Rasheed Newson
My work tends to examine stories from an outsider’s point of view. I like to question the assumptions and values of the dominant class, and I am not eager to adopt their ways. I believe there is beauty and currency in how marginalized groups thrive. I want to be met on my own terms. All of that resilience, sass, and creativity were instilled in me as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Full of joy and righteous anger, sex and straight talk, brilliant storytelling and humor . . . It is precisely the book we’ve needed for a long time.”
“Extraordinary…shines a vivid light onto underappreciated aspects of our history through the life of a gay Black teenager…The book’s greatest charm lies in the sensitivity and subtlety of its narrative.”
“Delightful and fast-paced, a fascinating narrative of queer activism during the AIDS epidemic.”
“An episodic narrative about learning to navigate the world, this novel is both hilarious and angry.”
Rasheed Newson is the author of the debut novel, My Government Means to Kill Me (Flatiron Books, 2022), a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice for 2022 and a finalist for the LAMBDA Literary Award for Gay Fiction. He is also a writer and co-executive producer of the hit television shows Bel-Air, The Chi, and Narcos, along with his creative partner T.J. Brady.
A graduate of Georgetown University, 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 an interview with them, he was asked how his writing process differs when he’s writing for the page versus the screen. “My writing partner T.J. Brady and I have worked together our entire screenwriting careers, and we are the co-showrunners of Bel-Air,” he responded. “This means I’ve always had a talented friend at my side to help me figure out what to do. Beyond what he and I come up with together, we also have the support of the whole writing staff. Television is nothing if not collaborative, and there is a great comfort in that. You, as an individual, don’t have to think of everything.
As a novelist, you have to think of everything. You walk through the forest alone, and should you get lost — and I get lost at least half a dozen times — you have to find your own way to safety. On the upside, you have something that you almost never get in television: complete creative control. It is awesome. It’s also a heavy responsibility.”
Born and raised in Indianapolis, he is the oldest of three children. He currently resides in Pasadena, California with his husband and two children.
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