How I began…

In 2007, I officially penned my first children’s book. It now seems like it was decades ago. As a diverse author, I now know so much more about the industry, being a writer, and my target market. My goal is to write high quality books that can be enjoyed by all children. However, my mission is to ensure that children of color have richer experiences than I did with reading. I remember going through the stack after stack in the library looking for books where I could see my reflection. It was just impossible during 1980 to find books about African American girls. I could say that it was just my library in my neighborhood that didn’t have books. However, after learning about children’s literature during graduate school, I quickly learned one undisputable fact. The books didn’t exist. Why was it so hard to create books that reflected my image, experiences or culture? These were the thoughts I had going through graduate school. Then it hit me…

It wasn’t up to someone else to produce those stories. This was my responsibility. This inspiration led me to a discovery about myself that allowed my imagination, mind, and drive to be set free. I look back on those times of disillusionment and I smile. If it were not for the bad experiences I had, I could never create good experiences for children. If it were not for the absence of experiences I had in literature, I could never have create the experiences that give children life.

Each time I write a page as an diverse author… Each time I read a page as a diverse reader…I find life between those lines…

I write, read, and breathe to make sure that every child has the right to do the same.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

Tiffany A. Flowers, Children’s Author