Bonus Episode: Was the Fuss Worth It: A Conversation with Phil on Double Dutch Fuss

Join Niccara as she welcomes author, filmmaker, and storyteller Phill to the pod for a conversation that starts with a little boy in Newark who just wanted to jump Double Dutch, and ends up somewhere deeply, beautifully human. We talk about his debut memoir The Double Dutch Fuss , an unflinching exploration of Black masculinity, imagination, and survival, and what it costs when the world decides who you're supposed to be before you even get the chance to find out.

We get into the surveillance state of Black boyhood, how men evade accountability while women carry everything, navigating love and intimacy when distrust is all you've ever been handed, the complicated road back to a father who wasn't there, and what forgiveness actually costs you — including in your other relationships. Plus: eating cereal at Stevie Wonder's kitchen table, listening to the Velvet Rope before the rest of the world, and still asking when is it my time.

Perfect for readers drawn to honest, searching memoirs about Black identity, queer experience, masculinity, chosen imagination, and the slow, nonlinear work of learning to love yourself. Make sure you pick up The Double Dutch Fuss wherever you get your books — support indie if you can!

Follow & Find Phil: @phillbranch | Follow Us: @butmakeitbookspod | @thebookishhottie | Shop With Us: Use our The Double Dutch Fuss with code BMIB Don't forget to rate, subscribe and review! Keeping it real...but make it books.

Mentioned in this episode: African Ancestry We are the pioneers of genetic ancestry tracing for Black people globally, reconnecting you to your specific African roots–the country and the people. Our scientists compare your DNA markers to the largest African reference database in the world in order to find your African origin up to 2000 years ago.

African Ancestry The Seven Daughters of Dupree Pre-Order Offer Nikisha Elise Williams, the host of the Black and Published podcast, is celebrating the release of her forthcoming novel, The Seven Daughters of Dupree. This historical fiction novel is about the secrets kept between mothers and daughters over the course of seven generations and is told backwards in time from 1995 to 1860.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree will be released on January 27th, 2026, but is available for pre-order now at . Please consider pre-ordering The Seven Daughters of Dupree today.

African Ancestry We are the pioneers of genetic ancestry tracing for Black people globally, reconnecting you to your specific African roots–the country and the people. Our scientists compare your DNA markers to the largest African reference database in the world in order to find your African origin up to 2000 years ago.

African Ancestry