Todd is an advocate for writers. He spent a decade at a Big 5 publisher where he learned the editorial craft and the business of publishing books. His body of work also extends to the self-publishing space helping authors ready their work for electronic publishing. As an editor, Todd is proud to have aided in the success of numerous bestselling and award-winning books.

“Stevland! Thank you for the opportunity to read, review, edit, and offer some opinions about your book Named After Legends. Let me first say that I applaud your willingness to be so immensely vulnerable on the page. To be vulnerable in any capacity is terrifying to most, yet you have done so bravely and nobly.  

I agree with you that it’s important that we chronicle our journey and loudly tell our stories as we’re going through them. The memoir, as it’s evolved, has begun to embrace this idea that we can share our stories while they are still being shaped and not solely as a once-upon-a-time gesture. It can be both reflective and timely. I think about some of the more recent memoirs that have been published which have resonated commercially, if not socially, namely books like Becoming by Michelle Obama, The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Heavy by Kiese Laymon, Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. I could go on. These books were successful in their ability to grab the reader with a compelling narrative and, at the same time, deliver a message about our world – its realities and challenges but also its potential and promise. If I’m reading your book the right way, this is essentially what you’re attempting to do with Named After Legends. For your reader, you want to give them a story that they can identify with, and with it, help them to find a better version of themselves as you have done.

As I read through your book, I found myself impressed by your sense of self-awareness. You discuss your unwillingness to acquiesce to authority, your reluctance to be still until you had to be, your openness to embrace locals when abroad, your religious beliefs, and a bunch of other things. If I were to grab ten strangers off the street and ask them to tell me about themselves, I’d bet at least nine would not be able to express themselves with such a keen awareness. To put it short, you’re confident about who you are which bodes well for writing a book like yours.

Another attractive feature about the book is that your story and stories of young black men like you are not told often. There’s an element of your story that’s unfortunately familiar – black death. But there’s another part of your story that deserves even greater attention and that’s ambition, self-motivation, perpetual learning, adventure. You don’t shy away from these things in your life to present a tale that’s customized to reaffirm how others perceive our community. Your story will have readers considering both a black man’s poverty and his personal privilege. For some, the privilege part doesn’t comport well with their notions of the black male narrative. So be it..”

— Todd Hunter