Prairie View A&M University proudly welcomes the multitalented artist, actor, author, and activist Common for an engaging conversation. PVAMU stands as the exclusive HBCU venue on Common's extensive multi-city tour.

Common, recognized for his achievements in various artistic fields, shares insights from his personal journey towards holistic wellness. His latest offering, AND THEN WE RISE: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self (HarperOne; January 23, $30), provides a comprehensive, accessible, and practical program addressing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

The artist traces his wellness journey back to the transformative power of food. "I wasn’t always a person who drank green juice or thought about food as a pathway to elevation," Common admits. "Totally the opposite! Back in the day, as a young man in Chicago, I loved French fries, fried chicken—really, anything fried and good that I could get my hands on."

Emphasizing the interconnectedness of wellbeing, AND THEN WE RISE is structured into four sections: The Food, The Body, The Mind, and The Soul. Each section includes personal anecdotes, examples, and best practices, with practical elements like recipes, exercise tips, workout playlists, and reflection questions.

Acknowledging the collaborative nature of his own wellness journey, Common aims to share the expertise of leading practitioners in various aspects of wellness with his readers. While the book is for a universal audience, Common underscores its particular significance for Black Americans facing higher rates of heart disease and cancer, making self-care a revolutionary act.

"For Black women and Black men in America, self-care is a revolutionary act," Common states. "The most fruitful and impactful human beings have had to have a certain love for self and taking care of self in order to go out and do the work they did."

AND THEN WE RISE is a call to action for continuous self-care, reminding individuals, especially those facing adversities, of the importance of personal preparation for confronting life's challenges with resilience and strength.