In celebration of Black History Month, I’m highlighting some of my favorite Black BookTubers (check back on this page for more throughout the month!), as they not only greatly enrich my reading but influence my writing here at The Mary Sue.
For those unfamiliar with the space, BookTube is the general circle of book-based content creators on YouTube. This is similar to other social media where book content has flourished, like Bookstagram and BookTok. Many of the people I’ll highlight throughout the month will be on more than one platform, but YouTube is their bread and butter in all cases.
Despite being in a small corner of the platform, publishers and booksellers are wholly aware of the power of reviewers on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. YouTube even reached out to some BookTubers about an original series in the early phase of YouTube originals. I hope you find a person or two whose reading taste, in genre or mood, aligns with yours, and you (like me) get blessed/cursed with a never-ending to-be-read pile.
Hey, It’s Shey
Shey Vazquez Millner (a.k.a. Shey of Hey, It’s Shey) is a Black Boriqua creator based in Georgia who (like ya girl) is a major mood reader. Lately, Millner will find an idea or topic and explore it in different spaces and perspectives. This exploration will send her reading books from 100 years ago or something published in the last few years.
Millner joined BookTube around the same time as when I discovered the bookish enclave, but it wasn’t until a year of her uploading that I came across her channel. In addition to her honesty and humor, I’m drawn to her curiosity forward approach to everything. I spoke with Millner over email about the first time she felt seen in the pages of a book, what question she would ask her favorite author, and what advice she’d give her past self about participating in BookTube.
Alyssa Shotwell (TMS): What made you go from a YouTube viewer to creator? Was it originally for bookish content or something else?
Shey Vazquez Millner: I’ve been watching YouTube videos since 2008. During my tenure as a long-time lurker, I’ve wanted to start a channel about skincare, movies, travel, and a whole host of other topics. However, I was always too scared and it wasn’t until June 2020 that I took the plunge. I made a BookTube channel because, at the time, I primarily wanted to talk about books.
Books provided comfort amid the chaos. It was a hobby that I rediscovered during the long months of lockdown. In addition, the real danger outside my door put my other concerns into perspective. As cops were rounding up peaceful protestors in my city and covid was ravaging the world, looking dumb online didn’t seem quite as terrifying as it once had. The trauma of that year put a lot of things into perspective for me – so I quit my job, applied to grad school, and posted my first YouTube video.
TMS: What three videos are your most proud of and why? This could be for how they were shot, how they did numbers-wise, your outfit, analysis—anything!
Millner:
Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler | Authorial Intent vs. Audience Interpretation
This was one of the hardest videos for me to write, because “Bloodchild” is such a complex story. I also loved the discussion in the comments because it exposed me to interpretations that I had never considered!
BOOKS CAN’T SAVE US | Diverse Reading, Community, and Booktube
Although I wish I never felt compelled to make this video, I’m proud of the way it seems to have resonated with people. It’s also a good reminder for me when I feel myself getting complacent.
Beyond Disney: Princess Stories from Around the World
I had so much fun recording this video! Videos about picture books don’t perform that well, but they bring me joy. It can be hard to ignore the numbers sometimes, but not everything is about the algorithm.
TMS: What do you feel is a slept-on book that is very similar to a very popular book always recommended or super hyped?
Millner: I have no idea! I mainly read backlist titles, so I’m not familiar with what is popular right now.
TMS: If you could live in any fictional universe, what would it be and why?
Millner: I would live in almost any universe created by Hayao Miyazaki! While a number of his stories feature war or environmental destruction, they’re visually stunning places populated with passionate characters. I love how he doesn’t prioritize romantic relationships above all others and he features a variety of women protagonists who are compelling in unique ways.
TMS: What is your favorite trope? Something you always say “yes, please” to.
Millner: I don’t know if it’s trope, per se, but I adore a flirty fight. A scene of physical combat between two characters who have romantic or sexual tension is the fastest way to get me invested in a ship. Bonus points if the characters aren’t fully aware of their feelings yet!
TMS: How do you get yourself out of a reading slump?
Millner: I don’t! When I try to force myself to read, I just end up resenting it more. Listening to an entire album, watching anime, or trying new movies gives my brain a break and allows me to recalibrate. When I’m ready to read again, I will.
TMS: I’m sorry I’m going to do this… what are your 5 favorite books of all time? (A series can count as one book or story because I’m not evil.)
The Serpent Slayer and Other Stories of Strong Women by Katrin Hyman Tchana, Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
The Defining Decade by Meg Jay
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Beloved by Toni Morrison
(Grand Central Publishing)
TMS: If you could ask one of your favorite authors a question about a particular book, what would you ask and why?
Millner: I’d love to ask Octavia E. Butler about the diversity of relationships she includes in her stories. Interracial, interspecies, intermingling of minds, age gaps – her books feature so many different ways to form a union with another living being. She was famously private about her personal life, so I don’t want to make any assumptions. However, I think she would have some fascinating things to say about love, sex, and partnerships.
TMS: What books are you most looking forward to reading in 2022? This can be new releases, a yearly reread, or something else.
Millner: I have a personal vendetta against TBRs, but I do have a few books I’m looking forward to. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison are all sitting on my nightstand right now. I’d also like to read more works from Octavia E. Butler, James Baldwin, and Isabel Allende.
TMS: If you could travel back in time to the moment you decided to take a jab at YouTube and give yourself advice, what advice would that be?
Millner: I’d tell myself that creating content changes the way that you consume content. That shift isn’t inherently bad, but it is noticeable. I would warn myself about the dangers of comparison and I would remind myself that making videos is a completely separate hobby from watching videos.
TMS: Every other week we get news of this or that book getting an adaption. What is a story you hope gets adapted and who are some creatives in front of or behind the camera you want involved (besides the author if applicable)?
Millner: I actually made a video about this in 2020. If I remade this video, I’d add Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. This collection of stories combined with the entire team from Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child would be my dream come true.
TMS: It’s not our place to come up with solutions, but if YouTube could do one thing to make the space safer for you and fellow Black creatives what would it be?
Millner: I’m personally less interested in the idea of safety because it can be so subjective. However, I think that greater transparency about the YouTube algorithm, multiple seats at the table for Black creatives, and intentional programs to support the growth/development of Black channels would lead to greater equity.
TMS: When was the first time you felt SEEN in a book? This can be for any reason like identity-based, personality, goals, etc.
Millner: The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. While I’m grateful to have a much better relationship with my family than Blanche does, I loved seeing a Black girl with natural hair and rural roots on the page.
TMS: What kind of work do you do outside of YouTube and how does that affect how you approach reading and analysis?
Millner: I’m currently a full-time graduate student pursuing my MA in Religious Studies and a teaching assistant. I also work as a Program Associate for an anti-racist facilitation organization. In addition, I’m a freelance theater maker with multiple ongoing projects. Everything I do is from an interdisciplinary lens, which is reflected in the diversity of my reading. I love finding ways to connect my religious studies, my love of storytelling, and my anti-racist praxis. I wish I had more time to read for fun, but I’m grateful for the analysis skills I’m developing in school and the public speaking skills I’m developing in facilitation.
TMS: You have the floor. Is there anything you want to say to our readers?
Millner: I think storytelling is one of the best parts about being human. Although I’m clearly partial to books, I hope everyone finds a way to incorporate stories into their lives – in whatever medium works best for them.
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You can check out Shey on YouTube.
(featured image: Chris Harding and various publishers.)
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