In honor of the 2nd anniversary of my memoir, “Confessions of a Young Adult’s Life,” I thought it would nice to share this amazing conversation that I had with Jamie Crockett, founder of Shining Light Media. We had a good time! Sit back and listen as I am interviewed on the complexities of growing up in a non-traditional home and environment and how that shaped the my experience. Follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri Click the link to purchase a copy of the book https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Young-Adults-Life-Michelle-ebook/dp/B08F3VL5PZ Check out the accompanying podcast to the book here https://anchor.fm/coayal

In honor of the 2nd anniversary of my memoir, “Confessions of a Young Adult’s Life,” I thought it would nice to share this amazing conversation that I had with Jamie Crockett, founder of Shining Light Media. We had a good time! Sit back and listen as I am interviewed on the complexities of growing up in a non-traditional home and environment and how that shaped the my experience. Follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri Click the link to purchase a copy of the book https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Young-Adults-Life-Michelle-ebook/dp/B08F3VL5PZ Check out the accompanying podcast to the book here https://anchor.fm/coayal

Trigger Warning: This episode contains book spoilers and conversations on race, slavery, and assault.

Guess what y'all?? Ashley's back! Ashley from Melanated Pages invited me to do a buddy read on Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson and I thought it would be a good idea to share our collective thoughts about the story here on the show. Anyway, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. By the way, this was my first buddy read and I'm open to another. 

Follow Ashley on Instagram: @melanated_pages

Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri

Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com

Check out the video on my YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe. See you next week!

Season 3 has been a banger! This week I got the opportunity to talk with Hawa Jalloh, another fellow Black Librarian working for Prince George's County Library system in Maryland. She very recently graduated with her Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Maryland, but she has been working in libraries for over 3 years. We talked about her journey to become a librarian, thoughts on the barriers of entry into the field, life as a Bookstagrammer, and much more! Follow her on Instagram: @hawa.reads Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com Check out the video on my YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe. See you next week!

This week I had the esteemed privilege of talking to a library veteran. At the time of our conversation, Mrs. Tracie Randolph was an Assistant Library Director in Upland California. She recently accepted a new position in Del City, Oklahoma, becoming a Library Manager in the Metropolitan Library System. With over 25 years of experience working in libraries, she talks about her journey to become a librarian, expanding library programming, and her thoughts on how the profession could change their recruitment strategy to attract more diverse candidates. It truly was a pleasure!

Follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok: @trayday1908

 Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri

Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com

Check out the video on my YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe. See you next week!

This week I got the opportunity to have an amazing conversation with Ashley and Kristina the bookstagram duo and founders of Melanated Pages a "community to engage Black readers and celebrate Black authors." Talking to these ladies was such a therapeutic experience. In this episode we talked about why they started their book club and the second book in Jayne Allen's Black Girls series, "Black Girls Must Be Magic." If you haven't read the book, I recommend coming back to this episode later. 

Follow them on Instagram @melanated_pages

Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri 

Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com 

Check out the video on my YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA 

Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe. See you next week!

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to fellow Black Librarian, Mychal Threets. He is the Digital Community Librarian in the Solano County Library system near the Bay Area (California). He has been a professionally degreed librarian for four years, graduating with his Masters of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. Mychal is a lifelong user of the Solano County Library system starting his adventures there in the stacks in 1995. He loves the system so much that he made a career out of it! He has worked for Solano County Library system full-time for the last 9 years. In this episode, we talked about his career as a librarian, his thoughts on librarianship as a profession, and much, much, more. Follow him on Instagram and Tik Tok: @mychal3ts Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com Check out the video on my YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe.

This week I had the opportunity to talk to School Librarian and Educator, Carla Crocheron. She currently works in the Prince George's County School system. We had a great discussion about her journey to become a librarian, her experience with virtual learning during the pandemic, advice for future librarians, and many book club resources. This is a conversation you don't want to miss!

Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri  

Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com  

Check out the video on my YouTube page. https://youtu.be/pdOV60dMoB0

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Trigger Warning: Episode contains book spoilers, discussion on abandonment and rejection, and explicit language. In this week's episode, I had the amazing opportunity to speak with Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Bibliotherapist, Em Rumble. In our hour long discussion she explains why bibliotherapy is healthy and helps us make informed decisions on giving and receiving empathy and compassion. We briefly discuss how she incorporates bibliotherapy into the treatment plan of her clients as a psychotherapist in New York City. We pull from our family life and racial identity to have an enriching conversation on Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.  Therapist Em is currently running a Bibiloiotherapy special until September 1 on her website. Click the link below and you can receive $50 off a one-on-one therapy session that includes a curated list of books to read to help future you. To receive this deal, visit her website https://literapynyc.com/  Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok: @literapy_nyc Follow me on Instagram: @storieswithbri  Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com  Check out the video on YouTube page. Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe.

I had the opportunity to chat with author, educator, and coach Giovonni Gifft about his journey as an independent children's book author. He gives insight on his niche focus of health and nutrition and why he believes it's important to get children excited about physical fitness. We have an in-depth conversation about his latest book "Run!" and upcoming release "How Important Is an Apple?" I had a very insight and fun conversation with him and Bruno (lol). Follow him on Instagram @altheabooks To purchase a copy of his books visit Althea Books - Childrens Books, Physical Education Content ___ Follow on Instagram @storieswithbri Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com    Check out the video, visit my YouTube page at this link Stories with Bri - YouTube Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe.

Welcome to the Season 2 Finale!

This week I had the pleasure of talking with award winning author Nonku Adumetey about her amazing strides in creating independently published, diverse children's books for the world to enjoy. She was dropping major pearls of wisdom throughout our conversation. We talked about how she gets inspired to write, her process, and upcoming releases.

Follow her on Instagram @nonkuscorner for the latest updates.

Thank you for hanging out with us here at Stories With Bri. Season 3 of the podcast will drop later this summer. Stay tuned.

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Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com 

Check out YouTube for more episodes at this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

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It was such an honor this week to talk to former Black Caucus of the American Library Association president Richard E Ashby, Jr. He is currently the Director of the Sharon Hill Public Library in Sharon Hill, PA and the co-founder of Literacy Nation whose mission is to encourage and promote youth and adults, as well as those whose native language is not English, to develop basic skills in reading, speaking, and writing English; thereby, empowering them to participate in their communities. We shared quite a few laughs as he took me on his journey to becoming a degreed librarian at the young age of 50. 

Follow him on Instagram @sidewalklibrarian

Check out and support Literacy Nation at this link https://www.literacynation.com/

Follow me @storieswithbri

Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com 

Check out YouTube for more episodes at this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

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This week I had the opportunity to talk with another fellow Black Librarian and it was a lively conversation. John Light Jr. is a librarian, storyteller, genealogist, and author. He currently works as a Youth Librarian for the Live Oak Public library system in Savannah, GA. We talked about his journey to become a librarian, his work in youth services, his many children's book publications, and much more...

Follow him on Instagram @misterjohn_tlhea

To purchase his books and genealogy services contact him on his website https://theylivedhappily.com/

Follow me @storieswithbri 

Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com 

Check out YouTube for more episodes at this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA 

Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe.

THIS EPISODE IS AUDIO ONLY! This week I got the opportunity to chat with Danielle G. founder and podcast host of "Young, Gifted, and Abroad." We discuss the work Danielle is doing with her podcast, which features the "perspectives on studying abroad from past and present students." Check out the website here https://www.younggiftedandabroad.com/. We also get to know each other as we reflect on our thoughts about Deesha Philyaw's book "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies." This was a fun conversation and very enlightening.  You can follow her @deelasees or @younggiftedandabroad  Follow me @storieswithbri Check out my website www.storieswithbri.com Check out YouTube for more episodes at this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe. 

Bookstagram bestie and future librarian Jasmine Washington stopped by to have a conversation about her journey to get her Master of Library Science, navigating life as a MLS student, working in library programming, and what her ideal library would look like. It was a great time. 

Follow her on Instagram @_tripthroughthepages_

You can follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri

YouTube video can be found at this link here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Check out my website here. https://www.storieswithbri.com/

Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to this podcast and my YouTube channel. Thank you for the support!

This week I had the honor to interview a friend and fellow author Kiarra Charles. Kiarra is a mental health counselor by profession, but she is also the independent author of this amazing poetry book entitled "Loud Whispers: A Book of Poems and Pictures." This is a dynamic book of poetry that focuses on themes of sexuality, family, Black culture, and more...

Click here to purchase a copy of her book https://www.amazon.com/Loud-Whispers-Book-Poems-Pictures/dp/B08QBVMHBL

Follow her on Instagram: @loudwhispers8, on Facebook @loudwhisperspoetry

You can follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri

YouTube video can be found at this link here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Check out my website here. https://www.storieswithbri.com/

Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to this podcast and my YouTube channel. Thank you for the support!

This week I had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Billy Allen aka "3kingvisions" aka "Mr. Leader of the New Cool" himself about his journey as a Black male librarian. We had a great conversation about his epic story times and his ability to keep children engaged and excited about reading in the library and through his social media platforms. We talked about his process and why. We also dived into how we as librarians can advocate for more people of color to enter into the profession of librarianship. Tune in for this amazing conversation.

Follow him on Instagram @3kingvisions

Check out his "Adventures With Mr. Billy" on his YouTube channel as this link https://www.youtube.com/c/3kingvisions

You can follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri  

The video for this recording will be available on my Stories with Bri YouTube page at this link.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Check out my website here. https://www.storieswithbri.com/ 

Please don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to this podcast and my YouTube channel. Thank you for the support!

This week we're back in therapy or at least it feels like it. Lol. I got the opportunity to talk with Hannah Rose about her journey as a Bookstagrammer and we had a great discussion about Tabitha Brown's "Feeding the Soul."  

Follow her on Instagram @getoveryourshelf  

You can follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri  

Video can be found on YouTube at this link https://youtu.be/UL11dstWmhE

Check out my website here. https://www.storieswithbri.com/ 

Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to the podcast and my YouTube channel. Thank you for the support!

This week I had the lovely opportunity to talk with author Tangela Williams-Spann. We discussed her first book "Sad, Black, and Fat: Musings From the Intersection" and its many themes on body positivity, self love, mental health and more....

To purchase your copy of her book. Click here.

Follow her on Instagram: @twillspann

You can follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri

YouTube video can be found at this link here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Check out my website here. https://www.storieswithbri.com/

Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to this podcast and my YouTube channel. Thank you for the support!

Welcome back for Season 2 of the Stories With Bri podcast! I'm kicking this season off with a very powerful discussion between myself and fellow Bookstagrammer Zakiya Jones. Zakiya is a social worker, cat mom, and fiction fanatic according to her Bookstagram bio. She brings a ball of energy to the podcast conversation and I truly enjoyed talking to her. We talk about her love for literature, why she created her bookstagram page and have a very engaging heart-to-heart discussion about Ashley C. Ford's "Somebody's Daughter."

If you haven't read the book yet, this is your warning because there are plenty of spoilers here. This is also your trigger warning conversation includes discussion on sexual assault, family trauma, and eating disorders. 

Follow Kiya on her Instagram page @reader.bae

You can follow me on Instagram @storieswithbri

YouTube video can be found at this link here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZIER9uxLDYD7hOoA0p0cA

Check out my website here. https://www.storieswithbri.com/

Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to this podcast and my YouTube channel. Thank you for the support!