what You're Looking For, '' by Bsrat Mezghebe. I'm proud to work with a publisher that elevates these essential voices.

The Publishing continues to Part [2]. The World Students Society thanks New York Times.