Breaking Barriers to Book Distribution w/ Shane Foster and Tyrel Dale
Explicit content warning
03/16/21 • 64 min
In this episode, Weeze and Tyrel & Shane of X Books have a very real conversation about how the prison industrial complex blocks access to books for incarcerated folks and how X Books is a part of that solution. Through book donations, drives, and funding, X Books is stepping in to fill the much needed gap of giving reading materials to folks who are in prison, so they have an opportunity to receive enrichment, education, and support.
ABOUT WEEZE
Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She’s known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.
ABOUT SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE
Shane Foster (he/him) is part of the group that organized and founded X Books, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Atlanta, GA, in the fall of 2020. He has his bachelor's degree in social work from Florida State University and a master's degree in communications from Georgia State University. He currently works in HR for a software company, has lived in Atlanta for 8 years now, and is proud to call this community home. Shane is beyond excited for what X Books can become and is thankful for the groups across the country doing similar work and honored to work alongside them in our mission to provide books to people that are currently incarcerated.
Tyrel Dale (he/him) is a founding board member of X Books, Inc. He attended the University of Georgia and majored in Political Science and African American Studies. During his time at UGA. He is currently a Policy Analyst at the Georgia General Assembly. His focus is on education, criminal justice, and workforce-related issues. After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Ahmaud Arbary, he was inspired to find ways to help the incarcerated community outside of the slow moving electoral system. He sees X Books becoming a non-profit that will be able to educate and inspire all Georgians of their power to disassemble the prison industrial system.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT
- Breaking barriers to book distribution, especially within the criminal justice system.
- The prison system and how it intentionally withholds and blocks incarcerated people from accessing books.
- The system cannot afford to give those that it has intentionally disenfranchised and oppressed, the guidebook to their own liberation.
- How prisons are switching to E-Books and upcharging incarcerated folks for internet access to be able to use E-Readers, and they’re also heavily locked in with Amazon.
- Dismantling the systems that are blocking book access, teaming up with local bookstores & organizations, and providing funding to create opportunities.
CALL TO ACTION
Find an organization closest to you in your state that is doing similar work, and then follow, engage ,and donate to X Books.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
FOLLOW SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://xbooks.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/x__books/
In this episode, Weeze and Tyrel & Shane of X Books have a very real conversation about how the prison industrial complex blocks access to books for incarcerated folks and how X Books is a part of that solution. Through book donations, drives, and funding, X Books is stepping in to fill the much needed gap of giving reading materials to folks who are in prison, so they have an opportunity to receive enrichment, education, and support.
ABOUT WEEZE
Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She’s known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.
ABOUT SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE
Shane Foster (he/him) is part of the group that organized and founded X Books, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Atlanta, GA, in the fall of 2020. He has his bachelor's degree in social work from Florida State University and a master's degree in communications from Georgia State University. He currently works in HR for a software company, has lived in Atlanta for 8 years now, and is proud to call this community home. Shane is beyond excited for what X Books can become and is thankful for the groups across the country doing similar work and honored to work alongside them in our mission to provide books to people that are currently incarcerated.
Tyrel Dale (he/him) is a founding board member of X Books, Inc. He attended the University of Georgia and majored in Political Science and African American Studies. During his time at UGA. He is currently a Policy Analyst at the Georgia General Assembly. His focus is on education, criminal justice, and workforce-related issues. After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Ahmaud Arbary, he was inspired to find ways to help the incarcerated community outside of the slow moving electoral system. He sees X Books becoming a non-profit that will be able to educate and inspire all Georgians of their power to disassemble the prison industrial system.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT
- Breaking barriers to book distribution, especially within the criminal justice system.
- The prison system and how it intentionally withholds and blocks incarcerated people from accessing books.
- The system cannot afford to give those that it has intentionally disenfranchised and oppressed, the guidebook to their own liberation.
- How prisons are switching to E-Books and upcharging incarcerated folks for internet access to be able to use E-Readers, and they’re also heavily locked in with Amazon.
- Dismantling the systems that are blocking book access, teaming up with local bookstores & organizations, and providing funding to create opportunities.
CALL TO ACTION
Find an organization closest to you in your state that is doing similar work, and then follow, engage ,and donate to X Books.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
FOLLOW SHANE FOSTER AND TYREL DALE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://xbooks.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/x__books/
Previous Episode
Healing While Black w/ Josh Odam
In this episode Weeze and Josh break down what it looks like to be on a healing journey, while Black. They talk about the history of violence toward Black and Brown folks in the psychological and psychiatric community, how this increases with identity intersections such as Queer, Trans, and Non-Binary, what it means to provide trauma informed care, why we hear that Black people don’t go to therapy, and how we can reclaim our healing journeys in ways that feel safe to us.
ABOUT WEEZE
Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She’s known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.
ABOUT JOSH ODAM
Josh Odam is a Trauma Informed Life Coach and the Founder and Curator of Healing While Black, an online platform devoted to normalizing conversations around mental health for Black and Indigenous queer, trans*, and gender non-conforming people. He understands his mental health is inextricably linked to anti-blackness and queerantagonism. His goal is to provide comprehensive and care for marginalized communities.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT
- What it means to provide trauma informed care in the healing space.
- The history of violence toward Black and Brown people in the psychological and psychiatric community.
- Josh’s story with depression, a suicide attempt, and how Healing While Black, LLC was created.
- Addressing the intersection of anti-Blackness and Queer, Trans, and Non-binary identities in the mental health field and how that impacts people.
- The unlearning around mauraderism, exceptionalism, and making self-care a priority - because that’s what actually keeps you going.
- Being honest about when you need help, when you need to cry, and
- Practicing Radical Softness as a way to reclaim our humanity.
- How liberation work is being confused with the idea that it’s our turn to oppress.
- Healing is not a linear journey and it’s never finished. Everyone’s journey is different.
CALL TO ACTION
- Follow all of Josh’s resources and get familiar with grassroots organizations.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DDP133OTyJ0P0rvFMr5sh7Bo6AplD35t/view
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Sunday Survivor Series - https://www.instagram.com/jewel_thegem
The Free Roots Project - https://thefreerootsproject.com
Decolonizing Therapy by Dr. Jennifer Mullan - https://www.drjennifermullan.com
The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Dr. Reeda Walker - https://www.rheedawalkerphd.com/book
The Psychology of Blacks by Dr. Jospeh White - https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Blacks-Centering-Perspectives-Consciousness/dp/0131827731
Baldwin’s Second Generation - https://www.facebook.com/baldwins2ndgen/
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project - https://srlp.org
Radical Softness by Lora Mathis - http://www.loramathis.com
FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com
Instagram: @accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
FOLLOW JOSH ODAM TO STAY ENGAGED
Cashapp/Venmo: @healingwhileblack
Patreon: Healingwhileblack
Website: Healingwhileblack.me
Twitter:@healingwhileblk
Instagram:@healingwhileblack
Clubhouse: Josh Odam
Next Episode
Transparency & Equity in the Publishing Industry W/ Rebekah “Bex” Borucki
In this episode Bex talks about leaving Hay House, the largest mind body, spirit publisher in the world, due their choice to engage in racist and dangerous practices. She shares about the support (and lack thereof) she received after leaving, gives us a breakdown of how the publishing industry works and what authors experience, and she talks about her new equitable and transparent publishing company, Wheat Penny Press.
ABOUT WEEZE
Louiza Doran, known and referred to as Weeze, is a cis-het Amazigh* female identifying human who uses she/her/they/them pronouns. She’s known as a coach, podcast host, advocate, agent of change, strategist and educator (to name a few) but is ultimately a compassionate provocateur that is out to help folks uncover their path of possibility.
ABOUT BEX
Rebekah “Bex” Borucki, founder of BexLife® and the Blissed In® wellness movement, is a mother of five, a mentor for creative healers, and an author and publisher of books for big and little readers. As a mentor to creative healers, Rebekah guides her clients to create books and brand presences from the ground up and the heart outward. Her clients have gone on to receive publishing contracts with major houses like Simon & Schuster and Hay House. Rebekah is published by Hay House, the Quarto Publishing Group, and her own imprint, Wheat Penny Press. And most recently, Rebekah founded the WPP Little Readers Big Change Initiative, a 501(c)(3) registered public charity that provides free books, mental wellness tools, author visits, and writing workshops for students in grades PreK-8, public libraries, and community organizations.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT
- Bex’s journey in leaving Hay House Publishing due to their racist and dangerous practices and their support of white supremacists & conspiracy theorists.
- How the publishing industry preys on authors and keeps them from accessing what they deserve for their work.
- How Bex’s belief in what publishing can and should look like birthed her publishing company, Wheat Penny Press.
- Leaning in to what doesn’t exist yet and creating it.
- Honoring your journey and being honest about the fact that we all participate in the system in various ways, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. But we’re always learning and changing.
- What’s possible when we practice expanding our horizons and how we can facilitate change.
CALL TO ACTION
- Rebekah is seeking support for her organization, the Little Readers Big Change Initiative, and her campaigns that support Black and brown authors and bookshops here: https://www.wheatpennypress.com/shop/support
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Own Voices Movement
FOLLOW WEEZE TO STAY ENGAGED
Website: https://www.accordingtoweeze.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accordingtoweeze
The Academy (it’s like Patreon): https://www.accordingtoweeze.com/the-academy
FOLLOW BEX TO STAY ENGAGED
Website:BexLife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bexlife
Website: WheatPennyPress.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatpennypress
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