Bernard K. Mensah is a Senior Software Engineering Manager and an award-nominated children’s book author whose stories celebrate African culture and authentic experiences through a child’s lens. Born and raised in Ghana, Bernard now lives in the UK with his two sons—the inspiration behind every story he writes. His debut picture book, Esi the Brave (Who Was [ Read the full article… ]
Patrice Gopo is the child of Jamaican immigrants and was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. As a child, she loved twirling a globe, dreaming about cities and states, countries and continents. As an adult, she loves words and enjoys pondering how places shape the people we become. She is the award-winning author of essay [ Read the full article… ]
Like the sunflower in her picture, Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie radiates joy. Whether greeting fellow children’s book creators or sharing with the young people she serves as an author and educator, her spirit shines with the love of connection, exploring the meaning behind every-day moments and savoring life. Her latest picture book, WE GO SLOW, shows [ Read the full article… ]
Take a lover of fantasy stories, keen legal mind, strong sense of social justice, big heart and killer concept creator and you get debut author Helena Haywoode Henry. Some have compared her stand-out YA speculative fiction novel, LAST CHANCE LIVE!, to The Hunger Games and Squid Game. But Henry has created something that’s singular in [ Read the full article… ]
Monica Mikai is an Author & Illustrator of children’s books. As a creator she focuses on written and visual narratives that convey emotion, warmth, and the journey of personal growth. She believes being a storyteller is a gift to be used to enlighten and uplift one another and she takes great responsibility for having the [ Read the full article… ]
I first met Rob as a fellow-Bay Area (CA) creative, and quickly came to admire his boundless energy and unwavering commitment to his community. He has worked with other Bay Area children’s book creators to organize the Social Justice Children’s Book Fair in Oakland, California– an annual book fair, held in December and designed to [ Read the full article… ]
My journey to publishing King of the Neuroverse was largely a result of fortunate timing and strong collaboration. I had mentioned to my agent that I was interested in writing a young adult novel rooted in my lived experience with ADHD. After I shared a few sample chapters, we developed the materials together and proposed the book. The response was immediate and enthusiastic, and once the project was underway, the book poured out of me quickly.
Each year during the 28 Days Later Celebration, The Brown Bookshelf features a wide variety of Black creatives, ranging from debuts to Vanguards. This year, it is our pleasure to begin this month-long celebration by honoring Virginia Hamilton, whose life and works have influenced so many over the years. Her career, in fact, spans generations, [ Read the full article… ]
