It's Personal Podcast

Remy Lai is an author/illustrator for kids! She lives in Brisbane, Australia, where you can often find her exploring the woods with her two dogs, Poop-Roller and Bossy Boots!

On this podcast you can listen to Remy talk about her childhood growing up in Singapore (Born in Indonesia). She also shares some of the ups and downs of being on more untraditional career paths as her siblings and family members.

Talking to Remy, you will find many things to love. One thing that stands out for me the most is her passion for kids lit and making each child that holds up her book smile.

Website: https://remylai.com/index.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rrremylai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Remy_Lai

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemyLaiBooks/

Lamar Giles writes for teens and adults across multiple genres, with work appearing on numerous Best Of lists each and every year. He is the author of the acclaimed novels Fake ID, Endangered, Overturned, Spin, The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, Not So Pure and Simple, and The Last Mirror on the Left as well as numerous pieces of short fiction. He is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and resides in Virginia with his wife.

On this podcast, Lamar chats in detail about his grandparents (specifically) his grandfather. He talks about fixing washing machines, watching old TV shows, and reading to him at an early age. Lamar also shares, how a 7-year-old kid gets a 55-year-old best friend.

Halfway through this podcast, Lamar talks about the Black community and how we were often influenced to play sports, and follow more traditional paths in education. He speaks about the "what if's" we focused on literacy and arts more. "What if" those kids had more opportunities to see these as a way of life?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LRGiles

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamargiles

Website: https://www.lamargiles.com/

Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom is a Swedish-Korean comic book artist-illustrator and graphic designer. Based in New Zealand, with her partner and two children.

On this podcast, Lisa talks about the things she misses, family traditions, movies, and once giving up on art. Something I truly love about this chat is Lisa's perspective on motherhood and work. We talk specifically about family dynamics and work-life balance.

You can find Lisa on the following accounts:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chung.woolrim/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chungwoolrim

Petreon: https://www.patreon.com/woolrim

Website: https://www.facebook.com/chung.woolrim

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than 40 books for young readers! (stole this from his website) And he's literally in millions of classrooms around the world. In this episode of #ItsPersonal, Jarrett chats about his love for being a dad and what that looks like during these unconventional times.

Of course, we talk about his family's love for animals (dogs) and how they've been an important part of their journey. Someone even comes to say hello.

A great section of this conversation is around Jarrett's process of creating "Hey, Kiddo" and what this emotional rollercoaster looked like before the pencil and ink were on the page. Within that, we chat about his wife's importance in his growth as a husband and partner.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/studiojjk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiojjk/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCObbZ-lkhRQ203mtX9ZmgtA

TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/sh265db7

Website: http://www.studiojjk.com/biography.html

Nidhi Chanani shares some exciting news about PASHMINA and how it will be created into a Netflix movie! She also talks about how it all went down!

We also get to find out one of Nidhi's secret hobbies. I bet you can never guess? She now enjoys this more than ever and often shares it with her family and friends.

Lastly, have you ever wondered how Nidhi got into art? And why she creates the work that she does? Nidhi lays it all out for us on ItsPersonal.

Website: https://everydayloveart.com/bio/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nidhiart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nidhiart/

Dapo Adeola is a British–Nigerian illustrator. He's published a variety of books and has worked with a variety of authors. His work covers important topics such as stereotypes and race.

On this podcast, Dapo shares it all. We take a trip down memory lane and talk about his road to creating books and sharing them with the world. He explains with great detail some of the ups and downs of the process, and how it has helped him grow as a creator.

Dapo talks about his close friend Nathan Bryon and their partnership with books. He also shares advice for up-and-coming authors/illustrators who are interested in making it a career.

This 40 min chat is filled with so much! You might need a pen and paper. Dapo drops knowledge bombs throughout!

Website: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/134496/dapo-adeola.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dapsdraws/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DapsDraws

Amelia, Anti-Bias & Anti-Racist Organizer, and founder of Sankofa Learning Center. A space for Black children and families to re-imagine education chats life, work, and free time (when she has it).

In this episode, Amelia talks about her childhood growing up in a single-parent household, catholic school, being a momma, and dancing for fun. She also shares a tip on how to get out of a tiff with a loved one :-)

Amelia shares why community is important and its influence on her family identity. Being a Momma of two beautiful Black Babies, Amelia also spends time talking about what she does as a mom to prepare them for the future.

Amelia thank you for your time and space. I appreciate you a lot!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameliaasherwood/

Sankofa Learning Center: https://www.instagram.com/sankofalearningcenter/

ABAR Director at: http://elmcitymontessori.org/

Oronde Kkairi is one of my favorite artists. His style and work make my soul happy. His mixture of colors, and use of 80s-90s references of djaying, hoops, and kicks, is music to my ears.

In this episode, we go inside the mind of the artist to understand, how being an artist happened, and the steps it took to get where he is today. We talk teacher influence and mentors that look like us (Black). We also discuss the importance of Black art in the community.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/orondekairi/

Instagram: https://orondekairi.com/

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter, B.Ed, M.Ed, PhD(c), is an educator, academic, writer, speaker and supa Momma!

Her academic work focuses on anti-Black racism and Indigenous epistemologies. She shares a lot of her work online, and has done workshops with a variety of organizations.

On this podcast, Alyssa talks about what it is like to be Black, growing up in Canada. She shares her family history, and what school during the 90s looked like for her.

Later in the podcast, Alyssa shares her family traditions, and what she does to help build family during these unprecedented times. How to make a movie night special, and how board games help families stick together.

Alyssa, thank you so much for your time!

Website: https://alyssagtyghter.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alyssagtyghter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssagtyghter/

The legend Javaka Steptoe drops by to talk about teacher influence, what's next, and family.

Javaka is one of the most humble beings I've ever talked to. He's an American author and illustrator, won the 2017 Caldecott Medal as well as the American Library Association for his picture book Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean- Michel Basquiat.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Javaka was the son of John Steptoe (Legendary author/illustrator. Following in his father's footsteps he took the illustration world by storm. In college, he found mentors and teachers who pushed his thinking.

Listen to Javaka talk about creativity, family, cooking, and hobbies on this episode of ItsPersonal.

Website: http://www.javaka.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/javakasteptoe/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/javaka_steptoe?lang=en