Speaker 1: Lauren, what an amazing book. What did you experience while
you were putting this thing together? Because I'm sitting here
in Chakanaw and I'm learning a lot of things.
Speaker 2: What are you imagining?
Speaker 3: Imagining you know, the themes and the ideas and the
people that she imagines on the page, and then bringing
a world around them. So, you know, I start from there.
I do some sketching, lots of rounds of sketching, and
then you know, once you know, I've kind of figured
out what I want to do, you know, then we're
able to go to color and then add all the
beautiful colors in and you know, get us to where
we are today.
Speaker 1: Well, what's really interesting is that you capture culture. I mean,
so many, so many different illustrators have their own interpretation
of what culture is, but you really capture culture.
Speaker 3: Thank you. That's such a couple of it.
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, it's just it's just you realize that
this book is not just for one set of people.
It's for all people, and we can all stand united
in learning this history. And the way that it's spelled
out really is is it's for you to go in
and go to whatever letter you want to and learn
from it.
Speaker 3: Well, that's what's really great about it is we have
this is our second book together, our first book Day
ABC's of Black History. Lots of families would spend you know,
would pick a letter, look at that letter for one
night and then start talking about it. You know, it
can spark a conversation, you know, and then you can
also use the back matter of the book, which is
an area that has you know, definitions or where you
can find more information to learn a little bit more,
and you know, hopefully it sparks conversations between you know,
readers and.
Speaker 1: Children, absolutely, especially when it comes to kids talking to kids,
because I mean it's one of those things where this
is the kind of book that I would have checked
out in a heartbeat at a book library, and I
mean at a school library. And the thing is is
that this is the kind of stuff where you go
and you sit in the corner and then you come
out and you go, hey, you know, X marks the
spot and then they go, what are you talking about?
Speaker 2: And then that starts the conversation.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think you know what's really fun about
it and what I tried to really drive home with
the art with connections, you know, there are connections between
these women who've lived throughout history didn't share Earth at
the same time of just you know, if bringing it
back to X marks the spot these women who were
you know, adventurers like Mae Jemison and Sally Ryot who
went to space, or you know Annie Londonderry who rode
her bicycle around the world, or even an Harriet Tubman
who helped, you know, with the underground railroad. These women
are all, you know, moving us forward together.
Speaker 2: Would you say the definition of being a trailblazer has changed.
Speaker 3: I think it's I hope so. I think it's more expansive.
I think, you know, being a trailblazer doesn't have to
be this loud, you know. I think when people think
about it, they think of people. There's lots of people
behind the scenes who you know, push the story forward
and forward for women. And I think one thing that
we were able to do in the book was, I
hope highlight women who maybe haven't had been featured before.
Speaker 2: Mm hmmm hmm.
Speaker 1: I love the way that you you include so many
different words that can go with let's say the letter
W it's it's for waves. In other words, shifts and
changes but it's also wisdom as well as willingness.
Speaker 3: Yes, Rio is a beautiful poet. She was able to
work in all these wonderful you know, these themes around
women's history, because so much of the book is about
you know, individuals who who you know are important people,
you know, icons of women's history. But the themes involved
themes that women you know, have that are attached to
women's history, like waves, like wisdoms, like a willingness, like work,
these ideas that you know we have in w just
on its own.
Speaker 1: I just, I mean, I'm just I'm learning new things
in this books, for instance, like Ella Baker with with
Seneca Falls. You know, there's a lot of this stuff
that's been lost in history, but you guys are so
willing to step forward and share it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know, I think what's fun about an
ABC book about history is that kind of throws off
the idea of a timeline because history and did it flows?
It was fard it was back a little bit. You know,
it's not this thing that we're constantly we we're still
working on voters, you know, issues around voting, you know, suffrage,
These are still things that exist today. So you know,
and I hope that you know, we include lots of
children in the book. I hope it encourages kids to
get involved in, you know, causes that are important to them.
Speaker 1: How are teachers reacting to this because my wife is
a teacher and she just flat out fell in love
with it from page one.
Speaker 3: Oh that's so that's really nice to hear. So with
the brand new book came out this week, so I
think we're still you know, we're still the feedback portion
of it. But I can say with our first book,
I know many teachers, you know, we get you know,
we've heard from many teachers who said that it's been
a great way to celebrate history, you know, and you
can also you know, it can extend beyond you know,
these we think of, you know, Black History months, that
we think of Women's History months, but really history, you know,
these thists could be a full year thing and you
could spend one month you know, or you know, dedicated
to a couple of letters in the school year, and
you know, the next one, pick up a couple more letters,
then add to it, and kids can bring in their
perspectives what they think about it, and you know, it's
a great conversation starter in that way.
Speaker 1: What's so fascinating about this book is that I also
write in verse. My last book was in verse. Not
everybody was supposed to understand it. I knew that when
I went into it. And so when I pick up
a book like this and I see, well, you know,
I'm not so crazy. After all, people are writing in verse,
and this is the kind of stuff that inspires students
to pick up a pencil or a pan or even
their smartphone and write something in verse.
Speaker 3: Isn't that great? I think? I think that's so great.
Speaker 1: And its just and plus it's exercising the imagination. And
anytime that I can help, you know, a young adult,
you know, exercise their imagination, we're moving forward.
Speaker 3: Yes, I completely agree, and I hope you know it
encourages them like we have. For example, there's Friends and
is for No, which just features young women and girls
saying no ways you can say no, and which is
it's empowering. We all have to be able to set boundaries,
and it's a big part of growing up is learning
how to set healthy boundaries for yourself, protect yourself. So
this is a way, you know, we wanted to encourage,
you know, not just show incredible women who've done incredible things,
but show how they can be a part of women's
history by you know, taking care of themselves.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm glad you made it two pages with the
word no, because that word no is being ignored again
these days, and that can't happen. We've got to say yeah,
We've got to say no and mean it and stand
on our foundation and platform.
Speaker 3: I completely agree.
Speaker 2: Wow, Q is for questions.
Speaker 1: That is one of the toughest things because I know,
even with my own students, they're not asking questions. I
do everything humanly possible to open that door for them
to ask questions. But a book like this will hopefully
get them to say, hey, I got a question.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think children, you know, I hope it does.
I hope it encourages them to ask questions, you know,
and I hope the adults in their life are willing
to help answer those questions too.
Speaker 1: And even with knowledge, I mean, I mean, I love
the fact that you even included that into it, because
a lot of people think that just because you're old,
you must be filled with knowledge. Not so true, because
I'm learning a lot from these little woods.
Speaker 3: Oh one hundred per said, that's the truth is it.
Speaker 1: And I see the word thank you inside this. And
the reason why I bring this up is because I
want parents to go I gotta have this book.
Speaker 2: I gotta get this book.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah, I hope that you know
libraries are all great. I really was happy when I
saw that Leo made ks for Knowledge tribute to librarians,
because I know, you know, growing up as a kid,
libraries were a really fun place where you get to
just explore and find something that's interested interesting to you
to check out. It's still one of my favorite places
to be.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna mispronounce this guy's name, Pura bell Prey. Did
I say that right? I mean, tell me who this is?
Speaker 2: So she is she?
Speaker 3: This whole spread is dedicated to libraryans, and so she
was really great librarian. If you know what's really great
about our book too, is we have a back matter
in the back of the book that can go over it,
and if you don't mind, I'll kind I'll read a
little bit from it about Pira. She was an Afro
Puerto Rican educator, librarian, and children's author. She was the
first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City and she
pioneered outreach for the Library's a Caribbean community. And there's
a children's book award in her name that honors Latin
authors and illustrators that is given out every year from
the library.
Speaker 1: Wow, where can people go to find out more about
what you guys are doing, especially your first book as well,
because if you're going to start at book number two,
you got to start at book number one as well.
Speaker 3: So well, you can buy our book at any bookstore.
Love it when people still have support local bookstores. They
need our love. And you can also check out Rio
and I both on Instagram. Rio is at really as
at O really Rio that it's her Instagram handle, and
I am by by Lauren Summer Love it is my
Instagram handle. And we also have websites, so you can
find all of our information on Instagram pretty easily.
Speaker 1: Well, please come back to this show anytime in the future.
The door is always going to be open for you.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. I've had so much fun talking
to you today.
Speaker 2: Will you'd be brilliant today?
Speaker 3: Okay, all right, you too