7 minute read
INSIDE VOICES with Rasheed Newson
Robert Gwaltney & Jeffrey Dale Lofton introduce Rasheed Newson
Rasheed Newson is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he wrote movie reviews for the school newspaper, The Hoya. During his time in Washington, D.C., he also worked in the communication and media departments for several non-profit organizations, including the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. For five years, he volunteered with friends as a tutor/playmate at Grandma’s House, a group home for foster care children who were HIV+ or living with AIDS.
In 2002, Rasheed moved to Los Angeles and joined the entertainment industry. He worked as a production assistant; an executive assistant; an assistant to a showrunner; and the second assistant to a network president. He has an ID badge from every studio lot.
Rasheed’s writing career began when he partnered up with T.J. Brady, and together they were hired as staff writers on the Fox drama Lie to Me. As a writing team, Rasheed and T.J. have worked on Narcos, The Chi, and Shooter, among other drama series. They are currently executive producers on Bel-Air.
Over the course of roughly two years, Rasheed wrote the novel My Government Means to Kill Me. It was a passion project that he wasn’t sure would attract a publisher. However, his literary agent, Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, saw potential in the manuscript. So did his literary editor, Nadxieli Nieto of Flatiron Books. Rasheed is grateful to both of them.
Rasheed lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena, California.
Jeffrey: Rasheed, this cover! What was the concept for the cover of My Government Means to Kill Me? That profile and the archway?
Rasheed: The novel is unapologetically and vibrantly Black and gay -- so the cover needed to convey that from across the bookstore. The archway speaks to the bathhouse that Trey (the main character) frequents and to the idea that he is entering a new world for him: New York City in the 1980s.
Robert: Trey comes across as so real, so authentic and specific . . . as if this were his memoir. Is Trey based on a person in your life? And if so, tell us a bit about his backstory.
Rasheed: Trey isn't based on a specific person. What I wanted to capture in him was the energy, the hunger for new experiences, the fearlessness and the recklessness that comes with youth. He's someone who is burning very brightly during those years when you are first entering adulthood.
Jeffrey: My Government Means to Kill Me has footnotes. What was the idea behind this format?
Rasheed: I used footnotes because I wanted to pack my book with real cultural touchstones and history, but I didn't want to clog up the prose for people who might already know that information. We don't do a great job of teaching Black history or LGBTQ+ history in schools, so I couldn't take it for granted that every reader would know who Larry Kramer or Dorothy Cotton were, much less references to Blueboy magazine or clubs like The Anvil.
Robert: My Government Means to Kill Me is populated with historical figures. How did you manage to create dialogue that seems so right for them? Did you read or listen to interviews to become familiar with their habitual word choice and vocal cadences?
Rasheed: First of all, thank you for saying the dialogue hits the mark. I did work very hard on capturing speech patterns for the historical figures. Fortunately, there are a lot of video and audio recordings of the historical figures that I brought into the novel. I listened to hours and hours of Dorothy Cotton, for instance, talking about her life and the Civil Rights movement. I didn't quote her verbatim, but I did get familiar with her rhythms and her phrasing. It was intense but fun.
Jeffrey: Rasheed, about three months ago, you and I spent the better part of a day on a picket line focusing attention on the writers strike, which as we are recording this interview, is ongoing. Tell us about your non-novelist career—the work you do in Hollywood that you’ve stepped away from during the strike.
Rasheed: It was great that you came to join us on the picket line. Anyone supporting the writers' and actors' strikes should feel free to show their support: make a tax-deductible donation to the Entertainment Community Fund; bring food and water to the picket lines; join us and walk the picket lines; or honk your car horn when you drive by our picket lines. All of it helps.
Now, as for my work in Hollywood, I'm a television drama writer and producer. I work with a writing partner, T.J. Brady, and we have written for Narcos, Animal Kingdom, The 100, Shooter, and The Chi. We also co-developed Bel-Air. I love working in television, and the strike has been quite painful. It feels more like a lockout than a strike because our side is willing to stay at the negotiating table until a fair deal is reached. The syndicate representing the studios refuses to make the same commitment towards a solution. They think if we go long enough without work we will cave and sign whatever garbage deal they put in front of us.
Robert: Are you afraid that AI will ever take the place of human beings alone or in a group creating television content? I have to say up front that the thought terrifies me.
Rasheed: I don't think the technology is there for AI to take over tomorrow, but several of the studios want to open the door to that possibility years from now. I'm quite afraid, although I'm not convinced that AI will ever do as good a job as the human imagination. I am certain, however, that AI will create mediocre scripts that some studios will deem acceptable. That spells doom for writers and viewers.
Jeffrey: Your social media presence is nothing short of inspired. How have you so effectively translated your book to TikTok? You could have a cottage industry just doing that for other authors!
Rasheed: My secret is that I married well. My husband, Jonathan, is a documentary/reality producer. He edits and creates my TikTok videos and oversees my social media posts on all platforms. When I post, I'm doing the things he's taught me. I've enjoyed creating this part together, and I can see the impact in book sales.
Robert: What's next for you Rasheed? What’s on your horizon?
Rasheed: I'm busy writing my next novel, which follows the lives of gay Black men in Hollywood during the 1950s and 60s. It is full of glamour, sex, a murder, and pockets of queer and cinematic histories.
