20 Rasheed Newson interview

Rasheed Newson, television writer and producer and author of My Government Means to Kill Me, discusses the fallout from the HIV/AIDS crisis. In conversation with host Cody Sisco, Rasheed talks about the ascendance of sex positivity thanks to PrEP, how his novel imagines a young gay Black man in 1980s New York encountering ACT UP, and the legacy of the Gay Liberation and Civil Rights movements.

Photo credit: Christopher Marrs

Rasheed is the author of My Government Means to Kill Me, which examines the political and sexual coming of age of a young, gay, Black man in New York City in the mid-1980s. The novel was a 2023 Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “The 100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times. Rasheed lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.

Read Local LA 📚📚 February 2025 Black History Month

We’re running a book giveaway! Attendees of the WeHo Reads: Power and Progress During Black History Month event on February 26 will be chosen at random to receive a free book from one of the participating authors. We’re giving away one copy of each of the books marked with the book icon 📖 below to give away. See official sweepstakes rules for more information. 


Angela M. Franklin

  • Four poems by Angela M. Franklin on subjects people are too squeamish to discuss involving race, mental health, domestic violence, and social injustice

Read now online at https://www.angelafranklin.com/poems.html

Jenise Miller

  • The Blvd by Jenise Miller  📖  a debut poetry collection celebrating Compton and its people, who face hardship with grit, gratitude, and grace.

Available via Amazon resellers https://www.amazon.com/Blvd-Jenise-Miller/dp/1946081337

Pam Ward

Romaine Washington

Los Angeles 2025 Wildfires Resources for Writers

We’re all in this together. BookSwell is compiling information to help writers and creatives in Southern California navigate and access resources for recovery. Our website lists links to official government websites, fundraising campaigns, mutual aid directories, advocacy organizations, and book drives. We’re adding more links as we find them. 

Emergency Updates and Official Information

Highlighted Recovery Efforts – LA Writers Focused

Recovery Guides

Recovery Funds for Writers and Creatives

Mutual Aid

Non-Profit Organization Relief Funds

Corporate Relief Funds and Support

Advocate for Fair and Just Recovery

Housing

Book Drives