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1:13

is Scott Talks. I'm Scott, and I am

1:15

here with Tanya Sam. And

1:19

completely out of my element. Just so you

1:21

know, not really my element, but sort of

1:23

at the core of who I am, I

1:25

haven't been a reader, but I'm in

1:27

a long-term relationship with an author. I'm

1:32

reading a book right now. You'll be very proud of me.

1:34

So each night I go to bed, I try to read

1:36

a couple chapters, just because I've been

1:38

an audible, like since everything's gone digital.

1:40

But that is what you think. I

1:42

never discount folks that like Audible.

1:45

I'm down. I'm down. I'm shocked by

1:47

how many... The numbers of people

1:49

that tune in on Audible. So I

1:51

never shame an Audible person. I'm

1:54

not. I'm very proud of it. I'm

1:57

down with it. But There is something to the old

1:59

school reading. That I think even

2:01

people who say they aren't readers are

2:03

very proud of when they read write

2:05

like the and there's something. There's just

2:07

something very person without reading that I

2:09

don't think you get from audible late,

2:11

the pictures that you and your hair,

2:13

the way you see the characters and

2:15

as is it's a unique perspective that

2:17

I think his absence when you're listening

2:19

to somebody. Tell. It to you

2:22

have also been have a visual learner urged

2:24

are are are experience or so as thing

2:26

you tube is one of my favorite places

2:28

to go and learn. Listen.

2:30

In our back and forth I

2:33

am of. It's for you guys

2:35

who don't know. Tenure is many

2:37

things. She's the Queen A Book

2:39

clubs for their ah ah how

2:42

long were you on Real Housewives

2:44

of Atlanta? How many other side

2:46

for ah I'm about three years

2:48

Treaty that through wilde three seasons

2:51

you're Canadian hung up as a

2:53

beautiful black on his arms. Oh

2:57

yeah, I'm you are. Also

2:59

are in the crypto in finance

3:01

here in to book clubs you

3:03

are a podcast sir. You're very

3:05

busy person, you're an advocate and

3:08

I really enjoyed your conversation with

3:10

Laura. And let me just say

3:12

one thing real quick because book

3:14

clubs are actually just really coming

3:16

on my radar. As large book

3:18

has gone into paperback, we've started

3:20

exploring. At. Yeah, I've got

3:22

this unique experience in that I bought another

3:25

you know, conceptualize of books and draft it

3:27

in and and and then sell it. and

3:29

then now it's a year old and now

3:31

we were seen it go into paperbacks and

3:34

and now it's another life of the book

3:36

that I and. Yeah. That

3:38

angle. hard time. And. Never. I

3:40

had no idea I'm but one thing I thought

3:42

was really interesting listening to you guys talk to

3:44

that was like oh, what's the point of a

3:47

book club right? Like in I know they have

3:49

a lot of good points but just to watch

3:51

the two of you like. For any of the

3:53

listeners who haven't listened to the show, go back

3:55

and listen Because like I said, I.

3:58

Think just. Sharing. Really? and

4:00

sharing a book club allowed you guys to be

4:02

like friendly in a way

4:04

that you couldn't just you

4:07

couldn't achieve any other way, right? Is

4:09

that is that your experience? Oh, I love that

4:11

you said that and picks up on that because,

4:14

you know, I will also tell you why

4:16

I think book clubs are getting so popular

4:19

right now. It's really hard to make friends

4:21

when you're, air quotes,

4:23

old, like, where do you find friends? After

4:25

school, after the normal, like I have my,

4:27

you know, your group of friends that you

4:29

grew up with, then you go to work

4:31

with and you might know through your

4:33

kids school. And so it's like, it is

4:36

difficult. And so this sort of drops

4:38

away a lot of pretense of like, well,

4:40

how are we supposed? What are we supposed to

4:42

talk about? And so it's rules this avenue

4:44

and sort of open stores to have like

4:47

connection and conversation. And it's and books are

4:49

like a great way to do it. And

4:51

so I think people have just started and

4:53

especially post pandemic, people want

4:55

friends, they want to be able

4:57

to talk about things.

5:00

And sometimes like you're stuck, I noticed like

5:02

in the pandemic, like I was in my bubble,

5:05

you know, and I think we are

5:07

there find new bubbles and books allow

5:09

us to absolutely do that. I

5:12

agree. I think and one of the things I

5:14

think is cool is if

5:16

you ask somebody if they've read a particular book,

5:18

and they have, you feel like you know something

5:20

about them. Oh, yeah, I said by by just

5:23

sharing the book, which I just

5:26

like I said, it just wasn't on my radar.

5:28

I've been an athlete, you know, most of my

5:30

life. So my goal has been to be tired

5:32

enough, you know, to work out enough to be

5:34

tired. Like, like

5:36

I always say breeding puts me to sleep. And, you

5:39

know, maybe maybe that's true is not or

5:41

not. I'm not sure. But being

5:44

with Laura and being in this world, I'm

5:46

giving it more effort. And in

5:48

fact, I'm going away next week, and I'm trying to figure out a

5:50

book to take. So if

5:52

you have a one, she said about the what

5:54

was it? The erotic

5:57

stories from the now be alone.

5:59

I don't want to take I

6:01

mean, it's

6:03

like, what do you like, right? And so,

6:06

yeah, you have to meet people with where they are.

6:08

And sometimes books will surprise you. I mean, that's where

6:11

Don't Judge a Book by its cover comes from. But

6:14

there's always a book for somebody you like

6:16

sports. I mean, what

6:18

was still nice book, I heard that was excellent,

6:20

you know, there's always something where

6:25

you can be find

6:28

something really great. Yeah.

6:30

Tell me, you know, other than what we've

6:32

just talked about, why are book clubs important?

6:34

Why are they important? Why? Why

6:37

do we need them? You know,

6:39

it's something really interesting is happening,

6:42

because I do feel like book clubs have been

6:44

around for a very long time. You

6:46

know, I was in them as a kid.

6:48

And, you know, there was sort of this

6:50

idea that they were boring, and it felt

6:52

like pressure to be in them, like, I didn't

6:55

finish the book, and I didn't like our selection,

6:57

and I have to show up. And you know,

6:59

people would talk about cramming a book

7:01

in to finish it. And somehow this has

7:03

gone away. And people are actually finding enjoyment

7:05

and pleasure from it. And I just think

7:07

people are all about our time is so

7:09

precious now, nobody wants to do things

7:11

they don't want to do. And

7:14

so it's created this place where people

7:17

are around like

7:19

minded people having great conversation

7:21

and finding connection in a way

7:24

that doesn't feel like you're at the old

7:26

lady Tupperware convention. I think that's the

7:28

idea I carry around a little bit.

7:31

Yeah, I mean, I used to. Yeah.

7:34

And so it's like, even in our book club, I'm

7:36

like, it's lit, like, and nobody

7:38

has to come and be like, well, you

7:40

know, I feel like this reminds me of

7:42

some hubris from Greek mythology. And like, I

7:45

just brings in like echoes of Foucault. No,

7:49

I love when people show up and teach us

7:51

stuff like that. But I also want to talk

7:53

about like, well, what do you think this person

7:55

would look like if we cast them in a

7:57

movie? Right. You know, there's no there's no stupid

7:59

questions. It's just it's fun and it's engaging

8:01

and like come if you are So

8:04

your last imitation just made me think is this

8:06

a primarily a female thing or you have a

8:08

lot of men in your book Club as well.

8:10

Um, we're getting more and more men. Okay, I'm

8:13

one of our husbands and Because

8:15

you know and it's funny because I feel like that

8:18

was also a housewife thing You know when I was

8:20

on housewives I had a lot of men come up

8:22

to me and be like, oh my gosh, you're Tanya

8:24

you were my favorite housewife and they

8:26

would be like I'm

8:28

I'm forced to watch because of

8:30

my partner, right but they're in it,

8:32

you know, like when yeah Everything

8:36

and so we're getting more men

8:38

and couples that are reading together

8:40

as like an activity and

8:43

they're having Input, you know, sometimes

8:45

they're in the background going say this

8:47

part so I really

8:49

enjoy Seeing that

8:51

because I we want diverse perspectives like we're reading,

8:53

you know Sometimes the funny is women we're talking

8:56

and commenting and a man will chime in

8:58

and be like ladies You got this all wrong

9:00

men don't think like that. And

9:02

so you're seeing more men and

9:04

I just think It's

9:07

becoming it's just exploding We'll

9:12

be right back The Only

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one in the room is sponsored by better

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terms and conditions. 18 plus. Yeah, I think a

11:45

lot of the things you said are true. We're

11:48

trying to recreate community after this digital

11:50

sort of time period that we've all

11:52

been sucked into, we've been forced into. So even

11:56

though it's a lot

11:58

of it is digital, we're still like you said. joining

12:00

on a common piece of material and

12:03

content to converse about.

12:06

So actually, I'm going to say something Scott. I think that would

12:08

be that is like you're peaking my interest

12:10

here about how men and I feel like

12:13

there is something going on with men right

12:15

now. Like y'all are getting a little bit

12:17

more woke. You're all doing the work. So

12:19

like that some of you are getting more

12:21

in touch with your feelings. Like I feel

12:23

like male focused book clubs would be really

12:25

interesting. Like it's like step two to

12:27

the barbershop. You know,

12:29

how do we talk about these things? But

12:31

you know, in a safe space, like I

12:34

think you're on to something there. Well, I

12:37

like to think that we're now given permission

12:39

to there you go have those conversations

12:41

because I think many men have

12:44

have, you know, the side of them

12:46

that hasn't been ushered into

12:48

society as well, right? It's not

12:51

like I don't like like sports, I like

12:53

like surfing and cycling, like I'm not a

12:55

basketball. Somebody asked me the other day, Do

12:57

you like watching basketball on Sundays? I'm like,

12:59

I hate it. Yeah, you

13:02

know, but it doesn't mean that

13:04

I don't appreciate athleticism. So where

13:06

does that go? Right? And but

13:08

I think I think men are looking for a way to

13:11

to break that sort of you know, you're

13:13

in a book club, you know, what does

13:15

that mean? You know, to launch the Tanya

13:18

time coed

13:20

book club mixer, something something. I

13:22

think and given it the space

13:25

to sort of like, like not

13:27

be this linear thing for men

13:29

where there's like, you know, there's

13:31

no there, you know, they like a particular

13:34

aspect of it, but they aren't allowed to

13:36

sort of have feelings or, you know, be

13:38

emotional or, you know, be

13:40

angry. You know, one of the other things I think that

13:42

I wanted to say before this was

13:44

over was that, um, first

13:47

of all, I remember when Laura, I

13:50

think when you DM Laura,

13:52

thank you about her book, and,

13:58

you know, we keep bringing up American people. fiction

14:00

and I was struck by that because I had just

14:02

done Laura's book tour with her. I

14:04

was shooting photos and a lot of it and

14:08

you know the book was

14:11

written from a perspective that is not

14:14

that's very unique race, drug

14:18

addiction, race, privilege, being

14:22

a mother and there you

14:24

know as she's tried to sell the book there wasn't a

14:26

lot out there that I like that and

14:28

the primary person that identified with it were

14:30

these young white women who would you know

14:33

hold their hearts as Laura would tell

14:35

the story and you are

14:38

trying to change the narrative in black

14:41

literature and writing as well. Can

14:43

you explain a little bit more of that real quick

14:45

because you guys talk a lot about in the interview

14:48

but if somebody wants to go back

14:50

to understand what's going on you would probably be a

14:52

better person to explain it than I would. So

14:55

what struck me so much again if I

14:57

once I started sort of on the other

14:59

side you know I started this book club and

15:02

then I was reaching out to publishers and trying

15:04

to understand how the publishing industry works it is

15:06

hard and it's incredibly

15:08

hard to even find an agent it's archaic

15:10

you kind of have to search Twitter and

15:13

find someone who's exactly looking

15:15

for the type of book that they only

15:17

want and then there's nothing else. So you

15:19

know with a book like Laura's book Stash

15:21

they'd be like hmm I've

15:23

never seen a book like this so I don't think

15:25

there's a market for it which is infuriating because it's

15:29

like sorbatum and it has to

15:31

end like this and well if we need

15:33

it and especially it starts going into these

15:35

little silos well if it's black I'm only

15:38

looking for black like

15:40

BIPOC books that follow this theme and so

15:42

that's part of the problem and we have

15:44

this problem in technology too right with you

15:46

know investing in this where you know I'm

15:50

just gonna say it it's the pale male that's

15:52

at the top of the food chain and they

15:54

only know what they know so they were like

15:56

well her story nobody's gonna want to read that

15:59

and That's sort of what this

16:01

diversity of thought is cracking and trying to

16:04

open up and like once we

16:06

get more people Because I didn't to be

16:08

honest I didn't even know I wanted to

16:10

read Laura's story because I'd never heard Laura's

16:12

story I put it out there to my

16:14

book club and people loved it because there's

16:17

different elements to the you know five

16:20

Sort of paragraphs that you would hand in and

16:22

when you're trying to pitch a book. I'm a

16:24

black woman on opioids I'm

16:27

wealthy and this and they're like, hmm So

16:30

this is what I think her books a

16:32

great example and how if we break down

16:34

what's happening in publishing That's run by like

16:36

the five Publishing houses

16:38

we can sort of show people we're

16:41

buying And

16:44

I think that's that's what I'd like to

16:46

see, you know And especially because black women

16:49

are buying up books and books are expensive

16:52

Like I'm so excited that stash is now out

16:54

and paperback because it just needs more people can read

16:56

it like It's expensive. Well,

16:58

that's the way I feel too I think when I

17:00

understand I was more people will get a shout at

17:02

it because it doesn't come You know

17:04

fed to you by the top five. It's you guys

17:07

you reading it with your group sharing with a bunch

17:09

of other people Because

17:11

of the story not because of the perception of

17:13

what the story should or shouldn't be which which

17:16

is just mind-blowing to me I guess as I learn

17:19

more about how this whole thing works and I

17:23

Really it was thinking about your

17:25

story when you were talking about being Canadian

17:27

being black not recognizing your race is an

17:29

issue Loving Led Zeppelin and

17:32

I you know, like that's a story I think that wouldn't

17:34

that people wouldn't make a movie up, but I would love

17:36

to see it right, I would love

17:38

to see that character, you know, like

17:40

I I Love

17:43

looking back on life and as I mean sure

17:45

there were these ups and downs, but it's both

17:47

sides It's going to Ghana and they're like,

17:50

hey, you're white and I'd be like what?

17:53

You know, we've literally heard in in in

17:55

God that it means it's over me and

17:57

it means like you're white and I'm like

18:00

no, this is my motherland, you know,

18:02

and then on the opposite side, I remember

18:04

wearing my curly hair in the 80s and people

18:06

will be like, what you do, stick your finger

18:08

in a light sock. And I'm like, yeah, that's

18:10

the crap out of this hair. So I can

18:12

look like my, my best, my soul, you know,

18:14

my soul sisters are white too. Being,

18:17

you know, and sort of doing and all

18:20

of those things. I'll tell you another anecdotal

18:22

funny story. I remember being on Housewives and

18:24

we were like traveling somewhere and it was

18:26

like through this horrifying storm, right? We're driving,

18:28

driving, driving and we were like, we should

18:31

pray. And I was like, guys, we should

18:33

pray. And I paid. And my

18:36

pray was like, dear God, please help us to get

18:38

here safe. And like, all of a sudden I look

18:40

up and the whole bus is dead silent. And they're

18:42

like, that's how you pray. I grew up

18:44

in a white church in Canada. It was

18:46

like, a united church where you

18:48

go to church for one hour and you get out

18:50

united, united being the key word here, you know, and

18:52

they were like, that's how you pray. And I was

18:55

like, Oh God, there's another thing like I don't pray,

18:57

right? I don't know. So it's

18:59

just like there's funny scenes in that movie. If

19:01

you want to, if you want to make it.

19:03

Oh, I think it sounds really interesting to me.

19:05

I would, I would definitely enjoy watching

19:08

that, that character navigate through it all. Thank

19:11

you so much for being on the show. And

19:14

you guys check out the show notes, all of Tanya's,

19:17

let's see, we're gonna, we're gonna plug the book club.

19:21

Tanya times first 50 is

19:23

first 50 part of the

19:25

name. The podcast is

19:27

bringing out all sorts of offerings. And

19:30

the podcast is called Money Moves. We

19:36

hope that you make it to LA and we can

19:38

hang out with you or we'll bebop over to Atlanta.

19:40

Not really on the schedule, but we'll try to figure

19:42

out math. I never know. Stranger

19:44

things will happen, but let's do it. We'll

19:46

have some books and pee. In fact, you

19:49

know what? I'm always the type of person will be like,

19:51

I have this thing called USS, SR and it's

19:53

uninterrupted silent sustained reading. So maybe we could just

19:56

like hang out, drink tea and read books together.

20:00

That would be a challenge. I love it. Thank you so much,

20:02

Nana. Thanks, Scott. Thank you so much

20:04

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