There is something refreshingly beautiful about getting to ignite and inspire through writing stories that change lives.
Our Beginning
My journey into not only becoming a children’s book author, but creating a publishing company was born out of a frustration with the sparse authentic representation of Black American youth in middle grade fiction. With this gentle, yet powerful, time of growth and maturity, when tweens are beginning to find their own way and seek out their own voice - the availability of books that spoke of and spoke to Black American children was embarrassingly sparse. Even of the books that were available, only about 1/3 were written by Black American authors.
My background in both education and communication put me in a unique position to be able to do something about the gaping wound I saw before me. I have taught at the collegiate level for almost twenty-years, with the last seven years being spent mainly working with teachers who were obtaining their Master’s degree in Education. My PhD in Communication Studies, with its emphasis in Communication-Based Education means I have been writing to teach in unique and creative ways for almost two decades. It was time and I am honored for the opportunity to answer the call.
Don’t get me wrong, this hasn’t been easy. Being a severely dyslexic writer has brought along its own challenges, but let’s call them opportunities. Indie publishing also means I am more than a writer - I am responsible for every single step of the way from idea generation to marketing. How many roads worth walking are already paved? The necessity to clear the path proves the need for the product.
“When a child discovers someone else has done it, they don’t just think they can do it too, they think they can do it better.”
— Dr. Doresa Jennings, author
I started with The STEAM Chasers series on purpose. I knew that was the biggest gap that I could fill. Black Americans, both men and particularly women, are significantly underrepresented in the areas of science, technology, engineer, arts (technical arts especially), and math. One of the reasons for this underrepresentation is students not being introduced to the various fields related to S.T.E.A.M. until they reach high school. If this is their first introduction to some of the basic requirements needed to enter these in demand fields, they are already woefully behind. It is incredibly unfail to introduce teenagers to this world, only to let them know they either can’t enter it, or will have to work three times as hard to make up for lost time. The STEAM Chasers pulls the curtain back while there is still plenty of time for students to prepare to successfully enter this world of opportunities. I have also noted that STEAM is a gas and the fundamental nature of a gas is that it expands to fill the space that it occupies. This means there will always be room in the areas of STEAM for any child that decides they want to be a part of it. The STEAM Chasers is design to make that a reality.
Our Mission
There continues to be a severe underrepresentation of Black characters in children’s books, particularly books that focus on kids simply being kids. There is also an underrepresentation of books that offer a wide spectrum of representation of the Black American experience. Our goal is to attack this gap in literature head-on by providing well written and well produced novels that highlight and explore the lives of Black American young people and their families. Dr. Jennings has committed to producing a minimum of two middle-grade novels annually, along with a number of workbooks and journals that will allow educators to incorporate those books seamlessly into their curriculum.
9%
According to Cooperative Children’s Book Center, just 9% of children’s books published in 2017 featured African or African American characters.
1/3
Of those books published that featured African or African American characters, only 1/3 of those books were written and/or illustrated by a Black author
122
Just 122 children’s books were written and/or illustrated by an African or African American author in 2017. Indie or self-publishing is what many Black authors are doing to combat this harrowing statistics. This is why I created my own publishing company.
There is something uniquely beautiful that happens when someone has an opportunity to tell their own stories. There is a nuance that comes from infusing your lived experiences into even the most fantastical of tales. When you open the pages of a book that I wrote, you will find interspersed within the pages memories of my childhood growing up in Flint, MI. You will find find the hustle and bustle of my own children’s early years in the Metro Atlanta area, continuing with tales of maturity in the expanding rural to urban expansion of Huntsville, AL. You will find my husband’s chronicle of being educated at a Historically Black College. When you open the pages of my books, you aren’t just reading about the Black American experience, you are invited into a world that can only be created in an own voices extrapolation. Black American youth can find their own story and can find characters that not only look like them, but understanding what that experience means in not only big, but small everyday ways. Non-Black American children can safely explore a culture not their own and know they are getting an authentic experience and a lens that only comes from the realness of this journey.
Meet Dr. Jennings
If you would like to ensure The STEAM Chasers and other books written by Dr. Jennings get into the hands of kids that need them, please support the series. Dr. Jennings is also available for school visits and well as talks at conferences.