Chocolate Chip City

Singer-songwriter and filmmaker Be Steadwell’s lyrical debut is Practical Magic meets Black Cake in this warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about three sisters, a vision of princes, true love, and revolution, and one very complicated year of self-realization, family dynamics, and learning to let go.

The Jones sisters have powers.

Jasmine is a queer, heartbroken baker who crafts beautiful pastries that no one in DC wants to buy. Her sister Ella is a fat and fine bodyworker, begrudgingly serving rich white folk. And Layla, the youngest, is an ambitious affordable housing activist in the rapidly gentrifying district. The sisters are all conjurers, but they aren’t yet sure how to use their magic-- and they’re not sure the world deserves it.

When their mother reveals her vision of princes, true love, and revolution, the jaded sisters meet her with skepticism. But after a chance encounter with the filthy rich Black developer Malcolm Scott and his two princely children, their mother’s prophecy begins to unfold.

This romantic novel explores class privilege while placing Black love, queer sex, and joy at its center.

BE STEADWELL (They, She, He, Be) is a queer pop composer and storyteller from Washington DC. They hold a BA in Black Studies from Oberlin College and an MFA in film from Howard University. Their film Vow of Silence received awards at international film festivals, including Black Star, QWOCMAP, and Fringe Fest UK. In 2019, Be composed the music for The Alvin Ailey Dance Company’s production of The Gone, and in 2023, they joined the cast of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of The Sower the Opera by Toshi Reagon and Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon. Be currently performs their music internationally and teaches in the Media, Journalism, and Film department at Howard University.