Academy Award-winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has announced the launch of AUWA Books, his own publishing imprint.
Named after Prince’s famous scream (As heard on "Baby I’m a Star"), the imprint will publish works of nonfiction and fiction on various topics. Questlove will lead AUWA as its publisher and editor in chief. The first book to be released by the imprint will be a memoir by the legendary Sly Stone, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), on October 17, 2023.
In a statement, Questlove shared his excitement about AUWA and his vision for the venture.
“I have been writing books for over a decade,” said the musician, “so it seemed like a natural step to publish them too. I’m very excited about AUWA Books, from the books we have lined up to the books we haven’t discovered yet. Let’s take it to the page.”
Stone also spoke about how the time finally has come for him to release his biography and tell his story, his way
“For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story,” says Stone. “I wasn't ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It's been a wild ride and hopefully, my fans enjoy it too.”
Mitzi Angel, president and publisher of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, the parent company of AUWA added: “We are embarking on this new imprint with Questlove with great excitement. Questlove’s vision and many talents will add tremendously to our list, and we can’t wait to publish our first book on the AUWA imprint with Questlove this fall, Sly Stone’s much-anticipated memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”
In addition to being a Grammy-award-winning co-founder of The Roots, Questlove is a prolific author. He’s written several books including Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, and Music Is History which made the New York Times bestsellers list. Also, he wrote the Grammy-nominated audio books of Music Is History and Creative Quest. His first children’s book, The Rhythm of Time, will be released on April 18, 2023.
Other upcoming titles to be released by AUWA include Questlove’s Hip-Hop Is History, with Ben Greenman (2024); the debut book from TikTok and podcasting superstar Drew Afualo (2024); Building the Hype Economy by Josh Luber 2025), and Handbook for the Revolution: The Essential Guide for Workplace Organizing (2025) by the vice president and co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, Derrick Palmer.
