January 31, 2025 • 22 mins
Ready to be inspired by the literary world? Join us for an engaging conversation with Tanerra Willis, the powerhouse author and visionary behind The Amazing Corner. Tanerra shares her journey to becoming a beacon of empowerment for self-published authors, especially women and teens. Discover how her online bookstore and community hub are breaking down traditional publishing barriers, all while promoting diverse literature and encouraging a love for reading among families.
Self-published authors often face a labyrinth of challenges, and we're peeling back the layers to reveal how Tanerra is paving the way for them to shine. Listen in as we discuss how The Amazing Corner offers a sanctuary for authors to showcase their work, despite the ever-evolving social media landscape and financial constraints. By curating inclusive and diverse books, Tanerra is fostering a community where children can see themselves in the stories they read and families can engage in meaningful literacy-driven events.
Empowerment through literature goes beyond just books; it's about building communities and mentorship. Tanerra's dedication to providing what she once needed herself is transforming lives, particularly for women who seek guidance and resources. From the Dream Builder Series to extraordinary stories like "Extraordinary Jordan," Tanerra is challenging stereotypes and inspiring children to pursue their dreams, regardless of their background. Don't miss this episode filled with passion, empowerment, and the relentless pursuit of creating a more inclusive literary world.
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.
Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is Tanira Willis.
Tanira is a five-time publishedauthor, contributing writer for
Women of More magazine andowner of the Amazing Corner.
In addition to being a retailentrepreneur, she is a
motivational speaker, coach andmentor, with a special interest
(00:25):
in helping women and teen girls.
Tanira not only inspires themthrough her workshops and
coachings, but aims to providethem with practical resources,
tools and access that enablesthem to improve their personal
and professional life.
Today, we'll speak to her abouther work with the youth using
the literary and visual arts andhow you can get involved with
(00:48):
the Amazing Corner.
Tanira.
Thank you so much for joiningme today and, as we kick off,
tell us a little bit aboutyourself and how you came to
create the Amazing Corner.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
I appreciate the opportunityand, as you mentioned, I am a
woman who loves to support otherwomen, especially with women
who have similar backgrounds asmyself.
I love to empower teens andshow them that can do spirit and
how to do spirit.
I'm also an author who loves tosupport other authors.
(01:17):
So, in that vein, several yearsago I created
TheAmazingCornercom, which is akind doing to help support other
authors to sell their books, toshowcase their books and to
help support schools, librariesand community centers to grow
the love of literacy and fostera love of reading.
(01:39):
And I'm able to do that throughthe Amazing Author catalog and
book fairs, which is what I'mmost excited about this year.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
For listeners that may have never heard about the
Amazing Corner before, tell us alittle bit about what it does
and what it seeks to do in ourlarger community.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
In large part, it's an online bookstore.
It features mostly diversechildren's books, but we do have
a variety of books for everyonein the family and everyone in
the community.
It's also a place where you cango, where you're looking for
services to empower women andteen girls.
So we offer workshops, whichare mostly empowerment workshops
.
It's trying to teach people toovercome systemic barriers,
(02:20):
overcome everyday lifechallenges and really just
accomplish their goals.
I really have the message of beamazing, which means to be the
best version of yourself,despite your past, despite any
present challenges and despiteany barriers that may be in
front of you.
I believe that one of mystrengths is resilience and
conflict resolution and justexecution, so I like to empower
(02:44):
other women through the thingsthat I've been able to overcome
and achieve.
I think when a lot of peoplelook at me now, they think that
I've always been here, but I'vebeen through so many layers.
I always say I am the true rosethat grew from concrete.
I am a great example of startedfrom the bottom.
Now I'm here, so I like toshare my transparency and my
(03:04):
background and my past, to kindof show people this is where I
started, but this is not where Iam to hopefully empower them to
achieve their own personal andprofessional goals.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
As I'm on your website.
Here there is obviously just aplethora of resources, but the
biggest and probably the mostprominent right is your book
fairs, your books for sale.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthe opportunity you saw kind of
in the community and why youfelt that the Amazing Corner was
kind of the right organizationto fill that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Absolutely.
Thanks for asking that.
So this is my baby.
I'm so engulfed in this rightnow.
I feel so responsible for thisto be successful.
So the Amazing Author Catalogsfeatures all self-published
authors and I'm a self-publishedauthor myself, so that goes
back to being an author whosupport other authors.
My son and I published ourfirst children's book back in
(03:58):
2020, at the height of thepandemic and, as all
self-publishers know, orself-published authors know,
it's such a bear to market andpromote your book, to get book
sales, to get space inbookstores and catalogs.
So I went through all of thosechallenges for years trying to
get in some of the larger bookfairs and you need to have a PR
(04:20):
agent or you need to be a NewYork Times bestseller agent, or
you need to be a New York Timesbestseller.
So I saw that as a big problem,but not as the end to me.
So I have learned severaldifferent ways to be able to
successfully kick down thosedoors and those barriers, and so
the Amazing Author Catalogserves as a conduit for other
authors to give themopportunities to showcase their
(04:44):
books.
So I've been declined byScholastic.
I've been declined from theAfrican-American Book Fair in
Philadelphia some of the largerplaces where you would love to
showcase your books.
So now I feel like I am thecatalog and I am the book fair
and I'm bringing other authorsalong with me.
So it's just a way to say, hey,we don't have to rely on them
(05:04):
solely.
Yes, those are amazingopportunities, but we can create
our own opportunities and useour own group economics as
self-published authors to helpelevate our great works, because
our works are just as good assome of the larger authors and
some of the New York Timesbestsellers and our messages and
our stories deserve to be told.
Messages and our storiesdeserve to be told and they do
(05:26):
connect with families andprovide that positive
self-representation,self-imagery, respect for others
, diversity, inclusion.
So it's just a way to get ourbooks into the families across
the state and across the country.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
As I'm looking here, a question that the general
public might have right is thatare there physical book fairs or
is this an online only bookfair?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
So all of the above, we have our online bookstore.
We have a catalog that you canshop from, both physical and on
our own website, and, yes, Ilove hosting in-person book
fairs.
I'm looking to partner with anyschools, organization,
youth-based and family-basedcenters.
So what do we do?
We host mobile book fairs, sowe would agree on a date and a
(06:09):
time we show up.
We're able to set up in lessthan an hour.
We can set up from anywherefrom one table to eight tables.
We're up to about 50 books thatwe were able to showcase.
We have samples for people tolook, feel and flip through and
ask questions.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And we can usually sell these books on site.
The self-published books thatyou guys are helping to promote
to help to sell Wilmington orDelaware-based artists or
authors, or any of the above canbe regional, can be national.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
So, yeah, so we do have a lot of Delaware,
pennsylvania and Maryland-basedauthors, but we also have
authors that are from Texas,from Florida, from North
Carolina, so they're across theUnited States, but we do have
most authors from the state ofDelaware and I would say we have
a large quantity in theBaltimore Maryland area.
(06:59):
But, yeah, we're showcasing alot of Delaware authors and
we're excited about that.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Outside of the barrier or obstacle of, as a
self-published author, having tofind your way into kind of like
the big two or three companies.
What do you think are some ofthe obstacles that
self-published authors oftenhave to face, and what's an
example of kind of how youovercame that obstacle as you
became your own self-publishedauthor?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Definitely.
Time, bandwidth and money aresome of the challenges that
self-publishers, authors, face.
Most of us have day jobs, wehave families, we have church
obligations, we're a part oforganizations so this is
marketing and promoting yourbook can be a full-time job,
especially if you want to besuccessful at it.
So that is definitely one ofthe challenges that we have.
(07:50):
Social media is our friend, butit's also our enemy, because of
all of the algorithms and allof the competition and how often
they change these algorithms.
A lot of people don't have timeto dance on reels and TikToks
and be animated and edit, eventhough there's a lot of tools
that help us with that.
So that is a way that I utilizethe Amazing Author Catalog to
(08:14):
kind of help support them.
So I give them space and timeand highlights on my website, on
my social media.
We do reels together as a group, we do events together as a
group, so we're just trying tosolve that problem that, okay,
you don't have the time, but youhave an amazing work that
people need to see and peopleneed as a resource.
(08:35):
So the Amazing Corner helps tohelp fill in some of those gaps
and create space for thatPerhaps a silly question Only
kids books.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Are you working to also kind of help uplift
inspirational books?
You know so is the AmazingCorner only focused on books for
youth or books for adults aswell?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So it didn't initially start off to be a
children's book catalog and itis not.
It is predominantly filled withchildren books, but we do have
a selection of teen and adultbooks, but I do make sure that
they are, like you said,empowering.
They're inspiring, they'remotivational, they're self-help.
So we do memoirs andautobiographies as well, so we
(09:16):
wouldn't have different genreslike romance and mystery and
thriller and things like that.
They are anything that'sempowering.
All of our books seek to uplift, connect, empower, educate and
provide an escape for ourreaders.
So, yes, we do have a selectionof teen and adult books, but
it's a lot smaller than ourchildren's book selection.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
So, as you're looking for topics of books or as
yourself, as kind of like theCEO of the Amazing Corner,
looking to see what books tohelp promote, are there kind of
certain topics that youtypically gravitate towards or
is it a wide open opportunity?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
So no, I don't gravitate to a specific topic.
I'm actually looking to makesure we have books on every
topic and that connects withmore families.
I would say that our buyersdefinitely gravitate towards
books that, whatever, they'reseeking a need for validation,
for encouragement.
(10:16):
So if we have a book, girls canbe firefighters too.
So for our little adventurousgirls, the girls that do not
want to fit into the status quo,they gravitate to that one one.
We have a book called I'm Bestas Me, or how Tall Will I Be,
featuring young black boys on acover.
So, of course, young black boyswho may have self-confidence
(10:38):
issues or have unique abilitiesor are shorter in their families
, those are the books they lookforward to.
But some of our bestsellers wehave let's Get Financially Fit.
So both older teens and tweenslove that book.
But parents love that book tohave as a tool people in
organizations, books thatprovide positive self-imagery.
(11:01):
And the books that do probablymost well is our, I would say
our adventure books.
Probably most well is our, Iwould say our adventure books.
So the ones that are aboutspace and science and
superheroes.
Those are some of the booksthat do well.
Our teachers love our booksabout empathy and kindness and
respect for others.
So I think it's mostly what thereader is looking for, what
(11:23):
captures the eye and the heartof the reader.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I want to take just a minute here to remind our
listeners.
You're listening to DelawareState of the Arts on News Radio
1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV as I'mlooking at your website.
There's also a greatopportunity here just to learn
more about where you're going tobe in the community and where
individuals who may beinterested but just not know
(11:47):
where to find you can go.
So, coming up here, you've gotthe Wilmington PAL Art Fair.
You've got Visions Academy K-2Book Fair.
Talk to us about why you thinkit's so important to not only
kind of operate this within thecommunity but proactively get
out and get into the communitywith some of these opportunities
.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
I think in this current world, where kids are
spending so much time on devicesand on social media and YouTube
and not connecting, being ableto engage with youth and
families has been a very goodconduit to help people read.
I have a lot of parents who maysay my kids don't read, but
(12:27):
once they see these books withthings that interest them or
pique their imagination, they dowant the books.
I was recently at WilmingtonLibrary and the kids were
actually crying because theycouldn't get books and they're
excited when they see ballerinason the cover or the night owl
for the kid who fights sleepevery night.
(12:47):
So what I'm finding is kids doreally want to read.
They're just not provided theopportunity.
So doing these in-person eventsallows me to engage and make
reading fun and even me as abookseller, fun.
I make sure I dress for theenvironment that I'm in and the
age group that I'm in to helppull people in and make it me
(13:09):
approachable and comfortable andrelatable, so that allows me to
engage them and I get to asksome different things about
themselves and the things thatthey like and then I can connect
them with a book.
So we can't do that online,right?
We can't do that through socialmedia.
And what's happened youmentioned.
I'll be at Visions Academy.
They've invited me back for athird time because their kids
(13:30):
love it.
They're demanding that theirparents send them in with money
to buy from the bookstore.
They're demanding that theirparents pick them up to come see
the book fair.
So we make it fun.
We take pictures, we makevideos, we shout out things.
Like I said, they can touch andfeel and flip through the book.
So it's not like you're in alibrary and you have to tiptoe
around and be gentle.
(13:52):
Nope, this is a look, touch,see, feel and act type of book
fair and, like I said, I like tomake it fun.
If anyone knows me or is aroundme, all of my event.
We're joking, we're teasing,you know.
We're challenging each otherjust to keep everybody on their
toes and make it a greatengaging experience.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
As I'm looking at a lot of the book covers on your
website, it would be silly notto note that a lot of the cover
art shows youth of all differentcolors, of all different
abilities.
How important do you think thatis to students actually
engaging with the book and orkind of feeling that they are
represented largely in kind ofthe books that you're not only
(14:33):
reading to them but selling tothe greater community?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
I think it's very important.
And then I like to mention thatI'm an African-American woman.
But when I started this catalog, that was not my goal to make
this a catalog forAfrican-American women or for
African-American people.
But that is who gravitates tome.
They are my customer,african-american people.
But that is who gravitates tome, they are my customer and,
(14:59):
again, that's not by design,that's just who connects with me
and so I had to kind of pushand say hey, even though I want
to showcase, andunapologetically showcase Black
and brown faces, I want everyoneto be able to see themselves in
my book.
So when I do so, everyone can'tget in my catalog.
They have to complete anapplication, I have to be able
to read their book.
I'm searching their websites andtheir social media just to make
(15:20):
sure it's a person that I wouldfeel safe engaging with, that
it's a book that I would give tomy child and I have turned down
books.
So I looked for okay, yes, wewant Black and Brown
representation, but what aboutthe white kid?
What about the Asian kid?
What about the Islamic kid?
What about the kid with amissing limb?
What about the kid with thespeech impediment?
How will they see themselves?
(15:41):
How will they feel important inour books.
So every time I see a book thatchecks several of those boxes,
I'm like, okay, this gets it.
And I don't know if you got tosee, there's a book in our
catalog called ExtraordinaryJordan and it's about a doctor.
I mean, it's not about a doctor,it's written by a doctor who
has something called Ushersyndrome, which I wasn't
familiar with, but it's abouthaving hearing deficit, vision
(16:04):
deficits as well as balancedeficits.
So that's an amazing way tointroduce kids to different
things.
And okay, now we have someonewho has a visual deficit that
can be seen in the pages, whowalks with a cane, who can be
seen with, who has a cochlearimplant and it talks about so
many things in this book as wellas it's a black kid on the
(16:26):
cover, but she's an engagingwith a white kid.
So, and they've come to findout that they like the same
things, they love the samethings and they've had some of
the same challenges in life.
So that's one of my favoritebooks.
So I'm intentional about it andI want everyone to feel good.
But I often say, even if you donot see yourself in this book,
(16:47):
there's something that you canlearn from every book, so don't
shy away from a book whose coverdoesn't connect with you
instantly.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I love that and thank you for noting that.
If I, as the general public,want to learn more about how to
either engage with you or theAmazing Corner, or just books in
general, what do you think is agreat first step for a parent
maybe looking to expose theirchildren to new or even
independent books like this?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
I have a few outlets, I would say all of my social
media websites.
You can find the Amazing Corner.
If you find the Amazing Corner,you'll find me.
I would say, if you're lookingfor book reviews, I do most of
my book reviews on TikTok.
If you're looking for cataloghighlights and author highlights
, we do that through ourInstagram.
Or if you're looking forcatalog highlights and author
highlights, we do that throughour Instagram.
(17:40):
Or if you're just looking toshop for books for your family
or your organization the greatbirthday gifts, baby shower
gifts and things of that sortthen theamazingcornercom would
be the best resource for that.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
You recently received an artist opportunity grant
from the Division of the Arts.
Tell us a little bit about theproject that that's supporting
and, again, kind of theopportunity or need that you are
kind of filling in the state ofDelaware through that grant
project.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So that is one of my most exciting moments of the
summer.
So thank you, delaware,division of Arts.
I'm super excited about it andit's a grant that a lot of
people don't know about.
And the funny thing is someonefrom another state said, hey,
check to see if your state hasan arts grant and, lo and behold
, I Googled, found it.
It was very easy to find.
The application process wasvery simple, but it is
(18:26):
empowering.
My next series called the DreamBuilder Series.
So the Dream Builder Series iswhat you talked about earlier
making sure that every kid cansee themselves in the pages, be
inspired and things of that sort.
So it will include a coloringbook, which is already published
.
It's called the Amazing MeColoring Activity Book.
It will include a picture book,which is what the Arts Grant is
(18:50):
helping to empower.
It's helping to cover theillustrations, what we're
already starting.
So the Amazing Me picture book.
And then it will have a game.
So it's a family-friendly game.
So all three of them are toinspire dreams and to make sure
that each kid knows that theycan fulfill their dream.
So, despite if I'm Asian, ifI'm Hispanic, if I wear dreads,
(19:13):
if I'm a girl, or if I'm a boy,if I'm black, if I'm brown, if I
have achondroplasia, thingslike that.
You should be able to see, wehave 26 different characters in
these books with all differentabilities.
So we have people wearingeyeglasses, people with missing
limbs, we have people withvitiligo wearing eyeglasses,
(19:36):
people with missing limbs, wehave people with vitiligo.
So I really tried to beintentional hearing aids, things
like that to be able to showdifferent kids fulfilling their
dreams and working in differentcareers.
So what I was hoping toaccomplish is the young Black
kid to be able to see themselvesas the engineer or the chef or
the ballerina.
I was able to see the kidthat's in a wheelchair to see
themselves as a doctor or aveterinarian.
(19:58):
So just not to be pigeonholed ina certain, I would say,
stereotypical career based onwho you are or what background
you come from, but to know that,no matter who I am, I can be
what I want to be.
So that's what the DreamBuilder series is.
And then I want other kids canbe what I want to be.
So that's what the DreamBuilder series is.
And then I want other kids tobe able to accept people in
those roles and not say what areyou doing here?
(20:20):
As a Black woman.
I am a certified pediatricregistered nurse by trade and
when I started to go up theladder and go into management
and leadership, a lot of times Ihad a shocking result.
When they asked for the manageror the boss and I came out I'm
like yes me, why not, whywouldn't it be me?
(20:41):
So I want to decrease thoseexperiences.
So if I have the ability and Iseek to do it, I can do it and I
want other kids to know thatand see that for themselves and
for their friends.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
I do want to also note that the work you do is not
just about book fairs andchildren's books, but also your
own professional development,your own kind of mentorship of
women in our community.
Talk to us about what bringsyou the biggest joy when it
relates to kind of helpingothers in our community.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, I heard a phrase a few years ago that we
give people what we need.
So I feel in large part thatthat's what I'm doing.
(21:38):
I grew up in the inner city ofChester, Pennsylvania, and also
spent some time a lot of how-to.
I've always gratefully had a Ican do, but not always how-to or
access and resources.
So the Amazing Corner seeks tofill those gaps and make
connections.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Kanira.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
If you want to learn more aboutthe Amazing Corner, visit their
website atwwwtheamazingcornercom.
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is Tanira Willis.
Tanira is a five-time publishedauthor, contributing writer for
Women of More magazine andowner of the Amazing Corner.
In addition to being a retailentrepreneur, she is a
motivational speaker, coach andmentor, with a special interest
(00:25):
in helping women and teen girls.
Tanira not only inspires themthrough her workshops and
coachings, but aims to providethem with practical resources,
tools and access that enablesthem to improve their personal
and professional life.
Today, we'll speak to her abouther work with the youth using
the literary and visual arts andhow you can get involved with
(00:48):
the Amazing Corner.
Tanira.
Thank you so much for joiningme today and, as we kick off,
tell us a little bit aboutyourself and how you came to
create the Amazing Corner.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
I appreciate the opportunityand, as you mentioned, I am a
woman who loves to support otherwomen, especially with women
who have similar backgrounds asmyself.
I love to empower teens andshow them that can do spirit and
how to do spirit.
I'm also an author who loves tosupport other authors.
(01:17):
So, in that vein, several yearsago I created
TheAmazingCornercom, which is akind doing to help support other
authors to sell their books, toshowcase their books and to
help support schools, librariesand community centers to grow
the love of literacy and fostera love of reading.
(01:39):
And I'm able to do that throughthe Amazing Author catalog and
book fairs, which is what I'mmost excited about this year.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
For listeners that may have never heard about the
Amazing Corner before, tell us alittle bit about what it does
and what it seeks to do in ourlarger community.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
In large part, it's an online bookstore.
It features mostly diversechildren's books, but we do have
a variety of books for everyonein the family and everyone in
the community.
It's also a place where you cango, where you're looking for
services to empower women andteen girls.
So we offer workshops, whichare mostly empowerment workshops
.
It's trying to teach people toovercome systemic barriers,
(02:20):
overcome everyday lifechallenges and really just
accomplish their goals.
I really have the message of beamazing, which means to be the
best version of yourself,despite your past, despite any
present challenges and despiteany barriers that may be in
front of you.
I believe that one of mystrengths is resilience and
conflict resolution and justexecution, so I like to empower
(02:44):
other women through the thingsthat I've been able to overcome
and achieve.
I think when a lot of peoplelook at me now, they think that
I've always been here, but I'vebeen through so many layers.
I always say I am the true rosethat grew from concrete.
I am a great example of startedfrom the bottom.
Now I'm here, so I like toshare my transparency and my
(03:04):
background and my past, to kindof show people this is where I
started, but this is not where Iam to hopefully empower them to
achieve their own personal andprofessional goals.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
As I'm on your website.
Here there is obviously just aplethora of resources, but the
biggest and probably the mostprominent right is your book
fairs, your books for sale.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthe opportunity you saw kind of
in the community and why youfelt that the Amazing Corner was
kind of the right organizationto fill that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Absolutely.
Thanks for asking that.
So this is my baby.
I'm so engulfed in this rightnow.
I feel so responsible for thisto be successful.
So the Amazing Author Catalogsfeatures all self-published
authors and I'm a self-publishedauthor myself, so that goes
back to being an author whosupport other authors.
My son and I published ourfirst children's book back in
(03:58):
2020, at the height of thepandemic and, as all
self-publishers know, orself-published authors know,
it's such a bear to market andpromote your book, to get book
sales, to get space inbookstores and catalogs.
So I went through all of thosechallenges for years trying to
get in some of the larger bookfairs and you need to have a PR
(04:20):
agent or you need to be a NewYork Times bestseller agent, or
you need to be a New York Timesbestseller.
So I saw that as a big problem,but not as the end to me.
So I have learned severaldifferent ways to be able to
successfully kick down thosedoors and those barriers, and so
the Amazing Author Catalogserves as a conduit for other
authors to give themopportunities to showcase their
(04:44):
books.
So I've been declined byScholastic.
I've been declined from theAfrican-American Book Fair in
Philadelphia some of the largerplaces where you would love to
showcase your books.
So now I feel like I am thecatalog and I am the book fair
and I'm bringing other authorsalong with me.
So it's just a way to say, hey,we don't have to rely on them
(05:04):
solely.
Yes, those are amazingopportunities, but we can create
our own opportunities and useour own group economics as
self-published authors to helpelevate our great works, because
our works are just as good assome of the larger authors and
some of the New York Timesbestsellers and our messages and
our stories deserve to be told.
Messages and our storiesdeserve to be told and they do
(05:26):
connect with families andprovide that positive
self-representation,self-imagery, respect for others
, diversity, inclusion.
So it's just a way to get ourbooks into the families across
the state and across the country.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
As I'm looking here, a question that the general
public might have right is thatare there physical book fairs or
is this an online only bookfair?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
So all of the above, we have our online bookstore.
We have a catalog that you canshop from, both physical and on
our own website, and, yes, Ilove hosting in-person book
fairs.
I'm looking to partner with anyschools, organization,
youth-based and family-basedcenters.
So what do we do?
We host mobile book fairs, sowe would agree on a date and a
(06:09):
time we show up.
We're able to set up in lessthan an hour.
We can set up from anywherefrom one table to eight tables.
We're up to about 50 books thatwe were able to showcase.
We have samples for people tolook, feel and flip through and
ask questions.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And we can usually sell these books on site.
The self-published books thatyou guys are helping to promote
to help to sell Wilmington orDelaware-based artists or
authors, or any of the above canbe regional, can be national.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
So, yeah, so we do have a lot of Delaware,
pennsylvania and Maryland-basedauthors, but we also have
authors that are from Texas,from Florida, from North
Carolina, so they're across theUnited States, but we do have
most authors from the state ofDelaware and I would say we have
a large quantity in theBaltimore Maryland area.
(06:59):
But, yeah, we're showcasing alot of Delaware authors and
we're excited about that.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Outside of the barrier or obstacle of, as a
self-published author, having tofind your way into kind of like
the big two or three companies.
What do you think are some ofthe obstacles that
self-published authors oftenhave to face, and what's an
example of kind of how youovercame that obstacle as you
became your own self-publishedauthor?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Definitely.
Time, bandwidth and money aresome of the challenges that
self-publishers, authors, face.
Most of us have day jobs, wehave families, we have church
obligations, we're a part oforganizations so this is
marketing and promoting yourbook can be a full-time job,
especially if you want to besuccessful at it.
So that is definitely one ofthe challenges that we have.
(07:50):
Social media is our friend, butit's also our enemy, because of
all of the algorithms and allof the competition and how often
they change these algorithms.
A lot of people don't have timeto dance on reels and TikToks
and be animated and edit, eventhough there's a lot of tools
that help us with that.
So that is a way that I utilizethe Amazing Author Catalog to
(08:14):
kind of help support them.
So I give them space and timeand highlights on my website, on
my social media.
We do reels together as a group, we do events together as a
group, so we're just trying tosolve that problem that, okay,
you don't have the time, but youhave an amazing work that
people need to see and peopleneed as a resource.
(08:35):
So the Amazing Corner helps tohelp fill in some of those gaps
and create space for thatPerhaps a silly question Only
kids books.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Are you working to also kind of help uplift
inspirational books?
You know so is the AmazingCorner only focused on books for
youth or books for adults aswell?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So it didn't initially start off to be a
children's book catalog and itis not.
It is predominantly filled withchildren books, but we do have
a selection of teen and adultbooks, but I do make sure that
they are, like you said,empowering.
They're inspiring, they'remotivational, they're self-help.
So we do memoirs andautobiographies as well, so we
(09:16):
wouldn't have different genreslike romance and mystery and
thriller and things like that.
They are anything that'sempowering.
All of our books seek to uplift, connect, empower, educate and
provide an escape for ourreaders.
So, yes, we do have a selectionof teen and adult books, but
it's a lot smaller than ourchildren's book selection.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
So, as you're looking for topics of books or as
yourself, as kind of like theCEO of the Amazing Corner,
looking to see what books tohelp promote, are there kind of
certain topics that youtypically gravitate towards or
is it a wide open opportunity?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
So no, I don't gravitate to a specific topic.
I'm actually looking to makesure we have books on every
topic and that connects withmore families.
I would say that our buyersdefinitely gravitate towards
books that, whatever, they'reseeking a need for validation,
for encouragement.
(10:16):
So if we have a book, girls canbe firefighters too.
So for our little adventurousgirls, the girls that do not
want to fit into the status quo,they gravitate to that one one.
We have a book called I'm Bestas Me, or how Tall Will I Be,
featuring young black boys on acover.
So, of course, young black boyswho may have self-confidence
(10:38):
issues or have unique abilitiesor are shorter in their families
, those are the books they lookforward to.
But some of our bestsellers wehave let's Get Financially Fit.
So both older teens and tweenslove that book.
But parents love that book tohave as a tool people in
organizations, books thatprovide positive self-imagery.
(11:01):
And the books that do probablymost well is our, I would say
our adventure books.
Probably most well is our, Iwould say our adventure books.
So the ones that are aboutspace and science and
superheroes.
Those are some of the booksthat do well.
Our teachers love our booksabout empathy and kindness and
respect for others.
So I think it's mostly what thereader is looking for, what
(11:23):
captures the eye and the heartof the reader.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I want to take just a minute here to remind our
listeners.
You're listening to DelawareState of the Arts on News Radio
1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV as I'mlooking at your website.
There's also a greatopportunity here just to learn
more about where you're going tobe in the community and where
individuals who may beinterested but just not know
(11:47):
where to find you can go.
So, coming up here, you've gotthe Wilmington PAL Art Fair.
You've got Visions Academy K-2Book Fair.
Talk to us about why you thinkit's so important to not only
kind of operate this within thecommunity but proactively get
out and get into the communitywith some of these opportunities
.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
I think in this current world, where kids are
spending so much time on devicesand on social media and YouTube
and not connecting, being ableto engage with youth and
families has been a very goodconduit to help people read.
I have a lot of parents who maysay my kids don't read, but
(12:27):
once they see these books withthings that interest them or
pique their imagination, they dowant the books.
I was recently at WilmingtonLibrary and the kids were
actually crying because theycouldn't get books and they're
excited when they see ballerinason the cover or the night owl
for the kid who fights sleepevery night.
(12:47):
So what I'm finding is kids doreally want to read.
They're just not provided theopportunity.
So doing these in-person eventsallows me to engage and make
reading fun and even me as abookseller, fun.
I make sure I dress for theenvironment that I'm in and the
age group that I'm in to helppull people in and make it me
(13:09):
approachable and comfortable andrelatable, so that allows me to
engage them and I get to asksome different things about
themselves and the things thatthey like and then I can connect
them with a book.
So we can't do that online,right?
We can't do that through socialmedia.
And what's happened youmentioned.
I'll be at Visions Academy.
They've invited me back for athird time because their kids
(13:30):
love it.
They're demanding that theirparents send them in with money
to buy from the bookstore.
They're demanding that theirparents pick them up to come see
the book fair.
So we make it fun.
We take pictures, we makevideos, we shout out things.
Like I said, they can touch andfeel and flip through the book.
So it's not like you're in alibrary and you have to tiptoe
around and be gentle.
(13:52):
Nope, this is a look, touch,see, feel and act type of book
fair and, like I said, I like tomake it fun.
If anyone knows me or is aroundme, all of my event.
We're joking, we're teasing,you know.
We're challenging each otherjust to keep everybody on their
toes and make it a greatengaging experience.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
As I'm looking at a lot of the book covers on your
website, it would be silly notto note that a lot of the cover
art shows youth of all differentcolors, of all different
abilities.
How important do you think thatis to students actually
engaging with the book and orkind of feeling that they are
represented largely in kind ofthe books that you're not only
(14:33):
reading to them but selling tothe greater community?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
I think it's very important.
And then I like to mention thatI'm an African-American woman.
But when I started this catalog, that was not my goal to make
this a catalog forAfrican-American women or for
African-American people.
But that is who gravitates tome.
They are my customer,african-american people.
But that is who gravitates tome, they are my customer and,
(14:59):
again, that's not by design,that's just who connects with me
and so I had to kind of pushand say hey, even though I want
to showcase, andunapologetically showcase Black
and brown faces, I want everyoneto be able to see themselves in
my book.
So when I do so, everyone can'tget in my catalog.
They have to complete anapplication, I have to be able
to read their book.
I'm searching their websites andtheir social media just to make
(15:20):
sure it's a person that I wouldfeel safe engaging with, that
it's a book that I would give tomy child and I have turned down
books.
So I looked for okay, yes, wewant Black and Brown
representation, but what aboutthe white kid?
What about the Asian kid?
What about the Islamic kid?
What about the kid with amissing limb?
What about the kid with thespeech impediment?
How will they see themselves?
(15:41):
How will they feel important inour books.
So every time I see a book thatchecks several of those boxes,
I'm like, okay, this gets it.
And I don't know if you got tosee, there's a book in our
catalog called ExtraordinaryJordan and it's about a doctor.
I mean, it's not about a doctor,it's written by a doctor who
has something called Ushersyndrome, which I wasn't
familiar with, but it's abouthaving hearing deficit, vision
(16:04):
deficits as well as balancedeficits.
So that's an amazing way tointroduce kids to different
things.
And okay, now we have someonewho has a visual deficit that
can be seen in the pages, whowalks with a cane, who can be
seen with, who has a cochlearimplant and it talks about so
many things in this book as wellas it's a black kid on the
(16:26):
cover, but she's an engagingwith a white kid.
So, and they've come to findout that they like the same
things, they love the samethings and they've had some of
the same challenges in life.
So that's one of my favoritebooks.
So I'm intentional about it andI want everyone to feel good.
But I often say, even if you donot see yourself in this book,
(16:47):
there's something that you canlearn from every book, so don't
shy away from a book whose coverdoesn't connect with you
instantly.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I love that and thank you for noting that.
If I, as the general public,want to learn more about how to
either engage with you or theAmazing Corner, or just books in
general, what do you think is agreat first step for a parent
maybe looking to expose theirchildren to new or even
independent books like this?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
I have a few outlets, I would say all of my social
media websites.
You can find the Amazing Corner.
If you find the Amazing Corner,you'll find me.
I would say, if you're lookingfor book reviews, I do most of
my book reviews on TikTok.
If you're looking for cataloghighlights and author highlights
, we do that through ourInstagram.
Or if you're looking forcatalog highlights and author
highlights, we do that throughour Instagram.
(17:40):
Or if you're just looking toshop for books for your family
or your organization the greatbirthday gifts, baby shower
gifts and things of that sortthen theamazingcornercom would
be the best resource for that.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
You recently received an artist opportunity grant
from the Division of the Arts.
Tell us a little bit about theproject that that's supporting
and, again, kind of theopportunity or need that you are
kind of filling in the state ofDelaware through that grant
project.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So that is one of my most exciting moments of the
summer.
So thank you, delaware,division of Arts.
I'm super excited about it andit's a grant that a lot of
people don't know about.
And the funny thing is someonefrom another state said, hey,
check to see if your state hasan arts grant and, lo and behold
, I Googled, found it.
It was very easy to find.
The application process wasvery simple, but it is
(18:26):
empowering.
My next series called the DreamBuilder Series.
So the Dream Builder Series iswhat you talked about earlier
making sure that every kid cansee themselves in the pages, be
inspired and things of that sort.
So it will include a coloringbook, which is already published
.
It's called the Amazing MeColoring Activity Book.
It will include a picture book,which is what the Arts Grant is
(18:50):
helping to empower.
It's helping to cover theillustrations, what we're
already starting.
So the Amazing Me picture book.
And then it will have a game.
So it's a family-friendly game.
So all three of them are toinspire dreams and to make sure
that each kid knows that theycan fulfill their dream.
So, despite if I'm Asian, ifI'm Hispanic, if I wear dreads,
(19:13):
if I'm a girl, or if I'm a boy,if I'm black, if I'm brown, if I
have achondroplasia, thingslike that.
You should be able to see, wehave 26 different characters in
these books with all differentabilities.
So we have people wearingeyeglasses, people with missing
limbs, we have people withvitiligo wearing eyeglasses,
(19:36):
people with missing limbs, wehave people with vitiligo.
So I really tried to beintentional hearing aids, things
like that to be able to showdifferent kids fulfilling their
dreams and working in differentcareers.
So what I was hoping toaccomplish is the young Black
kid to be able to see themselvesas the engineer or the chef or
the ballerina.
I was able to see the kidthat's in a wheelchair to see
themselves as a doctor or aveterinarian.
(19:58):
So just not to be pigeonholed ina certain, I would say,
stereotypical career based onwho you are or what background
you come from, but to know that,no matter who I am, I can be
what I want to be.
So that's what the DreamBuilder series is.
And then I want other kids canbe what I want to be.
So that's what the DreamBuilder series is.
And then I want other kids tobe able to accept people in
those roles and not say what areyou doing here?
(20:20):
As a Black woman.
I am a certified pediatricregistered nurse by trade and
when I started to go up theladder and go into management
and leadership, a lot of times Ihad a shocking result.
When they asked for the manageror the boss and I came out I'm
like yes me, why not, whywouldn't it be me?
(20:41):
So I want to decrease thoseexperiences.
So if I have the ability and Iseek to do it, I can do it and I
want other kids to know thatand see that for themselves and
for their friends.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
I do want to also note that the work you do is not
just about book fairs andchildren's books, but also your
own professional development,your own kind of mentorship of
women in our community.
Talk to us about what bringsyou the biggest joy when it
relates to kind of helpingothers in our community.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, I heard a phrase a few years ago that we
give people what we need.
So I feel in large part thatthat's what I'm doing.
(21:38):
I grew up in the inner city ofChester, Pennsylvania, and also
spent some time a lot of how-to.
I've always gratefully had a Ican do, but not always how-to or
access and resources.
So the Amazing Corner seeks tofill those gaps and make
connections.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Kanira.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
If you want to learn more aboutthe Amazing Corner, visit their
website atwwwtheamazingcornercom.
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