Omari Amili earned a bachelor's and a master's degree from UW Tacoma. He's the author of three books - a memoir and two children's books. Amili is a sought after speaker and reguarly gives talks through Humanities Washington. Amili grew up in poverty. His parents struggled with drug addiction. The young Amili bounced around from place to place. He attended 15 different schools before dropping out. Amili got involved with a check cashing scheme and ended up serving time in prison. In this episode we talk about Amili's childhood, his books and how he found success post incarceration. We'll also discuss his love of basketball, including a time Charles Barkely bought him dinner.