1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,519
Speaker 1: Lauren, what an amazing book. What did you experience while

2
00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:06,799
you were putting this thing together? Because I'm sitting here

3
00:00:06,839 --> 00:00:09,160
in Chakanaw and I'm learning a lot of things.

4
00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:10,640
Speaker 2: What are you imagining?

5
00:00:11,199 --> 00:00:16,120
Speaker 3: Imagining you know, the themes and the ideas and the

6
00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,000
people that she imagines on the page, and then bringing

7
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,760
a world around them. So, you know, I start from there.

8
00:00:21,879 --> 00:00:25,920
I do some sketching, lots of rounds of sketching, and

9
00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,399
then you know, once you know, I've kind of figured

10
00:00:28,399 --> 00:00:30,519
out what I want to do, you know, then we're

11
00:00:30,399 --> 00:00:32,039
able to go to color and then add all the

12
00:00:32,039 --> 00:00:34,920
beautiful colors in and you know, get us to where

13
00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:35,600
we are today.

14
00:00:35,799 --> 00:00:38,799
Speaker 1: Well, what's really interesting is that you capture culture. I mean,

15
00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,640
so many, so many different illustrators have their own interpretation

16
00:00:41,719 --> 00:00:44,520
of what culture is, but you really capture culture.

17
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,280
Speaker 3: Thank you. That's such a couple of it.

18
00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,439
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, it's just it's just you realize that

19
00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:53,560
this book is not just for one set of people.

20
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,840
It's for all people, and we can all stand united

21
00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,359
in learning this history. And the way that it's spelled

22
00:00:58,399 --> 00:01:00,920
out really is is it's for you to go in

23
00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,320
and go to whatever letter you want to and learn

24
00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:03,719
from it.

25
00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:07,439
Speaker 3: Well, that's what's really great about it is we have

26
00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,760
this is our second book together, our first book Day

27
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,319
ABC's of Black History. Lots of families would spend you know,

28
00:01:13,359 --> 00:01:16,400
would pick a letter, look at that letter for one

29
00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:18,680
night and then start talking about it. You know, it

30
00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,799
can spark a conversation, you know, and then you can

31
00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,239
also use the back matter of the book, which is

32
00:01:24,239 --> 00:01:27,079
an area that has you know, definitions or where you

33
00:01:27,079 --> 00:01:30,000
can find more information to learn a little bit more,

34
00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,640
and you know, hopefully it sparks conversations between you know,

35
00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:34,680
readers and.

36
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,239
Speaker 1: Children, absolutely, especially when it comes to kids talking to kids,

37
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,040
because I mean it's one of those things where this

38
00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:41,400
is the kind of book that I would have checked

39
00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,879
out in a heartbeat at a book library, and I

40
00:01:43,879 --> 00:01:45,799
mean at a school library. And the thing is is

41
00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:47,120
that this is the kind of stuff where you go

42
00:01:47,159 --> 00:01:48,280
and you sit in the corner and then you come

43
00:01:48,319 --> 00:01:50,280
out and you go, hey, you know, X marks the

44
00:01:50,359 --> 00:01:52,439
spot and then they go, what are you talking about?

45
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:53,959
Speaker 2: And then that starts the conversation.

46
00:01:55,159 --> 00:01:57,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think you know what's really fun about

47
00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,480
it and what I tried to really drive home with

48
00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:03,560
the art with connections, you know, there are connections between

49
00:02:03,599 --> 00:02:08,080
these women who've lived throughout history didn't share Earth at

50
00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,479
the same time of just you know, if bringing it

51
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,560
back to X marks the spot these women who were

52
00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,719
you know, adventurers like Mae Jemison and Sally Ryot who

53
00:02:16,759 --> 00:02:20,039
went to space, or you know Annie Londonderry who rode

54
00:02:20,039 --> 00:02:22,400
her bicycle around the world, or even an Harriet Tubman

55
00:02:22,599 --> 00:02:25,439
who helped, you know, with the underground railroad. These women

56
00:02:25,479 --> 00:02:28,639
are all, you know, moving us forward together.

57
00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,639
Speaker 2: Would you say the definition of being a trailblazer has changed.

58
00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,159
Speaker 3: I think it's I hope so. I think it's more expansive.

59
00:02:36,719 --> 00:02:40,120
I think, you know, being a trailblazer doesn't have to

60
00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,919
be this loud, you know. I think when people think

61
00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,719
about it, they think of people. There's lots of people

62
00:02:44,759 --> 00:02:47,520
behind the scenes who you know, push the story forward

63
00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,639
and forward for women. And I think one thing that

64
00:02:50,759 --> 00:02:53,159
we were able to do in the book was, I

65
00:02:53,199 --> 00:02:57,360
hope highlight women who maybe haven't had been featured before.

66
00:02:57,479 --> 00:02:58,280
Speaker 2: Mm hmmm hmm.

67
00:02:58,599 --> 00:03:00,520
Speaker 1: I love the way that you you include so many

68
00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:02,520
different words that can go with let's say the letter

69
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:04,919
W it's it's for waves. In other words, shifts and

70
00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,759
changes but it's also wisdom as well as willingness.

71
00:03:08,439 --> 00:03:11,280
Speaker 3: Yes, Rio is a beautiful poet. She was able to

72
00:03:11,319 --> 00:03:15,639
work in all these wonderful you know, these themes around

73
00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,280
women's history, because so much of the book is about

74
00:03:18,479 --> 00:03:23,520
you know, individuals who who you know are important people,

75
00:03:23,719 --> 00:03:26,599
you know, icons of women's history. But the themes involved

76
00:03:26,599 --> 00:03:30,719
themes that women you know, have that are attached to

77
00:03:30,759 --> 00:03:34,680
women's history, like waves, like wisdoms, like a willingness, like work,

78
00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,000
these ideas that you know we have in w just

79
00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:38,599
on its own.

80
00:03:39,479 --> 00:03:41,599
Speaker 1: I just, I mean, I'm just I'm learning new things

81
00:03:41,639 --> 00:03:43,840
in this books, for instance, like Ella Baker with with

82
00:03:43,919 --> 00:03:45,879
Seneca Falls. You know, there's a lot of this stuff

83
00:03:45,879 --> 00:03:47,599
that's been lost in history, but you guys are so

84
00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,120
willing to step forward and share it.

85
00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,479
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know, I think what's fun about an

86
00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,080
ABC book about history is that kind of throws off

87
00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,520
the idea of a timeline because history and did it flows?

88
00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:02,680
It was fard it was back a little bit. You know,

89
00:04:02,919 --> 00:04:05,599
it's not this thing that we're constantly we we're still

90
00:04:05,639 --> 00:04:09,960
working on voters, you know, issues around voting, you know, suffrage,

91
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,919
These are still things that exist today. So you know,

92
00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,079
and I hope that you know, we include lots of

93
00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,120
children in the book. I hope it encourages kids to

94
00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:22,000
get involved in, you know, causes that are important to them.

95
00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,000
Speaker 1: How are teachers reacting to this because my wife is

96
00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,000
a teacher and she just flat out fell in love

97
00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:28,000
with it from page one.

98
00:04:28,959 --> 00:04:30,839
Speaker 3: Oh that's so that's really nice to hear. So with

99
00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:32,639
the brand new book came out this week, so I

100
00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:35,040
think we're still you know, we're still the feedback portion

101
00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:36,839
of it. But I can say with our first book,

102
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,399
I know many teachers, you know, we get you know,

103
00:04:39,439 --> 00:04:41,839
we've heard from many teachers who said that it's been

104
00:04:41,879 --> 00:04:45,800
a great way to celebrate history, you know, and you

105
00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:48,120
can also you know, it can extend beyond you know,

106
00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,240
these we think of, you know, Black History months, that

107
00:04:50,319 --> 00:04:53,079
we think of Women's History months, but really history, you know,

108
00:04:53,399 --> 00:04:55,480
these thists could be a full year thing and you

109
00:04:55,519 --> 00:04:58,240
could spend one month you know, or you know, dedicated

110
00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:00,240
to a couple of letters in the school year, and

111
00:05:00,519 --> 00:05:02,920
you know, the next one, pick up a couple more letters,

112
00:05:02,959 --> 00:05:04,560
then add to it, and kids can bring in their

113
00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,560
perspectives what they think about it, and you know, it's

114
00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,279
a great conversation starter in that way.

115
00:05:10,319 --> 00:05:12,839
Speaker 1: What's so fascinating about this book is that I also

116
00:05:12,879 --> 00:05:14,920
write in verse. My last book was in verse. Not

117
00:05:14,959 --> 00:05:17,319
everybody was supposed to understand it. I knew that when

118
00:05:17,319 --> 00:05:19,000
I went into it. And so when I pick up

119
00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:20,600
a book like this and I see, well, you know,

120
00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,360
I'm not so crazy. After all, people are writing in verse,

121
00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,680
and this is the kind of stuff that inspires students

122
00:05:25,879 --> 00:05:27,879
to pick up a pencil or a pan or even

123
00:05:27,879 --> 00:05:30,279
their smartphone and write something in verse.

124
00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,439
Speaker 3: Isn't that great? I think? I think that's so great.

125
00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:37,120
Speaker 1: And its just and plus it's exercising the imagination. And

126
00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,000
anytime that I can help, you know, a young adult,

127
00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,720
you know, exercise their imagination, we're moving forward.

128
00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,560
Speaker 3: Yes, I completely agree, and I hope you know it

129
00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,920
encourages them like we have. For example, there's Friends and

130
00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:53,120
is for No, which just features young women and girls

131
00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,480
saying no ways you can say no, and which is

132
00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,360
it's empowering. We all have to be able to set boundaries,

133
00:05:59,439 --> 00:06:01,360
and it's a big part of growing up is learning

134
00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,439
how to set healthy boundaries for yourself, protect yourself. So

135
00:06:05,079 --> 00:06:07,600
this is a way, you know, we wanted to encourage,

136
00:06:08,319 --> 00:06:11,439
you know, not just show incredible women who've done incredible things,

137
00:06:11,439 --> 00:06:14,160
but show how they can be a part of women's

138
00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,639
history by you know, taking care of themselves.

139
00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:18,800
Speaker 1: Well, I'm glad you made it two pages with the

140
00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,879
word no, because that word no is being ignored again

141
00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,399
these days, and that can't happen. We've got to say yeah,

142
00:06:25,399 --> 00:06:28,079
We've got to say no and mean it and stand

143
00:06:28,079 --> 00:06:29,480
on our foundation and platform.

144
00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:31,800
Speaker 3: I completely agree.

145
00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,079
Speaker 2: Wow, Q is for questions.

146
00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:35,879
Speaker 1: That is one of the toughest things because I know,

147
00:06:35,959 --> 00:06:38,800
even with my own students, they're not asking questions. I

148
00:06:38,879 --> 00:06:41,759
do everything humanly possible to open that door for them

149
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,480
to ask questions. But a book like this will hopefully

150
00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,920
get them to say, hey, I got a question.

151
00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think children, you know, I hope it does.

152
00:06:51,199 --> 00:06:55,000
I hope it encourages them to ask questions, you know,

153
00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,240
and I hope the adults in their life are willing

154
00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,000
to help answer those questions too.

155
00:07:00,519 --> 00:07:02,120
Speaker 1: And even with knowledge, I mean, I mean, I love

156
00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,279
the fact that you even included that into it, because

157
00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,040
a lot of people think that just because you're old,

158
00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,079
you must be filled with knowledge. Not so true, because

159
00:07:08,079 --> 00:07:10,079
I'm learning a lot from these little woods.

160
00:07:11,639 --> 00:07:13,920
Speaker 3: Oh one hundred per said, that's the truth is it.

161
00:07:16,399 --> 00:07:18,439
Speaker 1: And I see the word thank you inside this. And

162
00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:19,800
the reason why I bring this up is because I

163
00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,560
want parents to go I gotta have this book.

164
00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:23,120
Speaker 2: I gotta get this book.

165
00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah, I hope that you know

166
00:07:28,759 --> 00:07:31,519
libraries are all great. I really was happy when I

167
00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,959
saw that Leo made ks for Knowledge tribute to librarians,

168
00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:38,639
because I know, you know, growing up as a kid,

169
00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,560
libraries were a really fun place where you get to

170
00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:44,480
just explore and find something that's interested interesting to you

171
00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,480
to check out. It's still one of my favorite places

172
00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:47,680
to be.

173
00:07:48,399 --> 00:07:51,879
Speaker 1: I'm gonna mispronounce this guy's name, Pura bell Prey. Did

174
00:07:51,879 --> 00:07:54,720
I say that right? I mean, tell me who this is?

175
00:07:55,879 --> 00:07:57,439
Speaker 2: So she is she?

176
00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,439
Speaker 3: This whole spread is dedicated to libraryans, and so she

177
00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,279
was really great librarian. If you know what's really great

178
00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:07,800
about our book too, is we have a back matter

179
00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:10,319
in the back of the book that can go over it,

180
00:08:10,319 --> 00:08:11,800
and if you don't mind, I'll kind I'll read a

181
00:08:11,839 --> 00:08:14,800
little bit from it about Pira. She was an Afro

182
00:08:15,319 --> 00:08:18,720
Puerto Rican educator, librarian, and children's author. She was the

183
00:08:18,759 --> 00:08:21,279
first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City and she

184
00:08:21,399 --> 00:08:25,759
pioneered outreach for the Library's a Caribbean community. And there's

185
00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,839
a children's book award in her name that honors Latin

186
00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:34,240
authors and illustrators that is given out every year from

187
00:08:34,279 --> 00:08:34,759
the library.

188
00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,759
Speaker 1: Wow, where can people go to find out more about

189
00:08:37,759 --> 00:08:39,600
what you guys are doing, especially your first book as well,

190
00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:41,080
because if you're going to start at book number two,

191
00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:42,600
you got to start at book number one as well.

192
00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,639
Speaker 3: So well, you can buy our book at any bookstore.

193
00:08:46,519 --> 00:08:50,200
Love it when people still have support local bookstores. They

194
00:08:50,279 --> 00:08:54,080
need our love. And you can also check out Rio

195
00:08:54,279 --> 00:08:57,840
and I both on Instagram. Rio is at really as

196
00:08:57,919 --> 00:09:00,919
at O really Rio that it's her Instagram handle, and

197
00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,440
I am by by Lauren Summer Love it is my

198
00:09:04,519 --> 00:09:06,840
Instagram handle. And we also have websites, so you can

199
00:09:06,879 --> 00:09:08,840
find all of our information on Instagram pretty easily.

200
00:09:08,919 --> 00:09:10,799
Speaker 1: Well, please come back to this show anytime in the future.

201
00:09:10,799 --> 00:09:12,440
The door is always going to be open for you.

202
00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,120
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. I've had so much fun talking

203
00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:15,559
to you today.

204
00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:16,639
Speaker 2: Will you'd be brilliant today?

205
00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:18,480
Speaker 3: Okay, all right, you too