“Forever,” Mara Brock Akil’s adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 coming-of-age novel, was a passion project decades in the making, even if Akil didn’t realize it. “I remember my mom turning off the light, and she made me leave my door open because I would close it so I could stay up late to read. But she left the hall light on and I would read the book like this,” marabrockakil says as she mimics holding a book, stretching her arms as if trying to get a sliver of light on a page. “I think I still have this ‘Forever’ crook in my neck.” Tapping into the need for more inclusive depictions of young love, Akil’s take isn’t a straight adaptation. Set in Los Angeles in 2018, the Netflix series follows the romance between Keisha (loviesimone_) and Justin (michaelcooperjr), two high school students who live on opposite ends of the social and economic spectrum. And while the emotions the teenage characters display are universal, they are also informed by reality. Read more about the series an...