No one knows the value of having varied literary interests more than Mychal Denzel Smith.
Oh, and a little bit about whyAvengersmovies are the perfect distraction.
My favorite book as a child
The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin.
Credit: Syreeta McFadden
It defined a lot of my later interests.
The book that made me fall in love with reading
I was a fairly early reader.
The way she tells it, I made my mom teach me when I was 3.
Peter Kramer/HBO
I wanted to do everything early, to keep up with my older cousins.
So I can’t really remember not being a reader or not loving reading.
Ernie tries to live with several other residents of Sesame Street, but nothing works.
Peter Kramer/HBO
Meanwhile, Bert realizes how much he misses Ernie and goes looking for him.
They come back together in the end, and it’s a pretty great love story.
The draw of writing was that no one had that power over me on the page.
The show I’ve watched most is probablyDaria.
It’s my favorite show of all time.
The real answer isDaria.
I’m going to pitch an essay aboutDarianow.
It’s the kind of laugh-out-loud funny that I’ve needed to counter the stress of 2020.
My favorite show on TV right now
It’s not onright nowdue to COVID, butSuccession.
And they are the messiest.
If we’re counting that, then Beanie Sigel’sThe Reason.
But I’ve moved on from the point where that story was even remotely interesting.
It gives me confidence.
to get to finish writingStakes Is High, it wasAvengers: Endgame.
I suppose it was the similarities in the apocalyptic themes.
It’s some of the best writing ever.
The artist or author that I wish more people knew about
Kiese Laymon.
Not because he isn’t already wildly popular, but because he should be read by every.
person on the planet.
My guilty pleasure movie or TV show
I long ago stopped feeling guilty about things I like.
