July 3, 2025 • 9 mins
Guest Host Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati sits down with former Philadelphia City Councilmember Blondell Reynolds Brown, author of the powerful memoir Walking a Tightrope Backwards in High Heels. In this candid and inspiring conversation, Blondell shares what it takes to navigate the bruising arena of big-city politics as a Black woman leader, and how she carved out a legacy of public service, resilience, and purpose.
đź“– Learn more about the book and upcoming events at:Â www.moxiebrb.com
📱 Follow Blondell Reynolds Brown:
Instagram & X: @blondellreynoldsbrown
Facebook: facebook.com/BlondellReynoldsB Plus, in a fun role reversal, Vanesse becomes the guest in her own monthly feature, “What Is Philadelphia Reading?” — sharing what’s on her bookshelf and what’s inspiring readers across the city.
đź“– Learn more about the book and upcoming events at:Â www.moxiebrb.com
📱 Follow Blondell Reynolds Brown:
Instagram & X: @blondellreynoldsbrown
Facebook: facebook.com/BlondellReynoldsB Plus, in a fun role reversal, Vanesse becomes the guest in her own monthly feature, “What Is Philadelphia Reading?” — sharing what’s on her bookshelf and what’s inspiring readers across the city.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Insight Ashell about empowering our community.
I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow, and as we do once a month
every month, we have the fabulous Vanessa Lloyd's Gumbadi, the
founder of the African American Children's Book Fair and the
Literary She's one of the top literary marketing professionals, especially
for black authors and illustrators. And I'm so delighted to
(00:21):
see you once again.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hello over to us. Hello, Lorraine.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
You know I'm wearing the crown this week because I
just came off of the American Library Association. And you know,
we often hear when one door closes, a bigger door opens,
and I want to share this with people because we're
halfway through the year. I reached out to the American
Library Association to do a panel and there was a deadline.
I missed the deadline, and I talked it up and say, well,
(00:46):
there's always next year. The convention was held in Philadelphia. Well,
two months later, a gentleman named Paul Growler reached out
to me. He said, Kelly Richards, the president of the
Free Library, and Christina Patten said you were the best
person to produce a program A mega program called Philly
Voices at the convention as well, as they wanted me
to produce the diverse panels and they would give me
(01:09):
a booth and I was gonna get paid Wow. And
I reached out to your partner in crime, your husband
to get some Latino voices, and we had all kinds
of diverse creators. People won mega awards, people who were
trying to get their foot in the door. It was
an amazing, amazing experience. So I'd like to say to people,
(01:29):
when that door closes, there's just a bigger door around
the corner that's opening for you. You just gotta let it go.
Let the old door go so you can get to
the new door. And I know somebody we're gonna be
talking with this morning who knows how to close doors
and open bigger doors. But before we get down to business,
I want to give a shout out to my sister,
Ramona Austin, who's under me. She comes after me. Her
(01:52):
birthday is on the third, And Vickie Lee, who's a
well known broadcaster here in Philadelphia who's no longer in
the air. But we want to say happy birthday. So
let's get down the business. Good morning, Blondell Reynolds Brown.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Wdas Lorain Ballatmorrow
and you.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Well, you know a lot of people out there say,
now she's no longer a city council person, But honey,
you are doing it. You wrote a book called Walking
The typewrote Backwards in high Hills.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
That's a lot.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
It is a lot, and that's what I did for
twenty years, two decades in the Philadelphia City Council. I
actually used that phrase in two thousand and six in
an article and it stuck with me.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Well, it's an amazing story because you share a lot
of intimate details about your life, you're divorced, being a
single parent, the game of politics. I mean, it's a
great read and anybody who wants to kick back and
read a story of a woman who's overcome multitudes of obstacles.
So why didn't you decide to wait to write the book?
(02:56):
You didn't write the book when you were in council?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
An important question, and it would have been totally impossible
to reduce to writing. My experiences while working nine days
a week sent me two hours a day. I left
city council, made an intentional decision to leave City Council
because I wanted to do other things while still in
good health, and writing was one of them.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
So tell us a little bit about this book.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Because walking the typewrote, why is it a type rope backwards?
Speaker 4 (03:22):
It's a type rote when you are daily managing the
demands of the career, a very demanding career, and the
personal responsibilities and sacrifices that come with being a mother
and a wife, and so daily. Because I love high heels,
I walked that type rope for twenty years, most of
the times with grace. Almost fell off twice, but praise God,
(03:46):
I was able to pull myself up and continue the
type rope walk.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Now Amazon lists it as a memoir, and I should
note that already the numbers people are already clicking on.
July first was the pub date, and I looked at
that entry and are ready the numbers are popping for
a hardcover book that's thirty two dollars, So I mean,
so low pricey, But you know, sometimes you pay to
(04:11):
get information, So.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Sometimes we have to pay to get information.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
So well, how would you term it's more than just
a memory? I look at it as a self help
book too.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
It is a self help book. I would say it's
a personal political manifesto about those twenty years, the values
that are important at living in the world of electoral politics,
and the lessons learned that come with stumbles that were
all sure to make.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
How do you stay fearless because you you've been through
a lot, and you keep you you have through all
the things that you've gone through, you never missed a beat.
You kept your pumps. Because I'm a pump girl too.
I'm always when I lose the pumps, you know it's over.
The body's over when the pumps go. So how do
you do that? Because we all go through crisis in life.
What's it one thing that you can give our listening
(04:58):
audience this morning?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Surely thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
No one gets a past, no one gets the pass
to the.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Curveballs and the glitches and the hurdles that you're going
to have to overcome. And if we realize that someone
is always watching, be it our children, or our colleagues,
or our sorority sisters, or other folks and other professions,
we have to remain anchored in our faith, anchored in
our faith and understand always seeing the glasses half full,
(05:26):
because there is light at the end of the tunnel.
We have to remain steadfast and strategic, if you will,
as we climb our way through the dark tunnel, and
recognize only with the climbing do things get better.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Well, we need some drums and some violuns to go
with that statement. So tell us a lot of people
want to buy this book. Of course you can buy
it on Amazon and local retailers, but how can they
find out about all the events that you're planning in
twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Thank you so much, Vanessa.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
First, as we we all know in this new day
of social media and the Internet, my website address is
www dot Moximoxie brb dot com. The first chapter is
called The Moxiwoman, and the African American Museum will be
making the books available along with Amazon and Barnes and
(06:20):
Noble and a number of our private bookstores here in
the city of Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
And ladies and gentlemen out there listening. You can walk
into any bookstore any place in this country, and the
book is sold through one of the major distributors, so
you won't have a problem if you don't see it
on the show. But I encourage everyone out there go
into your local bookstore and ask them to stop the
book because I think that this is a wonderful story
(06:45):
about someone who's homegrown, who's overcome so many obstacles, who's
grown into this fabulous woman walking a typewrope backwards in
high hills so quickly in two seconds.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
What are you doing now?
Speaker 4 (06:57):
I am preparing for an elevator speech for my sorority.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Okay, well, I'm sure you'd be preparing maybe to get
a some kind of American Library Association award? Is something else? Well,
thank you so much, and I look forward to attending
your events. And again, the book is Walking a typewrote
Backwards in High Hills. Blondell Reynolds Brown, thank.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
You, Thank you, Vanessaur's comebody and Lorraine Ballatmore appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
We've come to one of my favorite parts of this segment.
And I have a very special guest this morning for
what is Philadelphia reading me? So Loraine's going to ask
me the questions. And because I keep getting people saying,
well I don't know what you're reading.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
I haven't done this in like five years, So here
we go.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
All right, my first question is what book are you reading?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Lots of children's books first book you read run Dick
and Jane.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Best book you fred the Bible, worst book you fred?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Too Many too Men?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Your go to author, Langston Hughes, buyer or borrower, a receiver.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I get a lot of review copies. I'm reading those. Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
What books should everyone have in their library?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
The Bible?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Fiction or nonfiction?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Nonfiction? Because I like to stay in people's business.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
You have a literary dinner named three people in a
literary community that you must.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Have James Baldwin, Phyllis, Sweetlee and Maya Angeloa keeps saying
why do people keep mentioning her? But I would like
to have some proseco with the.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Three of them.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
That would be awesome. If you wrote a book about
your life. What would be the title?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I am still standing, We've come to the end of
the segment and has always continued to read, buy a book,
and of course have a blessed day.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
That was Vanessa Lloyd's come body with the VLS Journeys
as she comes to us once a month every month.
I'm Lorraine Baller. Tomorrow we'll have more insight after these
messages
Good morning, and welcome to Insight Ashell about empowering our community.
I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow, and as we do once a month
every month, we have the fabulous Vanessa Lloyd's Gumbadi, the
founder of the African American Children's Book Fair and the
Literary She's one of the top literary marketing professionals, especially
for black authors and illustrators. And I'm so delighted to
(00:21):
see you once again.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hello over to us. Hello, Lorraine.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
You know I'm wearing the crown this week because I
just came off of the American Library Association. And you know,
we often hear when one door closes, a bigger door opens,
and I want to share this with people because we're
halfway through the year. I reached out to the American
Library Association to do a panel and there was a deadline.
I missed the deadline, and I talked it up and say, well,
(00:46):
there's always next year. The convention was held in Philadelphia. Well,
two months later, a gentleman named Paul Growler reached out
to me. He said, Kelly Richards, the president of the
Free Library, and Christina Patten said you were the best
person to produce a program A mega program called Philly
Voices at the convention as well, as they wanted me
to produce the diverse panels and they would give me
(01:09):
a booth and I was gonna get paid Wow. And
I reached out to your partner in crime, your husband
to get some Latino voices, and we had all kinds
of diverse creators. People won mega awards, people who were
trying to get their foot in the door. It was
an amazing, amazing experience. So I'd like to say to people,
(01:29):
when that door closes, there's just a bigger door around
the corner that's opening for you. You just gotta let it go.
Let the old door go so you can get to
the new door. And I know somebody we're gonna be
talking with this morning who knows how to close doors
and open bigger doors. But before we get down to business,
I want to give a shout out to my sister,
Ramona Austin, who's under me. She comes after me. Her
(01:52):
birthday is on the third, And Vickie Lee, who's a
well known broadcaster here in Philadelphia who's no longer in
the air. But we want to say happy birthday. So
let's get down the business. Good morning, Blondell Reynolds Brown.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Wdas Lorain Ballatmorrow
and you.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Well, you know a lot of people out there say,
now she's no longer a city council person, But honey,
you are doing it. You wrote a book called Walking
The typewrote Backwards in high Hills.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
That's a lot.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
It is a lot, and that's what I did for
twenty years, two decades in the Philadelphia City Council. I
actually used that phrase in two thousand and six in
an article and it stuck with me.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Well, it's an amazing story because you share a lot
of intimate details about your life, you're divorced, being a
single parent, the game of politics. I mean, it's a
great read and anybody who wants to kick back and
read a story of a woman who's overcome multitudes of obstacles.
So why didn't you decide to wait to write the book?
(02:56):
You didn't write the book when you were in council?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
An important question, and it would have been totally impossible
to reduce to writing. My experiences while working nine days
a week sent me two hours a day. I left
city council, made an intentional decision to leave City Council
because I wanted to do other things while still in
good health, and writing was one of them.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
So tell us a little bit about this book.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Because walking the typewrote, why is it a type rope backwards?
Speaker 4 (03:22):
It's a type rote when you are daily managing the
demands of the career, a very demanding career, and the
personal responsibilities and sacrifices that come with being a mother
and a wife, and so daily. Because I love high heels,
I walked that type rope for twenty years, most of
the times with grace. Almost fell off twice, but praise God,
(03:46):
I was able to pull myself up and continue the
type rope walk.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Now Amazon lists it as a memoir, and I should
note that already the numbers people are already clicking on.
July first was the pub date, and I looked at
that entry and are ready the numbers are popping for
a hardcover book that's thirty two dollars, So I mean,
so low pricey, But you know, sometimes you pay to
(04:11):
get information, So.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Sometimes we have to pay to get information.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
So well, how would you term it's more than just
a memory? I look at it as a self help
book too.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
It is a self help book. I would say it's
a personal political manifesto about those twenty years, the values
that are important at living in the world of electoral politics,
and the lessons learned that come with stumbles that were
all sure to make.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
How do you stay fearless because you you've been through
a lot, and you keep you you have through all
the things that you've gone through, you never missed a beat.
You kept your pumps. Because I'm a pump girl too.
I'm always when I lose the pumps, you know it's over.
The body's over when the pumps go. So how do
you do that? Because we all go through crisis in life.
What's it one thing that you can give our listening
(04:58):
audience this morning?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Surely thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
No one gets a past, no one gets the pass
to the.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Curveballs and the glitches and the hurdles that you're going
to have to overcome. And if we realize that someone
is always watching, be it our children, or our colleagues,
or our sorority sisters, or other folks and other professions,
we have to remain anchored in our faith, anchored in
our faith and understand always seeing the glasses half full,
(05:26):
because there is light at the end of the tunnel.
We have to remain steadfast and strategic, if you will,
as we climb our way through the dark tunnel, and
recognize only with the climbing do things get better.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Well, we need some drums and some violuns to go
with that statement. So tell us a lot of people
want to buy this book. Of course you can buy
it on Amazon and local retailers, but how can they
find out about all the events that you're planning in
twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Thank you so much, Vanessa.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
First, as we we all know in this new day
of social media and the Internet, my website address is
www dot Moximoxie brb dot com. The first chapter is
called The Moxiwoman, and the African American Museum will be
making the books available along with Amazon and Barnes and
(06:20):
Noble and a number of our private bookstores here in
the city of Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
And ladies and gentlemen out there listening. You can walk
into any bookstore any place in this country, and the
book is sold through one of the major distributors, so
you won't have a problem if you don't see it
on the show. But I encourage everyone out there go
into your local bookstore and ask them to stop the
book because I think that this is a wonderful story
(06:45):
about someone who's homegrown, who's overcome so many obstacles, who's
grown into this fabulous woman walking a typewrope backwards in
high hills so quickly in two seconds.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
What are you doing now?
Speaker 4 (06:57):
I am preparing for an elevator speech for my sorority.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Okay, well, I'm sure you'd be preparing maybe to get
a some kind of American Library Association award? Is something else? Well,
thank you so much, and I look forward to attending
your events. And again, the book is Walking a typewrote
Backwards in High Hills. Blondell Reynolds Brown, thank.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
You, Thank you, Vanessaur's comebody and Lorraine Ballatmore appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
We've come to one of my favorite parts of this segment.
And I have a very special guest this morning for
what is Philadelphia reading me? So Loraine's going to ask
me the questions. And because I keep getting people saying,
well I don't know what you're reading.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
I haven't done this in like five years, So here
we go.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
All right, my first question is what book are you reading?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Lots of children's books first book you read run Dick
and Jane.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Best book you fred the Bible, worst book you fred?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Too Many too Men?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Your go to author, Langston Hughes, buyer or borrower, a receiver.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I get a lot of review copies. I'm reading those. Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
What books should everyone have in their library?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
The Bible?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Fiction or nonfiction?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Nonfiction? Because I like to stay in people's business.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
You have a literary dinner named three people in a
literary community that you must.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Have James Baldwin, Phyllis, Sweetlee and Maya Angeloa keeps saying
why do people keep mentioning her? But I would like
to have some proseco with the.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Three of them.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
That would be awesome. If you wrote a book about
your life. What would be the title?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I am still standing, We've come to the end of
the segment and has always continued to read, buy a book,
and of course have a blessed day.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
That was Vanessa Lloyd's come body with the VLS Journeys
as she comes to us once a month every month.
I'm Lorraine Baller. Tomorrow we'll have more insight after these
messages
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