Here Wee Read

Cedella Marley is a Grammy-winning singer, designer, entrepreneur, and the first-born daughter of reggae singers Bob and Rita Marley. She is the CEO of Bob Marley's recording label, Tuff Gong International, and the author of multiple children's books including One Love. A life-long advocate of philanthropy, Cedella is the director of the Bob Marley Foundation and is a Global Ambassador t...

Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith’s spoiled and quippy cousin Hilary Banks on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After Fresh Prince, Karyn went on to found Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children’s animated films and books sharing stories of unsung black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, Chris Rock, and Lauren...

In response to a recent post on my Instagram account, I’m talking about ggoing beyond teaching children about slavery, racism, oppression, and struggle during Black History Month or anytime of the year. You can join the conversation by either leaving a comment on my Instagram post, or sending me an email message to: hereweereadpodcast@gmail.com .  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and h...

MARIE FORLEO is an entrepreneur, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and host of the award-winning show MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast, with millions of fans worldwide. One of the leading voices in personal development, she’s been featured everywhere from The Today Show to Harper’s Bazaar to Inc Magazine among others. Marie runs the acclaimed training programs, B-School, The Copy Cure, and...

Just Us Books, Inc. was founded in 1988 by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson. Wade serves as president and CEO of the company. His career as a writer spans more than three decades and has resulted in more than 25 published books for children and young adults. Wade serves on several community boards and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Pen America. He sp...

Nikki Grimes does not consider herself a bona fide storyteller, but, as she told an audience at the Library of Congress, she is happy to own the title Poet. Born and raised in New York City, Nikki began composing verse at the age of six and has been writing ever since that time. A bestselling author and a prolific artist, Nikki has written many award-winning books for children and young adults inc...

Reggie Brown loves drawing vivid scenes of Black children and families that include expressive, unforgettable characters that make children and adults want to read and re-read those stories. He enjoys bringing to life in illustrations the stories of the immigrant experience; discrimination and racism; growing up in an underserved community; perseverance and hard-work; military families; family mem...

Frank Murphy is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He has taught a wide variety of grades at the elementary for more than 28 years. A history buff, former basketball coach & Sixers fan, and popular speaker, Frank is the author of many fun historical fiction/biography books for young readers. As a teacher and father, Frank is committed to creating children's books that expand r...

Lamar Giles is a well-published author and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. His most recent novels include NOT SO PURE AND SIMPLE his first Contemporary Coming-of-Age Story (HarperTeen/HarperCollins) and Middle-Grade Fantasy THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT (Versify/HMH), the sequel to his 2019 hit THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER. Lamar is a two-time Edgar Award finalist in the YA category, for...

Anne Wynter is originally from Houston, Texas, and currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, their two children, and a cat. In addition to writing children’s books, she’s written more than a dozen short plays that have been produced around the country. Anne earned a degree in drama from Washington University in St. Louis, received a certificate in short story writing from the University...

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the author of several children’s books, including 8th Grade Superzero, Two Naomis, co-authored with Audrey Vernick, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, It Doesn't Take A Genius, Operation Sisterhood, Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow, and the picture books Someday Is Now and Mae Makes A Way.  She is a member of the Brown Bookshelf, an...

Award-winning writer-illustrator Selina Alko now spends her days melding words and mixed-media art to convey stories of hope and inspiration—as well as an alternative viewpoint. Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia with a Turkish Jewish father who spoke seven languages and taught painting, and a Jewish mother who worked in the family’s century-old metal recycling business, she was surrounded...

Patric Richardson is a longtime lover of beautiful textiles, developing as a child both an appreciation for wonderful clothes and amazing, service-focused department stores like Parson’s and Stone & Thomas in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. He was voted best dressed in eighth grade and again in high school, and his obsession with clothes continued. In college, there was only one choice, a...

Laila Ali is a world-class athlete, fitness & wellness advocate, TV host, home chef, founder of the Laila Ali Lifestyle Brand, and mother of two. The daughter of late beloved global icon and humanitarian, Muhammad Ali, she is a four-time undefeated boxing world champion, whose stellar record includes 24 wins (21 of which were “knockouts”) and zero losses. Laila is heralded as the most successf...

In her former career, Nikkia McClain worked as a successful real estate agent in which she managed million-dollar properties. After several years of helping clients realize their real estate dreams, Nikkia wanted to explore other opportunities aligned to her personal goals to pursue a career in marketing and public relations - a very bold decision given Nikkia had no background in the two fields....

Nadia Odunayo is the founder and CEO of The StoryGraph, the new website that helps you to track your reading and choose which book to read next. She previously worked at Pivotal Labs as a software engineer and originally learned to code at Makers Academy in London. In her spare time she loves to take dance class and, naturally, read! Follow The StoryGraph on Twitter @thestorygraph and Instagram @t...

Traci lives with her family in the Cherokee Nation, out in the country like she did as a child. Back then, she had geese, chickens, horses, dogs and cats. Her mother’s Cherokee family has been in the area since the removal of most Cherokee people from their southeastern homelands in 1838. Traci grew up hearing stories about her ancestors and looking at their photographs with her elisi (eh-lee-see)...

Atinuke is a Nigerian-born author who started her career doing traditional oral storytelling. Her books include a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Winner, a Notable Book for a Global Society, a Cybils Award Winner, and an Africana Award Winner. She is the author of the popular Anna Hibiscus series, B is for Baby , Too Small Tola and more.  She currently lives in Wales. Learn more about Juana and her w...

Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor and was published in Spanish as Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre. She also illustrated La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, and Fry Bread: A Native American Family...

Nandi Taylor is a Canadian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent based in Toronto. Her debut novel Given garnered over one million reads on the online story sharing site Wattpad and earned a starred review from ALA's Booklist magazine. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in English literature and a diploma in journalism. Nandi has worked as a travel writer while living abroa...

Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, doll maker, and crafter who studied fashion illustration at FIT and children's book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the author and illustrator of Grandma's Purse and Just Like Me , and has illustrated numerous children's books, including The King of Kindergarten and Sewing Stories . Vanessa currently...

Roda Ahmed the author of the children’s book “Mae Among the Stars” that published in 2018 with Harper Collins.  “Mae Among the Stars” is inspired by the story of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel into space. Roda was born in Somalia and moved to Norway with her family and seven siblings.  She’s a graduate in Anthropology from the Norwegian University of Technology and Natural...

Jarrett has been a storyteller most his life, both on his own and in collaboration with Jerome. While their earliest work remains locked in a drawer—the key long lost for good measure—their first co-authored book, Creepy Things Are Scaring Me , was published by HarperCollins in 2003. Since then, Jarrett has been honing his skills of storytelling as an entrepreneur. He’s served as creative director...

Sandhya Prabhat is an Independent Animator and Illustrator based in the Bay Area, California and is from Chennai, India. She holds an MFA Degree in Animation and Digital Arts from NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, and a Bachelor's Degree in Literature from Stella Maris College.  Sandhya has illustrated more than ten children's books. She also works on animation for TV and movies, and de...

Rio Cortez is the New York Times bestselling author of The ABCs of Black History (Workman, 2020) and I Have Learned to Define a Field as a Space Between Mountains (Jai Alai Books, 2015). Born and raised in Salt Lake City, she now lives, writes, and works in Harlem. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity...