From WHYY in Philadelphia, I'm Terry Gross with Fresh Air Weekend.

Today, Quinta Brunson, the creator and star of the new hit ABC sitcom Abit Elementary.

It's about the teachers in a majority black under-resourced elementary school in Philadelphia,

like the one her mother taught in for four decades.

Brunson got her start as a stand-up comic and the creator of comic web videos.

Also, we hear from writer Julie Otsuka, her novel The Buddha in the Attic is about Japanese

picture brides.

Her novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, based on her family history, is about Japanese

Americans who were forced into incarceration camps in America during World War II.

Her new novel is about the relationship between a woman diagnosed with dementia and her

daughter.

And Kevin Whitehead will review a new box set of Lenny Trostano's home and live recordings.

The new hit sitcom Abit Elementary about the teachers in a majority black under-resourced

elementary school was created by my guest, Quinta Brunson, who also stars on the show.

Before getting her own show, she was known for her viral short videos and series on the

internet, like The Girl Who's Never Been On A Nice Date.

She was a producer and actor for Buzzfeed Video and was a cast member on the first season

of a Black Lady sketch show.

In Abit Elementary, she plays a second grade teacher in a Philadelphia school.

She's pretty new at the job and has remained fired up by idealism, but is still pretty naive.

The series is a mockumentary.

In this scene from episode one, she is in front of the camera describing herself.

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