I am Keisha Jenkins, CEO of World Is Mine Publishing and welcome to…A World We Can Imagine….a blog that highlights the creative work of African American authors of children’s picture books and Jr. chapter books. It’s no secret that some of the greatest creations, inventions, and literature that has shaped America and influenced the world has come from Black people. But if we relied solely on mainstream media no one would ever know it. I was on Twitter the other day and came across a clip from a 2012 interview on Beast TV where Viola Davis was apart of a round table discussion and she was asked how it was possible that (with her talent and notoriety) she was just receiving her first leading role in a movie, referring to her role in “The Help”. At some point in her response, she had to point out the truth that African Americans represent 12.5 percent of the population and the film industry just isn’t targeting that demographic so White people are getting most of the roles. Watch the clip here. In a similar vein, 5280 magazine points out in their June 9th, 2020 issue, that for the writing and publishing industry, although “works by authors of color have earned acclaim throughout the years, White writers still take up far more space in the card catalog.” You can read that article here.
Well I may be a nobody at the moment but in conjunction with my mission as a teacher (see my about the author and CEO page) I’m going to also make it my business, literally, to get more black self-published author’s work in the homes of more American families and help them to receive the acclaim they deserve. So with that in mind, let me introduce you to my first featured author.
I want you to try and imagine a world without disappointment. It sounds too good to be true right? Of course it is.
We’ve all experienced it. Children are no exception. But as the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And that’s exactly what Journey does; sort of speak, in the book Journey’s Magic Crayons by Tiffany Adams, illustrated by Tyrus Goshay.
When her plans to hang out at the beach with mom are ruined by the rain, she remembers the crayons that her grandfather gave her as a gift. Before boredom and frustration starts to kick in, her imagination takes over and she discovers just how special the crayons her grandfather gave her really are. I spoke to the author of this beautifully illustrated picture book and we discussed how we can keep a positive mindset even when things don’t turn out the way we want them to.