We had the good fortune of connecting with Sa’id Salaam and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Sa’id, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always known the value of being your own boss. I have an extremely strong work ethic and feel I should be the primary benefactor of it. Especially in the arts, where you are your own brand and manufacture the product.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve wanted to be an author since I was three years old. I got busy with life, family, work and never got to pursue it. I was incarcerated in 2005 and found myself with all the time in the world. So I began to write. I wasn’t sure if my work was any good or not but writing is a passion. I absolutely love to write so the manuscripts began to pile up.
Inmates are avid readers so I let people read the handwritten manuscripts. Everyone loved it but I still had reservations about how I would be perceived by the masses.
I found out in 2011 when I got published. To my delight my books sold very well and even more, the readers loved them.
My first book was titled, Chronicles of a Junkie. Readers reached out to us to let me know how powerful the story was. I was subsequently dubbed me the Aesop of urban literature from that work.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have been away from the city for almost seventeen years now, but Piedmont Park is always on the list to show off my adopted city. Atlanta is such a dynamic and culturally diverse city I would take them on a tour of the wonderful restaurants.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Fellow author Tisha Andrews. She is a crucial component of my brand.
Website: Saidsalaam.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1i399b9f2q80u&utm_content=3hcsh4
Facebook: Sa’id Salaam
Youtube: Sa’id Salaam
Other: Prettythugs.net
Image Credits
Graphics by Adriane Hall