Lauren Simone Blogs

Amber Rabsatt is a mom, author, teacher, a native of Atlanta, GA, and recently turned vlogger. Amber has always been passionate about children’s literacy. She is currently an elementary school teacher, where she gets to help children learn to read. Since she was a little girl, Amber has been writing children’s stories.  She completed her lifelong dream when she authored her first book, "The Three Friends," illustrated by Aaron Davis. Amber loves to read to her son, Isaiah. She is determined to pass on her love of reading to him. On January 12th, 2020,  Amber Rabsatt and her son Isaiah posted...

Harambee stories is a podcast that showcases stories centered around Black/African-American children. The owner, Toynia B. Edmonds, created it as a result of trying to find a podcast that told bedtime stories for her son. Not only is she a podcast host, but she is also an educator and advocate of children.  Toynia Edmonds of Harambee Stories interviewed child author, Imani Ariana in May. Imani read from her second book entitled, "The Golden Life of Sally Sunflower" in Harambee Stories episode 12. The following month, she interviewed child author, Olivia Lauren and her mom and publisher, Melissa-Sue John from Lauren Simone...

Writer Lucy Gellman from the Arts Council Greater New Haven interviewed Melissa-Sue John and Olivia Lauren John on Wednesday, February 26th at Visual Literacy, a one-night artist and vendor showcase at the Stetson Branch Library on Dixwell Avenue. She writes, "Melissa-Sue John was tired of books that didn’t reflect the two Black girls she had at home. Her daughters, Olivia Lauren and Alyssa Simone, were both budding writers. So the three of them did the only reasonable thing there was to do: they founded a publishing house to tell their own stories." After describing all the other artists at the event, she continues, "The Johns greeted...