Jay Ellis Book Launch - Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?

Magic City Books is thrilled to welcome NAACP Image Award winning actor Jay Ellis for a special event in celebration of his new memoir, Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?: Adventures in Boyhood, on Monday August 5 at 7:00 pm.

Jay Ellis, star of HBO's Insecure, tells the story of growing up with an imaginary best friend you will never forget--part Dwayne Wayne from A Different World, part Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air--in this hilarious, vulnerable memoir.

A testament to the importance of invention, trusting oneself, and making space for creativity, Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? is a memoir of a kid who confided in his imaginary sidekick to navigate parallel pop culture universes, to a lifetime of birthday disappointment (being a Christmas-season Capricorn will do that to you) and hoop dreams gone bad.

This ticketed event will be hosted at the Booker T. Washington High School Auditorium. Each ticket comes with one (1) hardcover copy of Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? ($29.00 value) and one (1) seat at the event.

Jay will be joined in conversation by Crissle West, host of the critically-acclaimed podcast The Read alongside friend Kid Fury.

Tickets are on sale Friday June 28. Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? will be published by One World on July 30, 2024. Ticket holders will pick up their book at the event on August 5.

All tickets include a copy of the book, there is a limit of four tickets per transaction. Please provide the full name and email address of each ticket holder so that all event notifications and information can be sent to all attendees.

If you have a ticket and are unable to attend the event, you will be able to pick up your book at Magic City Books during normal business hours. The last day for ticket holders to pick up Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me) by Jay Ellis is Friday, September 20, 2024. We will make an effort to have signed books available for pick up but can not guarantee a signed copy.

"Nothing is more annoying than knowing that a handsome movie star like Jay Ellis is also a talented writer. His debut collection of essays is so funny, poignant, and personal. I loved this and you will, too." --Mindy Kaling

Jay Ellis, star of HBO's Insecure, tells the story of growing up with an imaginary best friend you will never forget--part Dwayne Wayne from A Different World, part Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air--in this hilarious, vulnerable memoir.

What to do when you're the perpetual new kid, only child, and military brat hustling school to school each year and everyone's looking to you for answers? Make some shit up, of course! And a young Jay Ellis does just that, with help from his imaginary friend, Mikey.

A testament to the importance of invention, trusting oneself, and making space for creativity, Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? is a memoir of a kid who confided in his imaginary sidekick to navigate parallel pop culture universes (like watching Fresh Prince alongside John Hughes movies or listening to Ja Rule and Dave Matthews) to a lifetime of birthday disappointment (being a Christmas-season Capricorn will do that to you) and hoop dreams gone bad. Mikey also guides Ellis through tragedies, like losing his teenage cousin in a mistaken-target drive-by and the shame and fear of being pulled over by cops almost a dozen times the year he got his driver's license.

As his imaginary friend morphs into adult consciousness, Ellis charts an unforgettable story of looking inward to solve to some of life's biggest (and smallest) challenges, told in the roast-you-with-love voice of your closest homey.

Born in Sumter, South Carolina, to a military family, Jay Ellis spent his childhood inventing new personas for every town he landed in. After college, he decided to take his one-man show to Hollywood, where he got his start in a recurring role on BET's The Game. Now an actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Ellis is best known for his role as Lawrence on HBO's Insecure, for which he won an NAACP Image Award. He appeared alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

Event Venue

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, 1514 East Zion Street, Tulsa, United States