“What if Harry Potter went to an HBCU in the South?”
Author LaDarrion Williams has released “Blood at the Root,” a novel that brings magic to an HBCU setting for young readers. Launched on May 7th, the story follows a teenager on the run who discovers a hidden family and a magical community at an HBCU, exploring the roots and secrets that connect us.
Williams, a playwright, and co-creator of The Black Creators Collective, initially conceived the story as a TV show, but networks weren’t interested in picking it up. After the storyline gained popularity on social media, with @itsladarrion tweeting, “What if Harry Potter went to an HBCU in the South?” it eventually led to a three-book deal with Penguin Random House.
It all started with a tweet. “What if Harry Potter went to a HBCU in the South?”
— LaDarrion Williams (@ItsLaDarrion) August 23, 2021
Welp—I am happy to announce I am officially repped by @petejknapp and @ParkandFine. #BloodattheRoot🩸⚜️ is going to be a YA fantasy novel! Black witches. A magical HBCU! And college pooorties!🪄⚜️ pic.twitter.com/mlmynq88Hw
“I thought it’d be really cool to follow this young kid not just through the regular college experience but at an HBCU where there’s magic,” he adds. “A lot of people on social media asked where are our magical schools and I’m like, ‘It’s right here,” he told PEOPLE.
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Williams hopes the novel will inspire publishers to feature more young Black boys as main characters, showing they can be vulnerable and heroic. He has already received numerous messages from readers who felt seen after the cover reveal.
Cover Photo: Author LaDarrion Williams Releases New Fiction Book Centered Around Literal HBCU Magic/Photo Credit: @PhotosByJamaal/LA Times