This episode is a little bit different!  Instead of featuring a Young Adult author, I decided to shake things up and bring a picture book author to you!  Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. is a phenomenal spoken word poet and artist.  A few years back, her poem, You So Black went viral on Facebook, Youtube, and pretty much anywhere you could see a screen.  I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with her and hearing her wisdom.  Hopefully, you experience the same thing! 

Find You So Black:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Follow Theresa the S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.:

Instagram

*TRIGGER WARNING (SEXUAL ASSAULT, TRAUMA, ABUSE)*

This is part 2 of my conversation with S.K. Ali!  Make sure that you listen to Part 1 before this episode so that you understand the context and previous discussion that we had.  We touch on some interesting topics including friendship dynamics, being a teenager in a religious household, and using your voice.  Also, Ms. Ali has a book releasing on October 18th of this year called Love From Mecca to Medina so be sure to pre-order now!

NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE - 1-800-656-4673

S.K. Ali's Saints and Misfits is one of the most informative books I've ever read in my life.  Not only does it encapsulate the Muslim teen experience, but it also highlights the struggles that come with being a high-schooler.  In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, I wanted to focus on issues that pertain to sexual abuse against minors.  That being said, I'm giving this episode a CONTENT WARNING (SEXUAL ABUSE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, INTIMIDATION, TRAUMA).  This book illustrates the journey of Janna, a young woman who is navigating through a traumatic experience but shows her emergence of strength by the end of the story.  This is part one so be sure to come back for part two!

Amazon 

If you liked part 1, you'll definitely like part 2!  In this conversation, you get to hear who Ms. Khristi's main role model was as a teenager, the message she hopes to get across with her newest titles, and some more thoughts about black girls bossing it up!  

Ladies, have you ever felt objectified or only valued for your body?

In this episode, Ahmya Rivera and I talk about women's representation, over-sexualization in media, and the negative effects that can be placed on young girls of color.  Ahmya and I discuss how both of us have felt ostracized for being young women in our own spaces -- hers being STEAM and mine being basketball.  The Poet X is the book that sets the stage for our discussion of this topic and it was honestly such a great read!  Elizabeth Acevedo masterfully uses words to paint pictures on each page and leave an emotional imprint on every reader.  

Ahmya's Website

Elizabeth Acevedo Website

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Summary

"Hyper-Sexualization of Black Women in Media" article   

"Black girls are leading, organizing, advocating, and creating. They are starting nonprofits. Building political coalitions. Promoting diverse literature. Fighting cancer. Improving water quality. Working to prevent gun violence. Are we ready to learn from their leadership?"

In this episode, I had the chance to talk to one of my mentors, Khristi Lauren Adams, about her two newest releases -- Unbossed: How Black Girls are Leading the Way and Black Girls Unbossed: Young World Changers Leading the Way!  This book is not only near and dear to my heart because it's centered around young, black, female leaders, but because Ms. Khristi decided to highlight my story in the books, alongside the other seven amazing black girls.

Our discussion ranges from being basketball team captains to listening to artists like Brandy and Lauren Hill.  However, this is only part 1 because Part 2 will be released on April 1st!  

Grab your copies and follow her socials!

Amazon

Khristi Lauren Adams Instagram

Khristi Lauren Adams Twitter

Khristi Lauren Adams Website

Skyhunter is a riveting novel that highlights themes of xenophobia, political corruption, and ableism.  All of these issues are very apparent in modern society, yet are sometimes overlooked by the general population or unfortunately normalized.  In this episode, I'm joined by the host of The Teenpreneur Show, Diya Kohli.  Diya's favorite book is The Alchemist and her favorite book genre is dystopian literature.  She is smart and driven as well! I had the pleasure of meeting her when she invited me to be interviewed on the Teenpreneur show, which was an awesome experience!

Here is some more info on The Teenpreneur Show:

The Teenpreneur Show is a platform for teenagers across the globe to spread the word about what they are doing. Our show hosted by Diya Kohli features inspirational teenagers who have created a business and streams live on multiple social media platforms.

Airs every Thursdays from: 5 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

Check out the website!

Purchase a copy!

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Summary Creds

Get on The Book Junkie Podcast!

This interview with Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makkonen was so fun to record!  One of my favorite podcast episode formats is conversations with two authors at once, and this one was fabulous.  In this episode, we discuss how one kind of book can change a readers' whole perspective.  Listen to this episode to dive into the perspective of authors who worked on a book together and who also strongly believe in diverse representation in literature.  Check out the links below for where you can find their book, Last Gate of the Emperor!

Amazon

Scholastic

In this episode, I had the opportunity to interview the amazing Jay Coles about his newest title -- Things We Couldn't Say!  This book was an intriguing read that explored the depths of complicated parent/child relationship dynamics, navigating life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and just being a black teenage boy.  It was refreshing talking to Mr. Coles about these topics because they were written so beautifully in the book and certain aspects can be applied to real life.  

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Mr. Coles' Website

Mr. Coles' Instagram Page

Mr. Coles' Podcast 

This is my interview with the amazing author/illustrator duo Mr. Brian and Ms. Andrea Pinkney.  They are amazing at what they do and have written over 70 books together.  This episode, we talk about sharecropping, oral history, and the importance of representing history accurately.  Not only this, but their book hasn't been released yet!  It comes out on September 29th, so pre order your copy now!  You can pre-order on Barnes and Noble.  This isn't my typical episode because this is actually a middle-grade novel.  Despite this, it still has an amazing story and many themes that are valuable to all audiences.