What's on your bookshelf? Shanice Mears on Rupi Kaur poetry and reading with narcolepsy
The Drum’s What’s On Your Bookshelf series asks industry luminaries to share their essential reading lists. Here we delve into the page-turners helping Shanice Mears, co-founder of The Elephant Room, understand the world and her place in the ad industry.
What's on your bookshelf? Shanice Mears on Rupi Kaur poetry and the difficulties of reading with narcolepsy
Shanice Mears, co-founder and head of talent at creative company, The Elephant Room, recently put her head above the parapet to give the industry a dressing down for its role in racial inequality.
Earlier this month, UK advertising and media leaders issued an open letter calling urging for unity to tackle inequality and take action against racism following the death of George Floyd.
Mears responded: “I want to see your company policy, your actionable hiring methods (and the team doing it), your retention scheme, your well-being offering, and your gender and black, Asian and minority-ethnic pay-gap figures,” she explained – asking for so much more than a signature on a letter.
As a campaigning voice on race, gender with ties to Girls Talk, She Said and Girls Let’s Talk, Shanice featured on the show to discuss the books that inspire her. Although Mears conceded that reading doesn't come as naturally to her as it does for others.
“A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy type two, which basically just means that I lose consciousness sometimes. When I meditate or read, I just blank out. So it's really difficult to get through a book in the space of time that I would ideally like to.”
It’s an unusual start to a bookshelf chat. Mears explained that instead, she prefers audiobooks, podcasts, or movies based on books to avoid the medically-onset snore-fest. Often, after watching the movie first, she delves into the book synopsis to “consume it in a different way”.
She added: "I still read books, but I prefer short poems and stuff that doesn't require me to concentrate for way too long.”
And that leads us to her first pick.
The Sun and her Flowers: Rupi Kaur
What’s the story?
Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born Canadian poet, illustrator, and author who ose to fame on Instagram and Tumblr through sharing her short visual poetry. Her debut book Milk and Honey (2014), went on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide and spent more than a year on The New York Times Best Seller list. The Sun and her Flowers soon followed, taking readers on a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming. It is a celebration of love in all its forms.
What Mears says:
I super love Rupi Kaur. I don't know her, but she just feels super approachable and her work feels familiar. When my brother bought me her book, I was really happy.
The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas
What’s the story?
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.
What Mears says:
I'm now reading this for a second time. It was such a powerful book and film. It is so culturally relevant. I also think it's quite timeless - I don't want it to be but I feel like it will be quite relevant still in years to come.
It's important to understand history and identity in certain spaces and places.
The Young Professional: Toby Meadows
What’s the story?
The Young Professional is a book written to help young people understand what a professional is and what they can do to substantially raise their professional profiles from a tender age. The book touches on soft transferable skills to build while also discussing tips on how to build a successful network, how to build a strong personal brand amongst many other topics.
What Mears says:
Ok, this is a bit of a nerdy book. It just gives you tips like on what to do and not to do in business. On how you approach the workplace and informal dressing versus formal dressing,
It told me how to build a strong personal brand and how important the first impression is.
Mears spoke with The Drum's consulting editor Sonoo Singh as part of The Drum's Can-Do Festival, an online event celebrating the positive energy, innovation and creative thinking that can make the marketing community such a powerful force for good. You can watch the interview in full and see what else is on the creative’s bookshelf here.
Sign up to watch forthcoming sessions and see the full Can-Do schedule here.