Putting it all out there

My memoir "My Life in the Sunshine" is out on Tuesday

It’s a crazy feeling to put something out into the world, and then receive the feedback from that output. I used to play in bands, but I was the drummer—I never wrote the songs or sang the words. Now I feel like a solo artist standing naked on a brightly lit stage.

Yesterday, Rolling Stone published an excerpt from my memoir, My Life in the Sunshine. When I heard they were interested, I assumed they’d want one of the fun chapters about touring in a band or working in a record store. To my surprise, they asked for the later chapter in which, over lunch in Seattle, I have my first ever real conversation with my father. At first I didn’t like this idea. It’s a big reveal, and the band and record store sections were easier to write and therefore—at least I’ve always thought—more fun to read. It’s not that this section was more difficult to write, but it took a lot to relive that day while writing it. Each time I sat down to write, I re-read the notes I took while sitting with my father, and I overthought every word he said, every gesture he made, and every family detail he shared with me. I also thought that I’d likely never get the chance to talk to him again.

Now the excerpt is out, and it feels great. And soon, the entire book will be out.

This morning, I appeared in a segment on CBS Saturday Morning. The segment unfortunately won’t be online, but I’ll post some snippets on my Instagram account this weekend.

My memoir My Life in the Sunshine will be published this Tuesday, June 7. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the coverage so far. There are features in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, and a great podcast conversation with the editor of Brooklyn magazine.

My book tour begins this Tuesday June 7 in Brooklyn. I’ve wrangled some great conversation partners, including Wyatt Cenac, Hrishikesh Hirway, Joe Wong, Cheryl Waters, Liz Lambson, Justin Barney, Angel Bat Dawid, and Gilles Peterson, and I’m honored to have several local independent bookstores involved. If you’re unable to attend an in-person event, the June 10 Seattle event will be livestreamed.

More details and updates can be found HERE. More dates in July and August will be announced soon.

I hope to see you in the coming weeks.

Nabil Ayers / Brooklyn

Website Tweet IG FB LinkedIn Pre-order My Life in the Sunshine