Underrated x Literati Book Club | Fierce Love: Ask the Author with Stephen and Sonya Curry

Thank y'all for being here. Again, this is a very exciting time to come back for me, to come back to, uh, to to Charlotte where our story as a family all started. We felt so much support from the community, from our family, our friends, everybody that's been a part of this journey from day one. And we felt the love yesterday at Davidson, this morning at City Hall in Charlotte, and now here at the Carol Hefner Center to celebrate an amazing book. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] that my mom poured her heart into. It's called "Fierce Love." I'm sure you all know that by now, but I'm excited to speak with her in person, ask her some questions about the journey, not just writing the book, but before and after and what she hopes the book will do for everybody who reads it. But obviously, you know, this is my mom, Sonya Curry. Give it up for Sonya Curry. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Obviously, her book, Fierce Love, is out on stands or in stands, on stands, how you say it? It's on shelves?

On shelves.

It's in, wherever you get your books, go get your book. Not only was she able to write this book, but we've always had a joy for reading. It's something that she instilled in me. My brother Seth, who's here, and Sidell, who is here, I believe.

Where y'all at?

There you are. Gang, gang.

West Hudson.

As a lifelong educator, and I see Miss India Adams is here. Y'all give it up for India. They are a dynamic duo in terms of instilling the importance of education in our lives. We went to Lake Norman Day School/Christian Montessori School. any—

Montessori School.

Every name that it had throughout the years. But instilling a joy for learning, a joy for reading, and that becoming something that you can carry with you through the rest of your life. I took those lessons and was able to partner with an amazing company called Literati, who is helping share the love of reading to the masses around the world. And as a part of that partnership, we launched the Underrated Book Club, which has been an amazing experience so far of bringing people along on a journey of sharing stories, themes, writers from— that have overcome the odds, have taken the advantage of the opportunity to share their stories of triumph, of overcoming obstacles, and allowing people to enjoy these novels to— join in conversations, and create a community around this book club. And with this book club, we are able to announce that Fierce Love will be the choice this month for September. So it's pretty cool to be able to share that— [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] —with you guys. We are hosting this conversation here in Charlotte, our hometown. Where my mom has been a lifelong educator, and she inspired a love of learning, again, with me and my siblings. And that's something that I've been blessed with my wife, Ayesha, to pass on to our kids, and something that we have worked to bring to our community in Oakland and around the country. September is National Literacy Month, and earlier today, we partnered with Literati to donate books to the Ada Jenkins Center up in Davidson. Obviously, I went to Davidson College. Let's give it up for Davidson College. [APPLAUSE] We donated those books to the Ada Jenkins Center to honor Literacy Month and my literacy hero, Sonya Curry, here. It's a place that's close to my heart up there and does incredible outreach and incredible work with kids in that community to instill a love of learning and give them an opportunity to invest in themselves in a very safe place. I'm excited about that. Mom, thank you for being here. Thank everybody for being here. Thank you for writing this book. Thank you for spreading your love of reading to me and countless others that you come in contact with. And for everyone who's here in the audience and everyone who's watching at home, thank you for reading along with us this month and joining us today for this conversation.

So without further ado, let's get into it, if you don't mind. All right?

All right.

So— Like I kind of just talked about, Mom, you're an educator and have always made literacy and learning a core part of your life and your children's lives.

Was there— kind of going back to the beginning, was there a literacy hero or an educator in your own life that instilled a love of learning and reading for you?

Well, absolutely. I think one of the most influential people in my life that I actually saw reading was my grandmother Evelyn. And she liked to read all those romance— romance novels, the paperback that you smell, you know, that nice little smell on the paperback with The white guy with the muscles and the long hair flowing in the air. What was his name? What was his name?

Fabio?

Huh?

Who's in my Fabio?

Fabio, yeah.

Oh, Fabio?

Yeah. So yeah, just going up to my Aunt Lulabelle's house and going through her shelves and seeing the books and just being curious. So, you know, The women in my life, the matriarchs of our family always had a book in their hand, always.

And so you seeing that as a kid, that's part of the joy of like, you know, seeing somebody with the book, seeing them, you know, carrying it with them wherever they go, find those quiet times to read, that made an impact on you. I kind of, Advance a couple years and think about like you finding your passion in life and how you wanted to impact those around you. Did you always know that you wanted to be an educator or was that something that kind of came to you through your college experience? Like where was that seed planted?

Well, that seed was actually planted in me, I guess, at 9 years of age. In the book, and I talk about a young man at the time, Phillip, who didn't know how to read. And one day, just being an advocate of people learning and achieving things, I just sat him down one day and said, "No, we're gonna learn how to read." And thankfully he was like, "Okay, Sonya." And so every day he would come over and sit on the front steps of our trailer, and I started with the alphabet and taught him the alphabet, and then I used the books, Dick and Jane books. How many people remember the Dick and Jane books back in the day? You might not want to raise your hand because that's going to age you, so I might sit on your head.

Yeah.

But he would come over and we would start with those books and The next thing you know, he was reading. And so I think there, seeing that sense of accomplishment and being able to just pour into someone and it be a success, really stirred me on to saying, I want to teach. And then I would have summer school in the summers in the trailer, hot. I had bunk beds, only room enough for bunk beds in the— in my— in our bedroom. And we had the old panel closets and and I would take chalk and write on it. And it was about 5 of the other kids in the trailer park that would come every day, and we'd have recess and snack. I was regimented, and I had all the ditto sheets from during the school year. My teachers would give me the leftover ditto sheets, and I would give them homework, and they'd come back the next day. And I'm like, all right, there's something to this. They're coming back, so. [TAKING] That's when I really, really knew I wanted to teach, was then.

It's crazy to think about that inspiring you and to now go through your journey as a headmistress. Is that the right title?

Yeah, head of school. Head of school. Director. I think, let's get away from the head part. Let's just kind of go with director, owner.

You can write your own. You wrote your own story, so write your own title.

I want to make sure I get it, yeah. But you were the leader of a school and a culture that impacted so many kids in terms of learning, and obviously we are all grateful for that and everybody that's been in that school and that's been inspired by your leadership on that front. So going through that entire journey, I truly believe that everybody is a beacon of inspiration. Everybody has a story to tell.

Everybody has an opportunity to inspire, to motivate, to encourage those around us in whatever platform, whatever lane in life that you are in.

And I feel like when it comes to writing a book, like that's a big step in terms of, taking, you know, action to put in these ideas, these stories, these examples, these values on paper and being able to share it to the world. But I'm pretty sure it's a little nerve-wracking too. Think about you, you know, being vulnerable and exposing yourself there. But all that to say, like what inspired you to write this book and write it now?

I don't think I can actually say that I chose the timing of this book. Probably over the last 10 years, and I'll have to say when you started really succeeding on the national stage, people would stop us and they would say two things. One, oh my gosh, like, your children are great. You know, Stephen's doing so great. And but not only is he doing great on the court, he's doing great. He's a great person. Like, so kudos to my children for conducting themselves in a way that make me look good as their mom and Del as their dad. But, you know, that was the thing. And they were like, well, how do you do that? How did you raise such good human beings? And that, at first I would just look at them and go, well, what do you mean? Like, parents are doing this every day. I don't think I'm doing anything extraordinary in what I'm doing. I'm just getting up every day and parenting. That's all I'm doing. And so I would hear that constantly and constantly. And then finally, I started getting this thing in my spirit that said, as you all were choosing your colleges, that I need to tell the story of how you chose your colleges because God's hand was in every moment of that. And so that was the initial inspiration, was to just tell the world about God and how he honors his plan for us, right? And to see what's planted, our purpose in us. And I originally had a different title for a possible book, and it was Showtime. The world says, "Show me and we'll believe." And God says, "Believe in me and I'll show you what I'll do." Wow. And so that's what I wanted to do. But then as the book progresses, just like anything that God plants in us, it has its own life. We just need to get out the way and we need to be willing to let it happen and be obedient to the process. So 3 years ago, after retiring, had someone come up to me and said, "You ready to do this book?" And I started laughing again. I was like, "All right." All right. I'll do it, but I don't know how to do it. What do I need to do? And they were like, well, let me get you a book agent. Next thing I know, I have a book agent. Where's Callie?

She's up there.

My daughter-in-law. And so she introduced me to a book agent. Next thing I know, I'm interviewing several ghostwriters. And then next thing I know, we're working on the book. And I sent it out and I'm like, nobody wants to read this book. Like, really? Like, okay. And I had 9 offers to publish the book. And then I'm like, oh my gosh, this is real. And then I sign a contract and bam, there it is. They set the date for the release. And so I encourage everyone that when God puts something in you, you don't you don't really have to like struggle about it. You just have to walk it out. You gotta get up every day and you gotta just make that decision to be obedient, to be open. And it just flows. When it's God, it flows and it just happens. Doors open and you move, you gotta be willing to walk through it. So that's really how this book came about. And that all happened within—

2 years.

From the agent to the writing of the book? 6, 6, 18 months max, really to do that. And to be honest with you all, and Ginger Eklund, who was my director of operations, assistant head of school operations, knows how scared I am of writing. Writing. Ran a school for 29 years, and I am deathly afraid to write. And I had a professor my freshman year at Virginia Tech that I went into an English class, and she said, "Write from your heart. Just put your things, your thoughts down. Don't worry about anything else." And she returned that paper to me, and it was a sea of red. And from that point on, I have been afraid to write. And so I write things, I have great ideas, and I don't have the confidence that it flows right or it's correct. And so Ginger would often help me with that. So then to even think about writing a book, just very daunting and intimidating. But with the ghostwriter who sat, I talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, we recorded transcripts. And I think I'm saying this for somebody in here who has a book, to not be afraid because some people would be afraid to even tell this because you want to take all the credit for, oh, I did it. Well, I did, I spoke, recorded, then we took the transcripts, we organized it, and then the book itself is really nothing like what I started it to be. It's not about y'all choosing your colleges, it's what everyone's reading now. And so Again, be encouraged. Everybody has a novel. Every day is a chapter in a book for you. And I encourage you to write it down. Take time, stop, journal, because you have a story. You have a story to tell.

You say you're afraid of writing, but I know there's a perfectionist deep down inside of you in terms of— what the final product looked like, but I'm thinking about that process of voice recordings, interviews, writing down your thoughts, being able to pivot on what the actual, you know, through line and theme in the story, and then the takeaways that you want people to have. But did you find it difficult to say, okay, this is complete, like let's press send and let's go, or did you want to keep reiterating? Keep editing, keep adding, subtracting. Like, how did you get to that final product where I'm like, this is, this is ready for the world to see?

You're exactly right. I mean, there's all— there was always things that I wanted to change. Oh, or did I say that right? Or did I say too much? Or— and really, honestly, it was the deadline. The publishing company was like, no more changes, you have got to get this book. And, and thank God, because, you know, we can, we can over-massage a message or a word and then it lose its meaning and its purpose. And so at some point you gotta let it go. It's like children, it's like having a baby. You do all you can, you guys grow up and you gotta let go of that baby and just trust that it can take care of itself. I'm out again. I had a, someone, someone that I met a couple months ago and told me that this is no longer my book. Once it's out there in the world, it's everyone else's book who reads it, because then everyone interjects themselves into your stories in some form or fashion. So it's like your children, you let them go, your babies, and then they're everyone else's, including their spouses and friends and communities that they join after that as well.

So now that you're on the other side and you are now a published author, Would you say you enjoyed the process? Would you, like, what other emotions kind of came out of that entire experience?

It's like birthing a child. I mean, it was hard. There were a couple times I wanted to call you and say, "I need some money because I need to pay back these deposits I've already got because I don't want to do this." And I'm not joking, just saying this just to get laugh or joke. Scared and did not want to do it. I was like, okay, now people are going to judge. Now people, you know, you're being very vulnerable. People are going to have their opinions about things. You know, there's other things going on in my life, and it's just like, this isn't— Lord, why now? And so you're going through those labor pains of all of that, and then it comes out and you're like, oh, the baby, it's so pretty. It is pretty though. That cover is pretty. It's pretty. And then it's like, oh gosh, I got to take I gotta go do these promotions. I gotta do all of this. And you have sleepless nights. And so, you know, there's a lot of fear, but then there's the joy at really going, it's here, it's here.

I asked that question because I wanted everybody to hear the answer, but I know for like me, Ayesha, Sadel, Damien, Who else was that? We were at the photo shoot for this cover, and you carried all of those emotions that day. Like, that was—

I don't want to speak for you.

That was a great thing to see up close because you see the passion, the care that's put behind this. It wasn't, let's just show up and put on this nice little outfit, smile, and say, I wrote a book. You carried the emotion of every page. I didn't know it at the time because we obviously hadn't read a transcript, we hadn't read the book, didn't know what was in there. I ain't going to lie, we were nervous about what stories were going to come out. But to see that process and even hear, you know, the backstory of how, you know, the opportunity came to life and then to see you in San Francisco in a studio, do the COVID and, you know, walk in there with confidence and this is the final product. It's amazing to see and amazing, you know, to know that you're now sharing that with the world. So to give a little sneak peek of the emotions that you carry there, this is real. This is real for you. This is something that I know you're proud of. And I would say with that pride of this story in this book, what would you—

Thank you.

I guess it's hard to synthesize probably to one bullet point, but what would you want people to take away from Fierce Love, from your story, as a way that they could implement that into their lives?

Just be intentional. Be intentional about your life. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, get up every day, be intentional. Whether you're parenting, give it all you have. If you don't have children, you're going to your job, give it all you have. With your friends, when you're with them, give them all you have. When your family, when you're with them, give them all you have. But also know that there's going to be some days where that all you have is down here, and there's going to be days when it's up here. But at the end of the day, it's all you had to give, right? And so I have a tattoo on the back of my neck, And in Hebrew it's "chem," C-H-E-M, which means grace and mercy. And I've learned not to get emotional. We spend a lot of time looking at other people. We spend a lot of time comparing ourselves. And we make mistakes. I mean, people don't believe that there are moments raising my children where I go, this Did I mess them up? What seeds are really in them that they're like, they're not confident about themselves, or they push themselves too much because of the way that I raised them? Maybe was I too intense all the time? Did I nurture them enough? And that's because I look at other people, I do the same thing that everybody else does. Mm-hmm. And I just want you to be encouraged. You just do what you can do, sit back, assess it, and then the next day try to do it different. Because that's all we can do. We can't do any more than that. But if you are parenting, whatever you're doing, just give it all that you have because you can lay down at night and go, "I did all that I could do." And then that's it. That's it. That's it.

So with that said, I don't have a follow-up question because I don't want to get too emotional, but I want you to be able to read a passage from your book for everybody to hear, and it would be amazing to hear it from your voice. And I know you have something prepared on that front, so I'll let you take it away.

I am the hero of my own story. Sadel has written those words in big, bold, colorful letters.

Yeah.

Just like her jacket on today. I stare at that sentence. I think about all the sayings, the lines of scriptures I've written all over the house, plastered on the whiteboard in the kitchen, or written in the kids' rooms. Words, prayers, blessings, quotes that I want them to see and somehow absorb. These words seeping through their skin, from the walls into their heads, into their hearts. Words to live by. Sadelle has done the same thing. She has role-modeled me. I stare at her wall, at that saying, at those words, and my argument against her quitting basketball fritters away and dissolves into dust. Mom? Her voice sounds far away. I can barely hear her, but then she speaks again and draws me back to reality, to this spot in her room. Are you okay? Yeah. I plop down on her bed and look at her. My beautiful social butterfly, sweet, empathetic soul, gifted athlete. And I realize that what I want doesn't matter. I want her to play basketball, not for her, but for me. I want to live that sport again vicariously. I came in to talk you into staying with basketball, I say.

I figured.

I'm not going to do that. I changed my mind. I look up at her wall and read that saying again. "I am the hero of my own story." "I have to let you make your own choices," I say. "Make them and own them." I know. That's what you taught me. I'm going to play volleyball and have a social life. "You can have it all," I say. "I can, just not all at the same time," I laugh. "Write your own story," I say. "Make yourself the hero." It's a beautiful passage.

And I know there's more where that came from throughout every single page of this book. Thank you for sharing your perspective, your passion for life, for parenting, for leading, and sharing that with everybody, because I know that's such a— I know it's such a— the monumental The fact that you have a book now that people can go to forever and learn something from about parenting, about life, about writing your own story. Kudos to you. So thank you for sharing that.

Thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and Literati for giving me this opportunity. And now it's my turn, right? To turn the table. So what did you like most about the book?

Well, when you're coming up in our household and knew your parenting style, I'll call it strict, loving, but different for all of us. So I know me, Seth, and Cedell all have a different perspective on how you and Pops, you know, raised us and those interactions, reading the stories from your point of view now that we're grown and we have kids of our own and we have an ability to shape their perspective on life, set rules and all that. My favorite part about it is just being able to compare my experience versus how you would explain it. So—

There's always two sides to the story.

There's always two sides to the story, especially me coming to my own, And in terms of even like relationships and stuff, and the way that I felt there was a standard of that you expected that I try to live by on a daily basis. But there's a story in there about, you know, me in high school and how I— certain decisions that I made that are kind of funny now, but I know I'm kind of shaped the way that I wanted to live my life and decisions I made now in setting up my own family. And knowing that there was a very strong beginning to how you— I say how you expected me to behave. And I didn't know— I wasn't on that path at the beginning, and then I finally figured it out. So I would say that just the two sides of every story The fact that now I have a blueprint of what I felt like coming up as a kid, and now that I have the opportunity to be a parent myself, that I can find whatever that style is for me. And sharing that has impacted that even now at the stage that I'm at. So that is probably my favorite part about reading "Reading Fierce Love." Thank you.

As Grandma Candy would say, chasing hot tail girls. Is that what you're talking about?

You know, Charlotte Christian is—

Coach Brown, you didn't hear that. Sorry. So based on that of really your family and you and Ayesha now, do you have things that you have passed along from how you were raised to now what you're doing with Riley, Ryan, and Cannon?

Yeah, I think, well, first, the priority on quality of time.

Like you said, being intentional about every decision that you make and everything that you do. Kind of comparing the way that, you know, we grew up with Pops playing in the league for, you know, 16 years and 10 of them here in Charlotte. You running a— a full-fledged Montessori school and what was required there in terms of, you know, the commitment and sacrifice of being a leader there and also looking out for us as kids. Life is crazy and there's a balancing act to everything. And to your point, sometimes you feel like you're doing it wrong. Sometimes you feel like, you know, things are kind of out of control a little bit that—

Yeah.

You always have to constantly measure what your priorities are and how you're evolving through the things that life throws at you. And me and Ayesha especially, with the platform that we have, we talk about that constantly. It's that balancing act, and it always comes back to the quality of time that you have with your kids, where they feel seen, they feel loved, they feel cared for, they feel energized when you're when you're in their presence. And the reward of that, you can already see it. Our kids are 10, 7, and 4, and we're just hitting that stride of, you know, these years that matter so much. Your example of that, I'm trying to pass on to them. And then obviously a love of learning, education, and reading that— Mm-hmm. Reading them books every night that we have the opportunity to. Being engaged with them in terms of their— for Riley now, she's in 5th grade— being engaged with their classwork and asking them questions about what's going on at school and just trying to be, you know, proactive on letting them know that we see them, we hear them, and that, you know, we're always going to be there for them no matter how crazy our lives might seem or might get. So— Thank you. You always got to evolve. You always got to listen to your kids, and that quality of time matters so much in how, you know, you shape their lives for the better, hopefully.

So a beautiful chaos is what I'm hearing.

Beautiful. Our family motto is thrive in chaos.

That's literally, you know, how life has turned out. So it's kind of crazy.

So we're here, and we're We're kind of talking about my book, but you have a children's book coming out, your first book.

Yes.

And today is the first time that it's being debuted. So for those of you all who were able to purchase it today, here it is. It's so pretty. It's cute.

Thank you.

I Have a Superpower. What does it mean to you and how has it been for you to see this come out?

I mean, this is crazy to think about because I understand the platform that I have. I understand, you know, the reach of being able to share inspiring stories and the fact that there's been so much stuff that's been written about me and my journey and my career. The fact that you get a chance to meet kids where they are with a story that hopefully will inspire them to find their best selves, to find their true superpower. But it's not complicated. The superpower is already within you.

You know, we talk about we're all made unique.

We all have— and then you mentioned it earlier— we all have something to offer the world, a specific, you know, purpose and and path that God has for us. And the fact that I think because obviously I'm not the tallest guy on the court, I'm not the strongest, fastest, and never have been. I was always, you know, the scrawniest kid on every team that I played on. But I had a strong will, a strong heart, and a strong determination to work for everything that I got. And that's not just a story for sports, that's a story for life. Stephen Curry. Life. You know, whatever you decide to put your mind to, you have the ability to accomplish it. You have to believe in yourself. You have to, you know, persevere through all the highs and the lows. And to be able to share that in hopefully a very engaging book like this with Hughes as our lead character that is discovering this superpower on his own. And the team and the support system that's around him that's encouraging him. I think that's a story for everybody. Thank you. Everybody, not just the, you know, the 4 to 7-year-olds who this is supposed to be for. This is for everybody. This is hopefully an impactful story that gets you excited about finding what that unique skill set that you have is and offer that to the world.

So is there a meaning behind his name, Q, or anything?

No, it's just part of the story.

Okay.

And it matches his name. It matches his appearance, I guess. Everybody, when you look at somebody, you're just like, what's his name supposed to be? Hughes. Hughes.

Hughes, oh. Hughes, yeah, Hughes. Hughes, yeah.

Gotcha, gotcha. You've hosted your book club with Literati for almost 2 years now. What has been some of your favorite things about leading this club?

Just the engagement from the community.

Literati has an amazing platform where you can go on when you sign up to the book club Book Club, not only do you get access to each of the titles that we select, but there's a chat and a section where you can engage through the book at the same time with everybody else who's reading it every month. And that's an amazing part of it, but also, you know, just finding those underrated stories, titles, authors. That need the platform to share their story, you know, to the world. So your book's in there. Some of my favorite authors, musicians that are now authors, Lecrae, we had a— his book was a selection. We've had engagement from people that have kind of offered up, you know, suggestions of what the next book should be. And so— Thank you. It's a way for us to highlight the stories that need to be highlighted, to find diverse and culturally relevant stories and authors as well. And some of these authors have such appreciation for the opportunity because they're proud of their work. And it gives it a whole nother life when, you know, you put the Underrated tag on there and you have Literati behind you when you have the ability to create a community around each of these titles. So hopefully it's here to stay. We're on a nice roll for each of these selections and Fierce Love being the next one and we're going to keep going. We're going to keep going.

Amen. Amen. I need my autographed copy please, sir.

Say what?

I need my autographed copy.

I know. So I've seen your book, but now that we got the Literati Underrated Book Club tag, it's official now. You didn't need my stamp of approval on it, but it's nice, it's nice.

Oh, thank you, thank you. And again, I mean sincerely, thank you for this opportunity to get this book out, get it within your community and just share the message again. I really do appreciate it. And the biggest story without even writing this book again is Fidel, Seth, stand up.

Stand up.

Callie, Damian, stand up. Damian, hurry up and stand up. Is really, again, your lives are a reflection. Of me and your father. So thank you all for, one, again, the way that you conduct your lives. You're not perfect, but you get up every day and you try to be the best that you can, and you try to contribute to this world. You do contribute, you don't try. So thank you all for that. And thank you, I see a lot of people around here and in the state, just in the stands that I've worked with over my 30-year career being an educator and just what you've poured into me to be encouraged to even write this book. So many of you all have just encouraged me to do it. And then when times where I've had to call on you, you've been my prayer warriors to keep going and be encouraged. I thank you as well. Thank you. But I also just encourage each one of you guys to just keep, keep, keep at it. Just keep grinding, we say, keep pounding at this thing called life. Because you got this, God got you. And so it's going to all work out. It's all going to come together. Stephen, what else do we have?

We just thank everybody for coming out and for engaging in this conversation, asking great questions. Being an audience to an amazing story, an amazing woman who is the product of an amazing family, and the opportunity to be back here in Charlotte to celebrate Fierce Love and all of its greatness. It means so much, I know, to my mom, to me, to our entire family. So thank you very much. Make sure if you haven't read it already— if you have, go get it, get a copy for your friends, your family, whoever you think will be impacted by it. And also I have a superpower as well, and the Underrated Book Club partnered with Literati. We are truly thankful for the opportunity to be here to host this Q&A.