In this episode, I sit down with my favorite “Awkward Half-Mexican Boy” and co-producer Rush Perez to talk about “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” Issa’s debut book + the web series by the same name, aaaaand a casual HBO show she created/ executive produced/ starred in, called INSECURE.   Show Notes 2:00 – The impact of “Awkward Black Girl” webseries on me in college, and Issa’s binge-watching obsession with the webseries. 6:45: F***, Marry, Kill: Insecure edition. 10:10: Issa talks black families and girl power on TV in the 90’s. Here’s what Rush and I remember from that era of TV. Now we’re in another era of black TV renaissance with blackish, Atlanta, insecure, Shonda, fresh off the boat…we have a lot of shows that feature POC prominently. 13:30: Getting into Juno Diaz quote. It’s not about optics, it’s about what does this say about what’s possible in art? Until you see it, it’s not real to you. In the conversation Issa is having in the book she’s referring to junot Diaz. 16:45: Talking empathy for black women on TV and in media, and creating empathetic spaces for black women. 19:15: Issa’s creative journey and how it mirrors my own. 24:30: rush on his parent’s divorce, and Issa’s life post-parents’ divorce. 29:35: How Issa’s feelings/ experiences with infidelity may have colored Insecure. Her parents’ divorce put her into overdrive/ triggered something in her that said people can’t be trusted. In the show, infidelity is major theme throughout. 30:15: Final thoughts – the book is a super easy read. Not in a dismissive ay—she’s just a very easy writer to access, and she writes in a very accessible way. It’s like picking up a blog and burning through OPP (Other People's Podcasts) Reommendations Crimetown - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/crimetown/id1170959623?mt=2  Making Oprah - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/making-oprah/id1171160683?mt=2  Out West from The Outline - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/out-west-westworld-fan-theories/id1167700780?mt=2